What do people gain from following God all these years? Most people would say that their harvest has been great. For now we will not talk about how great the harvest is of those who have good caliber and who pursue the truth; even those who have ordinary caliber harvest a lot. First off, do people have some discernment regarding this evil, corrupt world? (Yes.) How did you used to feel, when you were mixed in with the unbelievers? Each day, you felt tired, irritated, angry, aggrieved, and depressed; you dared not blow off steam for fear that you would run into an evil person who would bully you, and you would not be able to beat them, so you had to swallow your pride. That is to say, living in an unbelieving world, in this evil world, those you came in contact with were devils; they brutalized one another, so your heart was in great pain. This is the most obvious feeling. So after believing in God, what did this obvious feeling turn into? What did this fragment of conscience and moral perception of yours become? It became true discernment and true knowledge of this wicked era. By suffering many persecutions, you can see the hideous countenance of the devil kings, as well as the darkness and wickedness of this era. Is this not a harvest? If you do not believe in God and do not accept the truth, can you have such a harvest? Before, you merely felt: “How are people getting worse and worse? Inconceivable.” Would you still say that now? Right now, you have some knowledge and discernment of evil people, of wicked and worldly devils. Would you be willing to come in contact and interact with them? (No.) You would certainly not be willing. If you were asked to associate and mingle with them, you would instead gasp, saying: “I am afraid. I cannot beat them. Those people all belong to Satan, they are so evil!” What made you change so much? Is it not the effects of the word of God? Is it not that always speaking of how to discern evil people, the wicked era, and wicked trends allows you to come to know this era and mankind? You have this knowledge, so you are unwilling to mingle with them; the moral sense and conscience within you is disgusted by them, and you start to have discernment. You gradually see through to their nature essence; from the bottom of your heart, you can see that they are devils. Getting along with them pains your heart and makes you so upset that you have no way to continue living; your only wish is to immediately separate yourself from them. Some people, when they first enter the church and come into contact with the brothers and sisters, feel: “How are these people different? They are all able to simply and openly speak their innermost thoughts, like family members. How do they not defend themselves from others at all? Are they stupid, or what? I’m the smart one. I defend against everyone, and I do not speak my innermost thoughts with anyone.” As time goes on, they understand a little truth; they think that if they do not start pursuing becoming an honest person, instead always disguising themselves, lying, and deceiving, then would they not be a devil? They would certainly be eliminated. “I must accept the truth and be an honest person.” Then they try to open their hearts to the brothers and sisters and speak their innermost thoughts. When they occasionally tell lies, they pray to God, and they forsake their lies, and practice the conduct of an honest person. They always practice this way, and then one day they feel that living this way is really good; not only are they not tired, they are also not depressed, and they have no pain. Their hearts are free and liberated, and they really have feelings of peace and joy. After this point, they are able to openly fellowship all their thoughts and ideas with the brothers and sisters. “Only the house of God has the environment of the truth, only there does God’s word exercise authority, and only there is a pure land. Only in the house of God can people have more of the semblance of a human as they continue to live!” If you really have such feelings, then you will not leave God, because you see that God is love, and you enjoy His love. Unbelievers do not comprehend it when they see people believe in God and follow Him in this way. They do not understand what these people are doing, why they have such great faith in God, or why they would still persist in gathering in such difficult circumstances—even when they are cleared out and expelled they do not leave God, they still persist in rendering service, and they spread the gospel and prepare good deeds. There are some people among them who might not dare to leave God out of fear; they fear that leaving will bring upon them God’s punishment. I tell you the truth: You can simply go out with your heart at ease, God will not punish you. God gives people freedom, and the door to the house of God is eternally open; whoever wants to leave may do so at any time and place, without restrictions. But if someone wants to reenter after leaving, that is not so simple, because it constitutes betrayal against God. They must go through strict examination; whether or not they have truly repented, whether or not they are a good person, must be investigated. Only then can they be accepted back into the church. But as to those who want to forsake God and return to the world, the house of God has never had any restrictions. Does the church have any administrative decrees that say certain people are not permitted to leave? (No.) There never have been. The house of God permits anyone to leave the church; if an evil person leaves the church, the house of God will even see them off gladly. But there are some people who always want to express their good intentions to the people who want to leave, saying: “You can’t leave, you still have some gifts, and some caliber. You still have a future in the church, and you could be blessed greatly in the future.” There are some well-intentioned people who try to persuade others in this way, thinking that this is love. Is it any use to ask people to stay like this? You can get people to stay, but you cannot get their hearts to stay. Those who do not love the truth cannot stand firm in the house of God; even if you compel them to stay, they are not someone who pursues the truth, so what blessings can they obtain? If they are loyal laborers, then the blessing of being able to survive is not small; but for those who do not love the truth, believing in God is tiresome, so are they willing to labor? So, this method of good intention-based persuasion has some results for a good person, but is a little foolish when applied to an evil person. There are principles for exhorting others. Practicing exhortation toward those who are able to repent gives some results, while practicing exhortation toward evil people is useless. The more you try to persuade them, the more they are disgusted with you, and their shame turns into anger. This demonstrates foolishness—it is foolish to exhort an evil person. There are some people who, though they have not believed in God for very long, they feel in the depths of their hearts that reading the words of God the past few years has given them perceptual, plain knowledge of many truths, and that although they have not yet fully obtained the truth, they have changed somewhat, and have truly obtained a great deal from God. Though when you are asked to speak about experiential knowledge and testimony you are still unable to talk about it clearly, you simply feel that you are moving forward in a good and positive direction, and that you are not moving backward in a bad or negative direction—and you are constantly telling yourself, “I need to be a good person, I need to be an honest person. I absolutely cannot be a deceitful person, much less an arrogant acolyte of wickedness, who God detests. I need to be someone who pleases God.” You often thus admonish yourself and restrain yourself, and after a few years, you finally think that you’re able to live out a little of the likeness of a human. Speaking from people’s truest feelings, experiences, and understandings, man is the greatest beneficiary of God’s work as He saves mankind. Having believed in God up to the present, what have you missed out on? I will lay it out for you. You have missed out on self-indulgence, doing whatever you want, on living heartlessly, on opportunities to go to dance, sing, and party at nightclubs and bars, and you have missed out on the opportunity to eat and drink yourself stupid in the tides of wickedness. You have not had these days. But more than that, what have you obtained? People often feel that believing in God makes them pretty happy and carefree. Living a whole lifetime this way would be pretty good. Most of what you obtain is happiness, joy, and peace. Are these not real benefits? (They are.) Some people might say: “Although I am a bit tired from doing my duty the past two years, I nevertheless feel at ease.” This easiness and peace cannot be bought with money, nor can they be exchanged for status, fame, gain, or academic degree.

For a believer in God, to obtain the truth is to obtain life, and to obtain life is to obtain real benefits. At the same time that man obtains real benefits, what does God obtain from them? What are God’s requirements of man? What does God need to obtain from man? Is God engaged in a transaction? (No.) In God’s speech and actions, has He ever said, “I have said these words, so you need to give Me this much money”? Has God ever asked you for a single cent? (No.) Some distrustful people never believe that God would so selflessly and freely grant so many truths that can be man’s life to mankind; they do not believe in this fact. They think that all matters on earth are transactional, that there is no such thing as a free lunch, so they do not believe that all God’s words and deeds are granted to mankind freely, and without price. They think that even if it is this way, it is certainly a trap. That they would doubt God in this way is hardly surprising, because they do not know who God saves and perfects, much less on whom the truth is bestowed. But what God does is truly free. No matter what He requires people to do, as long as they do it, He is pleased, and people are able to receive His approval. As long as people are able to accept the truths God expresses, and are able to live according to His words, this is the result God expects, and is what He wants from people as He saves them. God wants this little bit, but can people give it to Him? How many people are there who can treat this requirement of God as the most precious thing of all to repay Him? Who can understand God’s heart? No one can, and people are unaware that they have obtained the most precious thing of all. Why do I say they have obtained the most precious thing of all? God has bestowed His life, all He is and all He has, on man, so that they can live it out, so that they can take all that He is and has, and the truths He has bestowed on man, and turn them into their life direction and goal, so that they can live according to His words, and make His words into their life. In this way, could it not be said that God has bestowed His life freely on man so that He could become their life? (It could.) So what is it that people get from God? His expectations? His promises? Or what? What people get from God is not an empty word, it is God’s life! At the same time that God grants people life, His only requirement of them is that they live His life out as their own. When God sees you living out this life, He is gratified; this is His only requirement. So, what people obtain from God is something priceless, but at the same time that He grants them this priceless thing, He gets nothing. The greatest beneficiary is man; man reaps the greatest harvest, and man is the greatest beneficiary. At the same time that people accept God’s words as their life, they understand the truth and have principles and a foundation for conducting themselves, so they have a direction for their life path. They are not misled or bound by Satan any longer, nor are they misled or used by evil people any longer; they are no longer polluted or enticed by evil trends. They live free and liberated between the heaven and earth, and are able to live under God’s dominion, never again to be brutalized by any evil or dark force. That is to say, as a person lives out this kind of life, they no longer suffer pain, and they have no difficulties; they live happily, free and easy. They have a normal relationship with God; they do not rebel against Him, nor resist Him. Truly living under His sovereignty, inside and out they live in a way that is perfectly justified; they have the truth and humanity, and become worthy of the name of mankind. Compare obtaining such a great benefit with what in the imagination of man are the promises given to man by God or the blessings man wishes to obtain—which is better? Which one do people need most? Which one is able to make people submit to and worship God, make them live forever, without being destroyed or punished by God? Is your desire to be blessed important, or is truly living out the life that God has given you important? What is more able to help you come before God, without making Him detest you, forsake you, or punish you? What is able to preserve your life? Only by accepting the truth that comes from God can you obtain this everlasting life. Once you have this life, your life is without a time limit—this is eternal life. The implication is that if someone does not obtain the life that comes from God, they must die; human life is limited by time. Is life limited by time still eternal life? It is not. Can your desire to be blessed take the place of receiving eternal life from God? Can someone’s desire to be blessed keep them from dying? No, that is for certain.

God has come to express so much truth. People obtain life from God and they obtain the everlasting life which comes from Him, a life that is eternal. Has God changed? (No.) Theoretically speaking, God’s great project of saving mankind has finally caused people to be qualified to live forever without dying; on this level, God has fulfilled His wishes, fulfilled His six-thousand-year management plan—the work of saving mankind. God’s great work has been accomplished, and it seems as though God has gotten some benefit out of it, but in reality, who is the one who will live forever? Who is the one obtaining the greatest blessings? (Man.) It is mankind. If God does not obtain these people, will His status change? (No.) God’s status would not change, nor would His essence, nor would anything else. On the contrary, man’s fate would change significantly; not a small difference, but the difference between heaven and earth! One is to die eternally, the other is to live eternally. Which should people choose? (To live eternally.) What does God wish to see? What is His greatest expectation of mankind? Why would He pay such a great price? God granted His life to man freely, without any demands or transaction, and without any additional requirements. All He requires of people is to accept His words into their hearts and live out the semblance of a human according to His requirements, and then His work will achieve results, and His wishes will be satisfied. But humans are narrow-minded; they think that in saying all these words and having people eat and drink them and enter into them, in having people cast things away and expend themselves, rebel against themselves, put themselves aside, and constantly worship Him, God may be getting some great profit. Is this in fact the case? (No, God is selfless. He freely bestows the truth upon man, without demands, and without requiring people to repay Him.) Looking at these matters, is the phrase “God is selfless” true? (Yes.) God is selfless. There is no selfishness in any of the things God does. Has God ever done anything that was only for Himself, and not for man? He never has. Up to the present, God has never done such a thing, which people can know through their experiences. At the same time that God allows people to understand the truth and obtain the life that comes from Him, He also arranges a great many circumstances, people, events, and things, and provides people with the appropriate opportunities to do their duties; so that they may have the appropriate circumstances and conditions in which to sufficiently experience and understand the truthfulness of His words and the truth contained therein. He uses all kinds of methods, such as pruning, discipline, trials, refinement, promptings, and exhortation, as well as church life and the mutual fellowship, support, and help of the brothers and sisters, to help people understand His will, to not misunderstand His heart, and to get people to step onto the right way. At the same time that God does all this, does He have any additional requirements of people, requiring them to do special things for Him? (No.) In summary, in the time that God saves people, He gives them sufficient opportunities and sufficient space, and provides various advantageous and convenient conditions and circumstances to build up each person. At the same time, He also cleanses each person, and in the end, He perfects those who can be perfected; He perfects those who love and pursue the truth. In short, all this that God does, whether the words He says to people, the work He does, or the price He pays, is done freely.

Actually, no matter how many years God works, how much of God’s word people are able to understand, how much of the truth they are able to put into practice, or how much life provision they get from God, can anyone among mankind truly converse with God? Set aside conversation for now—this requirement is a bit high for you right now—is there anyone who can truly understand the heart of God? Let us not speak of satisfying Him—can you understand His heart? No one can. Some people say: “God is so great, and we humans are so small. God is in heaven, and we are on earth. One of God’s thoughts is enough for us to ponder over for years—how can we understand Him? This is not easy to achieve, and conversing with Him is even more unachievable.” So is achieving this a difficult matter? Is there a level of difficulty? Where does that difficulty come in? God’s thoughts are in all His words, in the truth He has expressed, and in His disposition. If someone does not pursue the truth, cannot understand the truth, nor can they obtain the truth and life that comes from God, then they can never comprehend Him. If someone does not comprehend God, then they can never come before Him to converse with Him, nor will they be capable of doing that. What do I mean by converse? It is to lay one’s heart bare, to speak from the heart. Do you know how to do this? You know how to speak from the heart with your parents, with your siblings, and with your bosom friends, but you never know how to speak from the heart with God. Where does the problem come from? (Not comprehending God’s heart.) Why can you not comprehend God’s heart? (Man does not have true knowledge of God.) This is one main reason. People do not comprehend God’s heart; they do not know His heart, nor do they know what He is thinking, what He loves, what He hates, why He is sorrowful, or why He is sad. You cannot appreciate these things, which proves that you have not obtained the truth or life from within God’s words, and your heart is still far from God. What does it mean when one’s heart is far from God? First, it means that people have no place for God in their hearts; they still want to be their own master. Carrying on like this leads to them rebelling against and resisting God everywhere, all the time; they even forsake God, and leave Him. Some people encounter disaster and calamity and misunderstand God, and complain against Him; they say things that judge and deny God. Such people are already resisting and betraying God. This is the truth of the situation. For God, is living in such a state good or bad? (Bad.) Why is it bad? (This is not what God wants, nor is it what He hopes to see.) This is one aspect, and God does not hope to see such things. So how would God feel in His heart? (Regretful and hurt.) First, He would be hurt. If you were full of expectations for someone, and you hoped that they would lay their hearts bare to you, but they instead were estranged from you and misunderstood you, always hiding from you and avoiding you, what would you think? Even if they opened their heart to you and talked with you, and what they said was not what you wanted to hear, what would you think? Would you not feel lonely? (Yes.) First you would feel lonely and isolated, as though you had no loved ones, no confidants, no one to speak from the heart with, no one to believe in or rely on; your heart would be lonely. At the same time that you felt lonely, what would you think? How would you feel? Would your heart not hurt? (Yes.) It would hurt. Is this pain easy to resolve? What sorts of things could lessen this pain? How could you change this situation? Could giving up on this desire and pretending you could not see this fact do it? (No.) So what would you have to do in the end? What should the final choice be? How can such a situation be changed? God could do two things. Man might have other methods, but corrupt mankind’s choices are certainly different from God’s courses of action. Man’s choice would be, “If you do not act in line with my will, I will not pay you any heed. If this person will not do, I will choose that person. If the first is bad, I will choose the second.” Would God act this way? Certainly not. God does not give up on the things He wants to do. So what would God do? This is a matter in which God’s selfless essence is embodied. For one, God would continue to freely provide for man’s needs, for the needs of their life and their spirit, as well as the various needs of their circumstances. Additionally, God would do the second thing, which is what He has been doing for the past several thousand years. Can you think of what it is? (Wait.) What else? (God would continue to wait, and continue to guide them.) It seems that you have some understanding, this mindset. That’s right, He would wait. God would not choose a second method, whether escape, or giving up, or lessening His sorrow. At the same time that He freely grants life provision to mankind, He also freely waits. This is what He does. How well does He do it? To use man’s words, is God not really something? (God does all He can and all He ought to.) God does all this freely, so that people can obtain eternal life. He has no other requirements; at the very least, it could be said that He has no unreasonable requirements of man. At the same time that God grants all this to man, He, freely and bit by bit, grants His most precious and valuable thing to man, which is the thing that man most ought to value and cherish. As people obtain all these things, they obtain happiness, peace, a foundation for survival and human conduct, and the greatest benefits possible. But at the same time, have any of these people thought of God? Have they thought of what He is doing and thinking? They haven’t thought of this, have they? As people obtain all this, do any of them ask themselves: “What did we give God in return for all that He has bestowed upon us? What does God get from us? When we obtain joy and happiness, is God happy?” People might not ask or think about this. When people fellowship about the words of God with one another, and are steeped in happiness and merriment, have any of them thought about God? They do not think; they have never thought, and they do not know how to think. Such things are not in their hearts. At the same time that people get all this from God, they think: “I’m so lucky! Getting all this is so great, I’m so blessed! No one is as blessed as me. It’s really thanks to God!” People just say one word of thanks; they only have a kind of grateful mood. No matter how sincere they are, or how fervent their hearts are, or how great a burden they think they can carry, and no matter how much of the truth they think they already understand, or what they can do for God, even when God is by man’s side, He is still lonely! Why do I say He is lonely? Because, from beginning to end, no matter what God bestows upon man, what He does to them, in what form He appears to them, or in what manner He works on them, God is isolated by them. Is this not the case? (It is.) So at what point will this situation change, so that God no longer needs to wait, and no longer feels lonely? Which things do people need to do and what level does their stature need to be at in order to change this condition, to change this state? What is this dependent on? (It depends on people’s pursuit.) This matter ultimately still depends on man, not on God. As I have said, when man is able to speak from the heart with God face to face, and when their hearts are not estranged, when they are able to converse with God and comprehend His heart, when they know what He is thinking and what He wants to do, what He likes and what He loathes, why He is sorrowful and why He is pleased, then God will not be lonely. If people are able to do this, then they will truly be gained by God. This is the true relationship God wants to see between Himself and man. Do you understand? (A little.) Is God’s heart easy to understand? When you earnestly read the word of God and diligently consider and experience each word and every truth that He has expressed, then you will gradually enter into and comprehend God’s heart. At the same time that you comprehend God’s heart, you will know how to satisfy His heart. If someone cannot comprehend God’s heart, then how can they satisfy Him? It is impossible. What is the precondition to satisfying God? (Comprehension.) Understanding and comprehension are first, then you can speak of satisfaction. Is this matter difficult for you? (By putting in effort and diligently considering, it is not difficult.) This matter is not actually difficult. People can hear the words God speaks and see the work He does; they acknowledge these words in their hearts, and no one denies them. This depends on people’s hearts; as long as they have the heart for it, it is easy to achieve. If you are heartless, then it is troublesome. It does not matter how many words are said to you—they are all in vain.

I just fellowshipped about how man is the greatest beneficiary of God’s management plan. Is that not a fact? Have you seen this fact? (We have.) Some people have heard and understood, and now are pondering, “So I can get real benefits. This is not just a story for children, I can really receive eternal life!” How can you receive eternal life? (Practice according to God’s requirements.) Who do you think most needs these truths that God has expressed? Does God need them? (God does not need them, man needs them.) It is man who needs them most; God does not need them. God has granted to man the things they most need. Are they not the most blessed? (They are.) Right now, if you were given a choice between the whole world and eternal life, which would you choose? Some foolish people would say: “I don’t want eternal life, since I can’t see it or feel it. Pursuing it seems very tiring. I want money, a mansion, and a fancy car—those are tangible benefits!” Do such people exist? You cannot say they do not, there are all kinds of idiots out there. However I speak, they do not understand, so let them go. They do not have this blessing. They have made their own choice. In the end, you will obtain what you choose; you have to be responsible for your own choices. You have to pay for your own choices; whether life or death depends on the path you have chosen. If you want to resist God to the end, then you are on the road to death. If you say, “I will live by following the path God has pointed out to me,” then you will be able to live always—this will come true. Every word of God will be fulfilled and become real, that cannot be denied. Some people say: “How is it that I do not know this matter?” If you do not know and I tell you, then do you not know it? Some others say: “Even if I have heard of it, I have not seen it with my own eyes, so I still think it is not real.” Then there’s nothing to be done. If someone has no faith, then they will not believe even if they see with their own eyes. Those who do not have spiritual understanding do not know, even if they see, nor do they understand, even if they hear. Only those who have spiritual understanding and understand the truth can see the word of God being accomplished and fulfilled each day. If you believe that God’s words accomplish everything, that God is almighty, that all His words will be fulfilled, then you should pursue the truth. If you see that God’s words are fulfilled and accomplished in you, then you will have faith in Him. Rest assured, God’s promises and blessings for you will certainly surpass all that you could ask for or imagine!

December 11, 2016