Spreading the Gospel Is the Duty to Which All Believers Are Honor-Bound (Part Five)
How can you perform the duty of spreading the gospel well? First of all, you must understand the various truths involved in the duty of spreading the gospel. For instance, regarding the definition and positioning of the duty of spreading the gospel, as well as the proper attitude to adopt, proper suffering to bear, proper price to pay, and proper truths to practice and enter into when performing this duty, if these truths are understood, it will be easy to perform the duty of spreading the gospel well. In addition, on the negative side, the questions of which incorrect practices should be avoided, which ones are classed as man’s good intentions, and whether people’s ideas and practices ultimately conform to the principles of spreading the gospel should all be reflected on. This means every behavior, every practice, every principle, and every conclusion in the process of spreading the gospel should be clearly examined to see whether, in the end, it conforms to the truth principles. Persist in only those things that accord with the truth principles. Those that are not in line with the truth principles must be abandoned. Only in this way will the results that come from fulfilling the duty of spreading the gospel progressively improve. Furthermore, you must practice harmonious collaboration, which is most beneficial to the work of the gospel. Without harmonious collaboration, it is difficult to carry out work. Brothers and sisters should be tolerant and patient with each other and support each other. In order to perform their duties well, harmonious coordination is required. Whoever says what is right should be obeyed. Don’t always jump to the conclusion that you are right and others are wrong. You must make determinations according to God’s words. Fellowship on the truth according to the principles set out by the house of God to reach a consensus. In addition, in the process of collaborating to perform your duty, you must learn from each other, letting the strength of one person compensate for the shortcoming of another, and not be too harsh on others. Moreover, you must exercise care and prudence and rely on love in your treatment of people who are investigating the true way. This is because everyone investigating the true way is a nonbeliever—even the religious among them are more or less nonbelievers—and they are all fragile: Should anything not accord with their notions, they are liable to contradict it, and should any phrase not conform to their will, they are liable to dispute it. Therefore, spreading the gospel to them requires tolerance and patience from us. It requires extreme love on our part, and it requires some methods and approaches. What is crucial, though, is reading God’s words to them, conveying to them all the truths God expresses to save man, and letting them hear the voice of God and the words of the Creator. In this way, they will gain benefits. The most important principle of spreading the gospel is to let those who thirst for God’s appearance and love the truth read God’s words and hear God’s voice. Therefore, speak less to them the words of man and read more to them from God’s words. After you have finished reading, fellowship on the truth so that they can hear God’s voice and understand something of the truth. Then, they will be likely to return to God. Spreading the gospel is the responsibility and obligation of one and all. No matter who this obligation comes to, they must not shirk it or use any excuses or reasons to refuse it. Some people say, “I’m not good at speaking, I don’t understand the Bible, and I’m also very young. What could I do were I to encounter temptation or danger?” Such words are wrong. Spreading the gospel does not mean you are assigned to do dangerous things. The house of God will not allow you to go where danger is found. The church follows principles in assigning people to spread the gospel. It is not about having people take risks, but making reasonable arrangements based on individual conditions, caliber, and strengths. Brothers and sisters collaborate with each other, and work will be given to those suitable to perform it. It cannot be said that there is no risk at all. Whoever lives will at times encounter danger. If God dispatches you directly, then you are honor-bound to accept, even if it means you will be faced with temptation, pain, or danger. Why should you see yourself as honor-bound to accept? (This is the responsibility of people.) Correct, it is only in this way that you truly take spreading the gospel as your responsibility and duty. This is the proper attitude a person should have. This is the truth, and as the truth, people should accept it, and accept it without reservation. If one day it is not appropriate for you to perform other duties, or if people are needed to spread the gospel, so you are assigned to spread the gospel, what will you do? You should accept it as something you are honor-bound to do, without any conflicting emotions, analysis, or scrutiny. This is God’s commission. It is your responsibility; it is your duty. It is not for you to pick and choose. Since you follow God, it is not for you to make your own choices. Why shouldn’t you make choices? Because spreading the gospel is God’s commission, and all God’s chosen people have a share in this work. Some people say, “I’m more than 80 years old, I can’t even leave my house. Can God still entrust this commission to me?” Others say, “I’m only 18 or 19, I haven’t seen much of the world, and I don’t know how to interact with people. I am very timid and scared to speak in public. Can God still entrust this duty to me?” God gives this commission to you regardless. No matter how old you are, you should do all you can to perform your duty to spread the gospel. Spread it as much as you can and to as many people as you can. No matter what duty you are currently performing, you should do whatever you can to spread the gospel. If one day you have the opportunity to spread the gospel to someone, should you do it? (Yes.) That is right. Many people have their own duties, but they can spread the gospel in their spare time and even achieve some results. God approves of this. Therefore, everyone has a responsibility to spread the gospel. You should not make your own choices or shirk this responsibility, but actively and voluntarily cooperate. Do not adopt a passive or negative attitude, don’t refuse, and don’t fabricate any reasons or excuses for not performing this duty. Some people say, “The environment I am in is too dangerous. Can I refrain from spreading the gospel?” If you are currently small in stature, if there is someone else to take over for you, and you are fit to perform other duties, then you can exchange this duty for another. But what should you do if you are the one who must perform this duty? (I am honor-bound to accept.) That is correct. You are honor-bound to accept it and accept it from God. This is the responsibility and obligation of every created being. Some people say, “I am physically weak, so I cannot bear the hardship of going out to spread the gospel.” If you can’t bear this great hardship, can you at least endure smaller hardships? If you cannot bear any hardship at all, then shouldn’t you suffer the great hardship of punishment? As long as you live and breathe, you should perform your duty, you should spread the gospel. This is perfectly natural and justified. If you reject your duty, do not preach the gospel, and choose to evade and escape from your responsibilities, this is not the proper attitude of a human being, nor should people adopt a resistant and defensive attitude. People should be ready to take spreading the gospel as their obligation and duty at all times and in all places. Some people say, “I have believed in God for so many years, but the church has never assigned me to spread the gospel.” Is this a good thing or a bad thing? This is not a question of good or bad. Maybe God doesn’t need you to go spread the gospel yet, but He needs you to do other duties. All duties are important, so how should you choose among them? You should submit to the arrangements of the church, without having any personal wishes. When God needs you to spread the gospel, God says, “It’s not appropriate or important for you to perform your current duty. The duty of spreading the gospel is more important.” What should you do then? You should accept it as something you are honor-bound to do, without analyzing, judging, or scrutinizing, much less resisting or rejecting it. This is the correct attitude that a created being should take toward the Creator. When people take such an attitude, can it be said that, in some sense, the relationship between them and God is normal and appropriate? In what is the relationship between man and God made manifest? It is made manifest in how you treat the things God would have you do. If God entrusts you to do something and you deliberate and ponder the matter, asking “Why do You want me to do this? Will this benefit me?”—if you can think in this way, then your relationship with God is abnormal, and you have failed to submit to God. If you say, “This is an important thing that God has told me to do. I can’t be careless about what God asks me to do. I must handle it with care. Whatever God asks me to do, whatever God entrusts me with, that is my duty. I will listen to God and I will do whatever God arranges. I cannot refuse. If I can’t remain steadfast in my duty, if I refuse, if I don’t take it seriously, if I don’t complete it well, then that is betraying God”—then you have the reason proper to a created being and have adopted the correct attitude that a created being should take toward its duty. If, knowing full well that it is God’s commission, you still refuse to accept it and justify this shirking of your duty, then the nature of the problem is serious. This is not just rebelling against God, this is betraying God. If you believe in God, you must take the stand and status of a created being and accept and submit to the Creator’s commissions. This is the correct attitude. If you lack the correct attitude toward your duty, the nature of this problem is very serious. If, when you have just started to believe, you don’t understand the truth, there is no need to get serious with you. If you have believed in God for a few years and understand some truths, but are still capable of rejecting God’s commission, if you do not spread the gospel, and are still perfunctory when performing your duty, what is the nature of this problem? This not only shows a lack of conscience and reason, but most importantly, it is rebellion and resistance against God, it is betraying God. It can be said that this is a great treason. That would be no exaggeration. A person such as this is not worthy to be called a human being and will inevitably suffer punishment. As you admit that you are a created being, what is the reason proper to created beings? To do whatever the Creator tells you to do, and to submit to all the arrangements of the Creator. This is the conscience and reason proper to human beings. Those who understand the truth are expected even more to absolutely submit to the orchestration and arrangements of God. They must never rebel in the slightest.
The truth concerning spreading the gospel pertains to a wide range of people. It ought to pertain to everyone. At first, when some people heard fellowship on this aspect of the truth, they thought that it didn’t pertain to them. But by now, everyone should have an attitude of acceptance regarding the duty of spreading the gospel, and everyone should have an awareness of this aspect of the truth. They should also have an accurate definition of this duty. So then, in what position have people placed themselves? (In the position of a created being.) You are a created being, so then what is the first priority of a created being? (To submit to the Creator.) What is the first concrete manifestation of submitting to the Creator? (To perform our duty as created beings.) So then, what is the first duty a created being should perform? (Spread the gospel and testify to God.) That’s right. That is the answer I am looking for. You have taken a very winding route before finally hitting on the correct response. The first priority of every created being is to spread the gospel, to testify to and spread God’s work across the whole world and to the ends of the earth. This is the responsibility and obligation of everyone who accepts the gospel of God. It is something to which they are honor-bound. It may be the case that you are not currently performing this duty, or that this duty is something far distant from you, or that you have never thought that this is a duty that you must perform. However, your heart must be clear on this: This duty is connected to you. It is not only a responsibility for others, it is your responsibility and your duty as well. Just because you are not currently assigned to perform this duty does not mean that this duty is not your concern, that it is not for you to perform this duty, or that God has not entrusted you to perform this duty. If your comprehension can rise to this level, does this not mean that the perspective on the duty of spreading the gospel that you hold in your heart is in accordance with the truth and with the intention of God? When your understanding rises to this level, one day, after you all have finished all the work that you have at hand, God will issue a command to disperse you and distribute you everywhere, even to some places that you find the strangest, most unpleasant, and most difficult. What will you do then? (We will be honor-bound to accept.) That is what you say now, but when the day comes, tears may well fill your eyes. Now, you must prepare in this way: You must come to this awareness, “This is the age in which I was born. I am fortunate to have accepted God’s work of the last days and fortunate to have a share in the work of God’s management plan. Therefore, the value and significance of my life should be to dedicate my entire life’s energy to the expansion of God’s gospel work. I will not think of anything else.” Do you have this aspiration? (Yes.) You should have this aspiration and have made this preparation and plan. Only in this way can you be a true created being, a created being that is loved by God and adequate to Him. Some people say, “I’m not ready, and I would be afraid if I were asked to spread the gospel now.” Do not fear, God will not force you to do this before you are ready. And if you say you are ready, God may not use you just yet. So when will you be used? That is up to God, so you don’t have to worry about it. When God wants to use you, He will prepare everything. When you have the necessary stature and experience and meet all other necessary conditions, He may arrange for you to go spread the gospel in various places. When that time comes, can you be called a messenger of the gospel? (No.) At no time can those who perform this duty be called messengers of the gospel. This will never change. What should such people be called? (People who spread the gospel.) That is more accurate. No matter what such people are called, this is the duty they perform. This is the truth and it will never change. If the name changes and the identity of these people changes, then the essence of the work will change. Once the essence changes, it will deviate from the track of the truth. Once the work deviates from the track of the truth, it will become religious behavior. In that case, people will stray further and further from the path of salvation, going south when they mean to go north. Therefore, never go down the wrong path. At all times when those who spread the gospel are dispatched and sent out to various places, they do nothing more than perform their duty to spread the gospel. They are not witnesses, they are not preachers, much less are they messengers of the gospel. This is an eternal and unchanging truth.
With what I have said so far, most people will certainly have felt a light shine in their hearts, and many of them will be rubbing their hands together in eager anticipation, thinking, “That’s great, the future looks very promising! The path God has prepared for us is shining with a bright light!” This is not necessarily so. God has a plan for every one of His followers. Each one of them has an environment, furnished for man by God, in which to perform their duty, and they have the grace and favor of God that is man’s to enjoy. They also have special circumstances, which God lays out for man, and there is much suffering they must undergo—it is nothing like the smooth sailing that man imagines. Beyond this, if you acknowledge that you are a created being, you must prepare yourself to suffer and pay a price for the sake of fulfilling your responsibility to spread the gospel and for the sake of doing your duty properly. The price might be suffering some physical ailment or hardship, or suffering the persecutions of the great red dragon or the misunderstandings of worldly people, as well as the tribulations one undergoes when spreading the gospel: being sold out, being beaten and scolded, being condemned—even being mobbed and put in mortal danger. It is possible, in the course of spreading the gospel, that you will die before God’s work is completed, and that you will not live to see the day of God’s glory. You must be prepared for this. This is not meant to frighten you; it is a fact. Now that I have made this clear, and you have understood it, if you still have this aspiration and are sure it will not change, and you stay loyal unto death, this proves you possess a certain stature. Do not assume that spreading the gospel in these overseas nations with religious freedoms and human rights will be free from danger and that everything you do will go smoothly, that it will all have God’s blessings and be in company with His great power and authority. This is the stuff of human notions and imaginings. The Pharisees also believed in God, yet they took the incarnate God and crucified Him upon the cross. So what bad things is the current religious world capable of doing to the incarnate God? They have done so many bad things—judging God, condemning God, blaspheming God—there is no bad thing of which they are not capable. Do not forget that those who took the Lord Jesus and crucified Him upon the cross were believers. Only they had the opportunity to do this sort of thing. The nonbelievers did not care about those things. It was these believers who colluded with the government to take the Lord Jesus and crucify Him upon the cross. Moreover, how did those disciples of the Lord Jesus die? Among the disciples, there were those who were stoned, dragged behind a horse, crucified upside down, dismembered by five horses—every sort of death befell them. What was the reason for their deaths? Were they lawfully executed for their crimes? No. They were condemned, beaten, scolded, and put to death because they spread the Lord’s gospel and were rejected by the people of the world—that is how they were martyred. Let us not speak of the final outcome of those martyrs, or of God’s definition of their conduct, but ask this: When they arrived at the end, did the ways that they met the end of their lives accord with human notions? (No, it did not.) From the perspective of human notions, they paid such a great price to spread the work of God, but were ultimately killed by Satan. This does not accord with human notions, but this is precisely what happened to them. It is what God allowed. What truth can be sought in this? Was God allowing them to die this way His curse and condemnation, or was it His plan and blessing? It was neither. What was it? People now reflect on their deaths with much heartache, but that was how things were. Those who believed in God died that way, how is this to be explained? When we mention this topic, you put yourselves in their position, so are your hearts sad, and do you feel a hidden pain? You think, “These people did their duty to spread God’s gospel and should be considered good people, so how could they come to such an end and such an outcome?” Actually, this was how their bodies died and passed away; this was their means of departure from the human world, yet that did not mean their outcome was the same. No matter what the means of their death and departure was nor how it happened, it was not how God defined the final outcomes of those lives, of those created beings. This is something you must see clearly. On the contrary, they used precisely those means to condemn this world and to testify to God’s deeds. These created beings used their most precious lives—they used the last moment of their lives to testify to God’s deeds, to testify to God’s great power, and to declare to Satan and the world that God’s deeds are right, that the Lord Jesus is God, that He is the Lord, and God’s incarnate flesh. Even down to the final moment of their lives, they never denied the name of the Lord Jesus. Was this not a form of judgment upon this world? They used their lives to proclaim to the world, to confirm to human beings that the Lord Jesus is the Lord, that the Lord Jesus is Christ, that He is God’s incarnate flesh, that the work of redemption He did for all humanity allows humanity to live on—this fact is forever unchanging. Those who were martyred for spreading the gospel of the Lord Jesus, to what extent did they perform their duty? Was it to the ultimate extent? How was the ultimate extent manifested? (They offered their lives.) That’s right, they paid the price with their lives. Family, wealth, and the material things of this life are all external things; the only thing that is related to the self is life. To every living person, life is the thing most worthy of being treasured, the most precious thing and, as it happens, these people were able to offer their most precious possession—life—as confirmation of and testimony to God’s love for mankind. Until the day they died, they did not deny God’s name, nor did they deny God’s work, and they used their last moments of life to testify to the existence of this fact—is this not the highest form of testimony? This is the best way of doing one’s duty; this is what it is to fulfill one’s responsibility. When Satan threatened and terrorized them, and, in the end, even when it made them pay the price of their lives, they did not abandon their responsibility. This is what it is to fulfill one’s duty to the utmost extent. What do I mean by this? Do I mean to have you use the same method to testify of God and to spread His gospel? You do not necessarily need to do so, but you must understand that this is your responsibility, that if God needs you to, you should accept it as something you are honor-bound to do. People today have fear and worry inside them, but what purpose do those feelings serve? If God does not need you to do this, what is the use in worrying about it? If God needs you to do this, you should not shirk this responsibility nor reject it. You should cooperate proactively and accept it without worry. No matter how one dies, they should not die before Satan, and not die in Satan’s hands. If one is going to die, they should die in God’s hands. People came from God, and to God they return—such is the reason and attitude that a created being should possess. This is the final truth one should understand in spreading the gospel and performing their duty—one must pay the price of their life to spread and testify to the gospel of God incarnate’s performance of His work and salvation of mankind. If you have this aspiration, if you can bear testimony in this way, that is wonderful. If you still do not possess this sort of aspiration, you should, at least, properly fulfill the responsibility and duty that lie before you, entrusting the rest to God. Perhaps then, as the months and years pass and your experience and age increase, and your understanding of the truth deepens, you will realize that you have an obligation and a responsibility to offer your life to the work of God’s gospel, even until the last moment of your life.
It is now the proper time to start talking about these topics because the spreading of the gospel of the kingdom has already begun. Previously, in the Age of Law and the Age of Grace, some ancient prophets and saints gave their lives in spreading the gospel, so those born in the last days can also give their lives for this cause. This is not something new or sudden, much less is it an excessive requirement. This is the duty that created beings ought to perform and fulfill. This is the truth; this is the highest truth. If all you do is shout slogans about what you want to do for God, how you want to fulfill your duty, and how much you want to expend for God, it is useless. When reality hits home for you, when you are asked to sacrifice your life, will you complain at the very last moment, will you be willing, will you truly submit? This is the test of your stature. If at the moment that your life is about to be taken from you, you are at ease, willing, and submit without complaint, if you feel that you have fulfilled your responsibilities, obligations, and duties to the end, if your heart is joyful and at peace—if you go like this, then for God, you have not gone at all. Rather, you are living in another realm and in another form. You have done nothing but change your manner of living. In no way are you truly dead. As man sees it, “This person died at such a young age, how pitiful!” But in the eyes of God, you have not died or gone to suffer. Instead, you have gone to enjoy blessings and come closer to God. Because, as a created being, you have already adequately fulfilled your duty in God’s eyes, you have now completed your duty, God does not need you to perform this duty any longer among the ranks of created beings. To God, your “going” is not called “going,” you are “gathered away,” “brought away,” or “led away,” and it is a good thing. Do you wish to be led away by God? (We wish for this.) Don’t wish for this. In this life, there are many things that man does not understand. Don’t rush to arrive at this step. Before that day comes, you must strive to understand more of the truth and know more about the Creator. Do not leave any regrets behind. Why do I say not to leave any regrets behind? In this life, people have but a limited time to go from understanding things to having this opportunity, possessing this caliber, and satisfying the conditions to engage in dialogue with the Creator, so as to reach true understanding, knowledge, and fear of the Creator, and walk the way of fearing God and shunning evil. If now you want God to quickly lead you away, you are not being responsible with your own life. To be responsible, you should work harder to equip yourself with the truth, reflect on yourself more when things happen to you, and quickly compensate for your own shortcomings. You should come to practice the truth, to act in accordance with the principles, to enter into the truth reality, to know more of God, to be able to know and understand God’s intentions, and to not live your life in vain. You must come to know where the Creator is, what the Creator’s intentions are, and how the Creator expresses joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—even if you cannot attain a deeper awareness or complete knowledge, you must at least possess a basic understanding of God, never betray God, be fundamentally compatible with God, show consideration to God, offer basic consolation to God, and do what is proper and basically achievable for a created being. These are no easy things. In the process of performing their duties, people can gradually come to know themselves, and thereby know God. This process is actually an interaction between the Creator and created beings, and it should be a process worth reminiscing on throughout one’s life. This process is something people should be able to enjoy, rather than a painful and difficult process. Therefore, people should cherish the days and nights, years and months spent performing their duties. They should cherish this phase of life, and should not regard it as an encumbrance or burden. They should savor and gain experiential knowledge of this stage of their lives. Then, they will attain an understanding of the truth and live out the semblance of a human being, possess a God-fearing heart, and do less and less evil. You understand much of the truth, you do not do things that grieve God or that He is averse to. When you come before God, you feel that God no longer loathes you. How wonderful! Once someone has attained to this, wouldn’t they be at peace even if they were to die? So, what’s the matter with those people who are begging to die now? They just want to escape and don’t want to suffer. They just want a quick end to this life, so they can go and report to God. You want to report to God, but God doesn’t want you yet. Why would you report to God before He even calls you? Don’t report to Him before your time. This is not a good thing. If you live out a meaningful and valuable life and God gathers you away, that is a wonderful thing!
Do you all understand what we have discussed today? I hope that these words did not place any additional burden upon you, and I hope that the content of today’s fellowship did not frighten you. Rather, I hope it allowed you to understand some truths that you should understand, so that you will have a better handle on the matter of faith in God, and feel more grounded and clearer about it. Have My words achieved this effect? (They have.) Describe it to Me. (In the past, I did not truly take spreading the gospel as my duty. I harbored many fallacious views in my heart. I thought that I would be assigned to spread the gospel only if I performed my other duties poorly. It seemed to me that spreading the gospel was the worst duty, and I didn’t truly regard spreading the gospel as a commission God entrusts to man. Today, God’s fellowship told us that spreading the gospel and bearing witness to God is man’s responsibility and people should feel honor-bound to go and fulfill this responsibility. Only then did I feel that my views were too absurd, and that they had made it so that I did not truly want to properly perform the duty of spreading the gospel. Listening to God’s fellowship today has reversed my views.) Excellent. Does anyone else want to speak? (I used to think that I was just a small created being, and I didn’t take my performance of this duty to be a great matter. I felt that my duty was unimportant and unworthy of attention. Today, however, I heard God say that the duties performed by every person that He has predestined have been ordained by Him, and that they have all been carefully planned and arranged by Him. If people do not perform their duties with loyalty, they are evading their responsibilities and obligations. In particular, when I heard in God’s fellowship that spreading the gospel and testifying to God is a commission that God entrusts to everyone and the responsibility of created beings, it gave me great faith and a great aspiration to walk the path that God has ordained. I want to take responsibility for my life, to do my duty well, and to complete my mission. Then I will be able to give a bit of consolation to God. After listening to God’s fellowship, my heart was particularly moved. I felt that I could no longer underestimate the commission God has given me.) Well said. Everyone feels the same, right? (Yes.) As you can see, when people don’t understand the truth, they become muddleheaded and can ignore even such a big thing as spreading the gospel. However, when the truth is fellowshipped on clearly, people realize the importance of this matter, come to know their own position, and know the value of their own lives. Does this mean that they have direction? (Yes.) The truth can change people’s hearts. Other than the truth, is there any theory that can move your heart and change your views? None, only the way of the truth can change your views. Why is it that this way can change your views? It is because these truths are so practical that no one can refute them. These truths are related to the life of man and the mission of man’s life. They are closely tied to human beings; they are not irrelevant to them. They are not some insignificant things, but tied to the mission of man’s life and the value and meaning of living. Therefore, when spoken clearly, these words can change people’s hearts so that they will come to accept these words and change their views. Today’s fellowship should have played a certain role in changing people’s attitudes toward their duties. If these truths can change people’s lives, how they live, and the direction they follow in their pursuit, that would be wonderful. That would mean that I have not spoken these words today in vain. Now that I have completed My fellowship on these truths, you need to gradually apply, experience, and digest them in your day-to-day lives. When these truths become your reality and your life, God will not erase your title of created being and you will have truly gained something. At such time, when God really asks you to offer your life and use your life to testify to His deeds and bear witness to His gospel, you will be free from worry and fear, and you certainly will not refuse. You will joyfully accept. As it is a commission entrusted to you by the Creator, you will accept it from God. Therefore, in order to await and welcome that day, besides being able to understand these truths, people must now work hard to equip themselves with God’s words and gain a greater and deeper knowledge of God’s work and God’s disposition. This is what’s most important.
December 25, 2018
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