Why is it said that God’s word is a lamp to guide people? It is because God’s word is not spoken in vain, it is spoken in order to address people’s real problems. It is not theory, high-sounding rhetoric, or discourse. God’s word is meant for you to apply and to put into practice. When you encounter a situation where you have no way forward and do not know what to do, you can recall how God’s word requires you to act. By pondering over God’s word you find a way, you understand the meaning of God’s word, and then proceed to put it into practice according to God’s intentions. After putting it into practice you receive confirmation, and discover that through this action you experience peace and joy in your spirit, and that others are edified as well. In the process of putting God’s word into practice, you gain enlightenments and experiences, you learn from your own experiences, and you come to understand certain things. What do you understand? You understand the purpose behind God’s word and behind His intention to let people act in a certain manner. When you discover the principles of practice underlying all this, you discover the source and significance of His words. This is understanding the truth. After understanding the truth, you are no longer confused, not so ignorant, and no longer timid when you do things. What does it mean to not be timid? It means that when faced with difficulties, you are able to seek the truth, know how to resolve them, and know exactly how to proceed. What does it mean to have a way forward when putting God’s word into practice? It means that you understand the principles of practicing His word, you comprehend the situations to which His words refer, and you know how to put them into practice. Why is it said that God’s word is the life and path of human beings? It is because God’s word can be people’s life, and only His word, only the truth, can lead people onto the right path in life. God’s word is straightforward and easy to understand. It is given in order to allow people to easily understand and accept the truth. When people are able to acknowledge and accept the truth, they unconsciously find themselves on the right path in life. Some of God’s words may seem simple or easily understandable, but they are all instructions on how to live, how to handle various situations, and how to resolve difficulties. This is the truth. It can become your path, providing you with wisdom, principles, and a path of practice when faced with challenges. If you have a path in performing your duty or in other matters, if you can approach tasks with principle and understand God’s intentions, does this mean you understand the truth? (Yes.) It means you understand the truth and understand God’s word. Laborers don’t necessarily need to understand God’s word; they simply need to put forth effort. Therefore, laboring is a simple task. Some people are not even good at laboring, and what a poor show such people make of themselves! What does it mean to make a poor show of themselves? It means they can’t even properly handle the task of laboring, they can’t put forth good effort, and they are always mischievous, disruptive, negative, and lazy. They always need to be coaxed and supervised. Such people fail to fulfill their duty satisfactorily and do not meet the standards of being a person. Now, which path do you intend to take? What kind of person do you plan to become? Will you strive to be a benchmark laborer, or will you aim to be someone who fulfills their duty with all their heart, soul, and mind? (To be someone who fulfills their duty with all their heart, soul, and mind.) That is a good thing and a right goal. You do not wish to be merely a laborer, you do not wish to merely exert effort. Then you should strive toward the truth! Which truths are the most important to understand when striving for the truth? This depends on the difficulties you are facing, and it is crucial to address the immediate problems first. Currently, the majority of people are focusing on pursuing the truth and fulfilling their duty, and the truth of fulfilling one’s duty is quite crucial. As long as you can fulfill your duty according to principles, you will feel peace and assurance in your heart. And if you can also know God’s work, experience His work, and resolve some of your corrupt dispositions, then you will taste the sweetness of following God and find it easier to walk the path of pursuing the truth. The key issue in following and submitting to God is to fulfill your duty properly. God’s word says, “You shall fulfill your duty with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Is this statement not the truth? If you can confirm that this statement is the truth, then you should put effort into fulfilling your duty. The more you understand the truth in the fulfillment of your duty, the more principled and effective your fulfillment of it will be. If you fulfill your duty satisfactorily, you will not only have peace and joy in your heart but also genuine faith. This is the result of following God and fulfilling your duty. It is absolutely true that the path of following God becomes brighter as you walk it. Therefore, fulfilling your duty is the most meaningful thing to do. If you make efforts to strive toward the truth in accordance with God’s requirements, you have struck out from the right place. As you strive in this direction, you will gradually see results and come to have a human likeness. Gradually, your relationship with God will grow closer. When you face trials and tribulations and feel a bit negative or weak, and some notions and misunderstandings arise, you will easily seek out the truth to resolve those issues, and they will no longer be significant problems.

Most of you live in countries with a democratic system, unlike the brothers and sisters in the mainland Chinese church who have suffered persecution and hardships. Having a comfortable life is not necessarily a good thing for you. It may require some effort for you to pursue the truth, and it may be a bit challenging to endure hardships and pay the price in the performance of your duty. People who grew up under a democratic and free system tend to have the fault of being self-indulgent. They do not allow others to criticize or rebuke them. They have relatively more freedom and openness in their thinking. They always demand personal space, freedom, they always want to pursue their every desire, and they always demand all manner of things concerned with the pleasures of the flesh. If you are unwilling to let go of these things, it will be difficult for you to break free from the state and condition of merely exerting effort without pursuing the truth. Constantly emphasizing autonomy and personal space will bring trouble. You must talk about the truth, about God’s words, and about what is positive and what is the correct path in life. Although freedom, democracy, and independence are good and are progressive social systems, they are not the truth. They are merely progressive ideas and systems in this dark and evil world. They are systems that are relatively suitable for human survival and which uphold human rights. They are not the truth at all, and you must see this clearly. Do not think, “I was born under such a social system, so I have these rights. I can think, say, and do whatever I want, and no one can interfere. This is my human right, the right granted me by society and my country.” If you regard this as the supreme truth, it will bring trouble. Can these thoughts demonstrate that you possess the truth? Where do these things come from? They come from humans and arise from corrupt humanity. They are not God’s words, much less are they the truth that God requires people to possess. If you treat the idea of democracy and freedom as the truth, and in God’s house you only focus on pursuing freedom and refuse to be restrained, acting recklessly in the performance of your duties, then you will encounter trouble. Will you be receptive to the truth if you hold such thoughts? Will you be able to practice the truth easily? Will you still be able to truly follow God? Following God requires understanding the truth, understanding how to submit, and being subject to the restraints of the truth. You cannot act willfully. If you pursue democracy and freedom, you cannot enter into the truth reality. You will not become a follower of God nor consider yourself one who follows Christ. This will bring you trouble, and this is the difficulty you face. People have certain notions and imaginings, certain traditional cultural viewpoints, and ideas promoted in social trends. These are created by the social background and environment. If you fail to see the essence and seriousness of these issues and always treat performing duties, believing in God, and the commission given to you by God in the manner of human rights and freedom, then you will never walk the right path and will not enter onto the correct track of faith in God. People in mainland China now live under the dark pall of authoritarian rule and do not possess any feeling of superiority. They are born with a habit of enduring hardships and working diligently like an ox, and this kind of social background and environment shapes their life habits or principles of conduct. On the other hand, people living in democratic and free countries do not have such ideas. They do not want to be confined, they feel that that is oppressive and they desire to break free from any restraints or regulations. When they come to God’s house they even want to break free from the administrative systems, work arrangements, and rules of the church. They do not want to be confined. They refuse being pruned by anyone and reject all criticism. They refuse to be a little busier with work or to endure a little fatigue. This will bring trouble! This is not the demeanor a Christian should have, nor is it the demeanor of a good soldier of Christ. The decency of the saints was always talked about in the Age of Grace. Is it still applicable now? Absolutely! This is a positive thing that is applicable everywhere and at all times. Let’s first not even talk about the likeness created mankind should have, which is God’s most basic requirement for man to achieve. Just consider, as a Christian, should you not have the decency of a Christian? If you do not, then you are not worthy to be a follower of God, and God does not acknowledge you. If you want to follow God, whether you want to be a created being or just an ordinary person, you must live as a human being. Your heart must be presented before God. You can say, “God, this is how I plan to follow You. This is my determination and my goal. Does it align with Your intention?” Or perhaps you do not say it directly to God, but you can accept God’s scrutiny and secretly set your resolve, allowing God to observe what you do next. Regardless of the country or social background you were born into, now that you are following God, you no longer belong to that country or those people. You are a follower of God, a believer in God, a member of God’s house. You must always and in every way consider yourself as a person of God’s house, a follower of God. You should strive to be a good soldier of Christ, measuring yourself by the standards of saints. If you constantly say, “I am Korean,” “I am Taiwanese,” “I am American,” “We all have our own ways of living,” then are you still a follower of God? Your perspective is incorrect; it clearly belongs to the nonbelievers. These are disbelievers! If you are a disbeliever, what are you doing bumming around God’s house? Are you trying to pretend to be a Christian? There shall be no pretending here. Trying to blend in is absolutely futile. If you are a Christian, you must accept the truth and perform your duty well. That is what it means to follow God. If you cannot perform your duty well, it doesn’t matter which country you come from; God will not acknowledge you. Regardless of one’s nationality, those who believe in God must perform their duty well and accept the truth. That is what it means to follow God. If you claim to believe in God but do not accept the truth or perform your duty, then you are a disbeliever, just like the nonbelievers. You are neither this nor that. People who are neither this nor that must quickly be cleansed away from God’s house, this type of person is not wanted in God’s house. If you consider yourself a person of the kingdom, then you must hold yourself to the standards of the people of the kingdom. If you say, “What people of the kingdom? I am a citizen of a democratic country. I have dignity and human rights. You must make demands of me according to the standards of a democratic country. Otherwise, there can be no discussion!” I am sorry, but this is the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of Satan. God wants His chosen people, the people of the kingdom. Do you understand? (Yes, I understand.) If you believe in God and follow Him, you must listen to His words. If you say, “I can follow God, but I need the freedom to choose. I like to listen to what people say, to listen for what I like, and follow those whom I prefer. Do not interfere with me. I prioritize obedience to the policies and regulations of my country; that is the most important thing. I cannot prioritize submission to God’s words, the truth. For me, my country and nationality come first, and the truth comes second or third. I can accept it or reject it,” then what is God’s attitude toward such a person? Well, I’m sorry, but you should leave the house of God! God’s house does not need someone like you. You are not following God; you are not a person of the kingdom of heaven. You are a citizen of the world, and God does not speak to people like you, nor does He save people like you. Such individuals cannot perform their duties as created beings. You should leave as soon as possible, the sooner, the better!

Some people worship famous and eminent people. They always have doubts about whether God’s words really can save people, and they always believe that only the words of famous and eminent people have weight and charisma. They are always thinking to themselves, “Look how impressive the head of our state is! Look at the pomp, the spectacle, the grandeur of our national assemblies! Can God’s house compare with that at all?” That you could say such a thing shows that you are a nonbeliever. You cannot clearly see the evil of politics, or the darkness of a nation, or the corruption of humanity. You cannot see that the truth reigns in God’s house, and you cannot see or understand what the experiential testimonies of God’s chosen people demonstrate. God’s house has the truth and so many testimonies, and all God’s chosen people are waking up and changing, all of them beginning to experience God’s work and enter the truth reality. Can you see the sight to come of God’s people submitting to Him and worshiping Him? It is beyond your imagination. All that God’s house has is a hundred times, a thousand times, better than the world, and in the future, all that God’s house has can only continue getting better, and more regular, and more perfect. All these things are achieved gradually, and they are what God’s word will accomplish. God’s chosen people are all selected by Him and preordained by Him, so certainly, they are much better than the people of the world. If someone cannot see these facts, are they not blind? Some people always feel the world is great, and deep down they worship the famous and eminent people of the world. Are they not worshiping devils and Satans? Do these famous and eminent people believe in God? Are they people who submit to God? Do they have God-fearing hearts? Do they accept the truth? They are all demons that resist God—can you really not see that? Why do you believe in God, seeing as you worship the famous and eminent people of the world? How do you really view all the words that God expresses? How do you view God’s sovereignty over all? Some people do not just have no fear of God—they do not even have the least respect for Him. Are they not disbelievers? Should such people not be asked to leave at once? (They should.) And if they do not leave, what is to be done? Rush to drive them out, clear them out. Disbelievers are like foul flies, too disgusting to behold. God’s house is reigned over by the truth and by His words, and acts are taken according to the truth principles. Such people should be cleared out. They say with their words that they believe in God, but at heart, they look down on God’s house and despise God. Are you willing to have such disbelievers mingling among you? (No.) That is why they must be cleared out at once. No matter how educated or capable they are, they must be cleared out. Some people ask, “Is that not unloving?” No, it is acting according to the principles. What do I mean by this? That no matter how large your stature, no matter how great your will to pursue the truth or whether you have faith in God, one thing is certain: Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. This is forever unchanging. This should be your rock, the most solid foundation of your belief in God; you should be certain and doubtless about this in your heart. If you doubt even this, you are unfit to remain in God’s house. Some people say, “Our nation is a great one, and our race is a noble one; our customs and culture are noble beyond compare. We don’t need to accept the truth.” Is that not the voice of disbelievers? It is the voice of disbelievers, and such disbelievers must be cleared out. Some people often reveal a corrupt disposition, and at times, their disposition is wanton and unrestrained, yet their faith in God is true, and they can accept the truth. If they undergo a measure of pruning, they are able to repent. Such people should be given a chance. People are a bit foolish, or they cannot see things clearly, or they are misled, or, in a foolish moment, they may say something confused or behave in a confused way because they do not understand the truth. This is caused by a corrupt disposition; it is caused by foolishness, ignorance, and a lack of understanding of the truth. Such people, however, are not of an ilk with disbelievers. What is needed here is to draw on fellowship about the truth to resolve these problems. Some people who have believed in God for several years do not accept the truth at all and have not changed a bit. They are disbelievers. They are not people of God’s house, and God does not acknowledge them. What does it mean when I say these things? It means that I am telling you to diligently pursue the truth. Do not simply exert effort. God saves people through His words, through the truth. The most direct way is to allow you to comprehend the truth and solve practical problems while performing your duties. This enables you to put the truth into practice and submit to God. In this way, God will be satisfied, and His heart will be comforted. What does God dislike seeing the most? God has spoken many words, expressed many truths, and invested a great deal of effort and paid a great price for you. In the end, what He gains is a group of people who merely exert effort, and all that remains is a group of people who labor. These people do not understand the truth, they do not understand God’s intentions, but only exert effort. These people, although they may remain, do not accord with God’s intentions. They cannot be considered true created beings. This is what God is most unwilling to look at, and it is not in the original intention of God’s management plan to save humanity.

You must wholeheartedly accept the truth and not follow the trends of the world or live according to Satan’s philosophy. Following God requires performing your duty, and performing your duty well requires accepting the truth. This is crucial. Many people disregard the truth in their belief in God. They do not put the truth into practice even after many years of faith, and they show a complete lack of concern. These people are disbelievers and will be eliminated sooner or later. Some people live solely for the flesh, for personal gain, and exhaust themselves on interpersonal relationships, relinquishing their duties, not taking them seriously, and pursuing fleshly pleasures. Is this not extremely selfish and despicable? Such individuals do not love the truth; they only love personal gain and vanity. They become red-faced and agitated over trivial benefits, forfeiting their integrity and human dignity. Are they not ignorant and foolish? Those who genuinely love the truth, regardless of the circumstances they face, should first seek the truth in the presence of God. They should steer clear of entangling themselves in disputes or getting into verbal battles with others. Such behavior is immature and lacks insights. When many people gather together, various issues will arise because there are all kinds of people and matters of right and wrong are never-ending. This is exactly what corrupt humanity is like. Among the nonbelievers, the situation is even more serious. Each day is filled with hostility and simmering tension. The world is just that treacherous. Within the household of God, because everyone believes in God, there are fewer evil people and fewer incidents where people are taken advantage of. There is only a small number of disputes and quarrels. If you do not understand the truth and constantly dwell on these matters, your heart will become occupied and entangled by them, and you will be unable to come before God. You must break free from such states, and such behavior demonstrates an immature stature. Those with immature statures often focus on matters of the flesh, their own preferences, and satisfying their selfish desires. As a result, they neglect the legitimate business of performing their duties. Such people are incapable of managing things properly and often make mistakes, displaying the immaturity of children. You must pursue maturity in life. What do I mean by maturity? I mean to understand the truth, to have the stature of an adult, and to be able to meet God’s requirements and fulfill His entrusted tasks. I mean being capable of shouldering the duty of a human being and being able to shoulder general duties, being able to perform duties just as well as others and achieve what others can achieve, emulating those who are submissive to God and pursue the truth, doing what people should do and performing duties that people should, exploring and seeking toward the path of pursuing truth. This is the process of growth in a person’s life. You must seek and know how to explore things such as how normal people act, and how people who attend to their proper duties act, as well as what styles, approaches, and principles those kinds of people employ while doing things. Adults must handle their responsibilities properly. No matter what happens, even if the sky were to fall, they must fulfill their duties and not allow their proper tasks to suffer delays. On the other hand, children are easily curious about things happening around them. They want to go out and see what’s going on. Any incident can affect them and distract them from doing what is right. Isn’t this a lack of commitment to their responsibilities? The slightest problem can disrupt them. A single remark from someone can disturb their hearts or a joke can lead to misunderstandings and emotional outbursts that cause them to behave negatively for two or three days, delaying the performance of their duties. They may even consider quitting and leaders and workers must constantly coax and persuade them, fellowshipping the truths and reasoning with them. Isn’t this a sign of a small stature and immaturity? People never seem to grow up, remaining immature like children—naive and ridiculous. They are looked down upon, they lack dignity and integrity, and God is not pleased with them.

You must focus on the truth—only then can you have life entry, and only when you have life entry can you provide for others and lead them. If it is discovered that others’ actions are at odds with the truth, we must lovingly help them to strive for the truth. If others are able to practice the truth, and there are principles to the way they do things, we should try to learn from and emulate them. This is what mutual love is. This is the sort of atmosphere you must have within the church—everyone focusing on the truth and striving to attain it. It does not matter how old or young people are, or whether or not they are veteran believers. Nor does it matter whether they have high or low caliber. These things do not matter. Before the truth, everyone is equal. The things you must look at are who speaks correctly and in conformity with the truth, who thinks of the interests of God’s house, who bears the greatest burden in the work of God’s house, who understands the truth more clearly, who shares a sense of justice, and who is willing to pay the price. Such people should be supported and applauded by their brothers and sisters. This atmosphere of uprightness that comes from pursuing the truth must prevail within the church; in this way, you will have the work of the Holy Spirit, and God will bestow blessings and guidance. If the atmosphere that prevails within the church is one of telling tales, making a fuss about one another, bearing grudges against each other, being jealous of each other, and arguing with each other, then the Holy Spirit will certainly not work in you. Struggling against each other and secretly fighting, deceiving, tricking, and plotting against one another—this is an atmosphere of evil! If such an atmosphere prevails within the church, then the Holy Spirit will certainly not do His work. In the Bible, the Lord Jesus said the following: “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the middle of them” (Matthew 18:19–20). This is the word of God, this is the truth. When God speaks, it is done. If you go against God’s intention and do not follow His words, God will distance Himself from you. If you do not read God’s word, do not accept exposure, judgment, or pruning through His words, and you reject the help of your brothers and sisters, constantly focusing on the flaws and problems in others while thinking that you yourself are not that bad, considering yourself better than everyone else, then you are in trouble. Firstly, the Holy Spirit will not work in you, and you will miss out on God’s blessings. Secondly, your brothers and sisters will also distance themselves from you, leaving you without anyone to help you, making it difficult for you to benefit from their support. Without the work and blessings of God, without the help and benefit of your brothers and sisters, you will find yourself in a predicament, unable to make progress. Can you effectively do the work of the church relying solely on human gift and skill? It will all be in vain, all wasted effort. Is it not dangerous to come to such a point? How much agony will you experience in your heart? In any case, you must walk the right path, the path of pursuing the truth, in order to receive God’s blessings and the help of your brothers and sisters. Walking your own path leads to a dead end, and those who do not pursue the truth will eventually be eliminated. You will begin to appreciate this as you experience it gradually over time. In all your endeavors, you must seek out the truth principles until you come to be of one heart and one mind, only then can you work together harmoniously, just like strands of a rope twisted together. When there is harmonious cooperation, then you can perform your duties well and satisfy God.

September 19, 2017