To Fulfill One's Duty Well, Understanding the Truth Is Most Crucial (Part Two)

Next, let us fellowship on the caliber of people. When measuring whether or not a person possesses caliber, look at whether they are able to grasp the intentions and attitudes of God when things happen to them in daily life, as well as the position they should take and the principles they should follow, and the attitude they should have. If you are able to grasp all these things, then you have caliber. If what you grasp has nothing to do with all that God orchestrates for you in your real life, then you either have no caliber or are of poor caliber. How did the true stature of Peter and Job come about, and how did they ultimately gain what they gained and reap what they reaped from their faith in God? In no way did they enjoy what you do today. You always have someone to fellowship on the truth, provide for you, support you, and help you. There is always someone to help you check things. They had none of this. Most of the truths they understood were gained from what they had realized, what they had experienced, what they had gradually figured out and gone through in their daily lives. This is what it means to be of high caliber. When people are not possessed of such caliber, and do not have this sort of attitude toward the truth and salvation, they will not seek the truth nor be attentive to practicing the truth in everything. As a result, they are unable to obtain the truth. After hearing the stories of Job and Peter, most people envy them. However, after envying them for a time, they don’t take the matter seriously. They feel that they also can say the classic words of Job and Peter when things happen to them, so they think these things are simple. As we consider them now, these things are not simple.

In the New Testament, apart from the four Gospels, Paul’s epistles take up the most space. During the same period, Paul and Peter probably did about the same work, but Paul’s reputation was much greater than Peter’s. What can we see from these two situations? We can see the path these two men walked. Many lines from Paul’s epistles were adopted as mottos by later generations, and everyone used Paul’s famous sayings to motivate themselves. As a result, they all ended up on the wrong path, and many even went down the path of antichrists. In contrast, Peter rarely made a public show of himself. Basically, he wrote no books, propounded no profound and enigmatic doctrines, and gave no high-sounding slogans or theories to teach and help the brothers and sisters of that time, nor did he give lofty theories to influence future generations. He simply sought to love and satisfy God in a practical and grounded manner. This is the difference between the paths the two of them took. In the end, Paul took the path of antichrists and perished, while Peter took the path of the pursuit of the truth and loving God and was made perfect. By considering the paths they took, you can see what kind of people God wants, what kind of people God dislikes, the revelations and manifestations of the people God dislikes, what kind of path these people walk, what sort of relationship they have with God, and what things they are attentive to. Would you say Paul had caliber? Which class did Paul’s caliber belong to? (It was very good.) You have heard so many sermons but still do not understand. Could Paul’s caliber be considered very good? (No, it was poor.) Why was Paul’s caliber poor? (He did not know himself and couldn’t comprehend God’s words.) It was because he did not comprehend the truth. He, too, had heard the sermons given by the Lord Jesus, and during the period he worked there was, of course, the work of the Holy Spirit. So how was it that, when he did all that work, wrote all those epistles, and traveled to all those churches, he still understood nothing of the truth and preached nothing but doctrine? What sort of caliber was that? A poor caliber. What’s more, Paul persecuted the Lord Jesus and arrested His disciples, after which the Lord Jesus struck him down with a great light from heaven. How did Paul approach and understand this great event that befell him? His mode of understanding was different from Peter’s. He thought, “The Lord Jesus struck me down, I have sinned, so I must work harder to make up for this, and once my merits have balanced out my demerits, I shall be rewarded.” Did he know himself? He did not. He did not say, “I opposed the Lord Jesus because of my malicious nature, my nature of an antichrist. I opposed the Lord Jesus—there’s nothing good about me!” Did he possess such knowledge of himself? (No.) And how did he record this event in his epistles? What was his view of it? (He felt he was called by God to do work.) He believed that God had called upon him by shining a great light on him, and that God would start to make great use of him. Not having the slightest knowledge of himself, he believed that this was the most powerful proof that he would be rewarded and crowned, as well as the greatest capital that he could use to gain rewards and a crown. In addition, deep in his heart, he felt the prick of a thorn. What was this thorn? It was a disease that God gave him as a punishment for his mad resistance to the Lord Jesus. How did he deal with this matter? He always had a sickness in his heart and thought, “This was the greatest mistake of my life. I don’t know whether God can forgive it. Fortunately, the Lord Jesus saved my life and entrusted me to spread the gospel. This is a good opportunity to redeem myself. I should spread the gospel with all my strength, and maybe not only will my sins be forgiven, but I can also receive a crown and rewards. That would be wonderful!” However, he could never get rid of this thorn, which caused consternation in his heart. He always felt uneasy about it. “How can I make up for this egregious mistake? How can I cancel it out, so it doesn’t affect my prospects or the crown I hope to receive? I must do more work for the Lord, pay a greater price, write more epistles, and spend more time running about, battling Satan, and bearing beautiful testimony.” That is how he approached it. Did he have any regrets? (No.) He had not the slightest regret, much less any knowledge of himself. He had neither of these things. This shows that there was a problem with Paul’s caliber and that he did not have the ability to comprehend the truth. Partly because of his humanity and what he pursued, and partly because of his caliber, he could not grasp these things, nor did he realize, “Man has been too deeply corrupted by Satan. Man’s nature is too rotten, too wicked. Man’s nature is the nature of Satan and the antichrists. This is at the root of God’s redemption of mankind. Man is in need of God’s redemption. So how should man come before God to accept His redemption?” He never said such things. He did not understand at all why he had resisted and condemned Jesus. Although he admitted that he was the chief culprit, he didn’t reflect on the matter at all. He just ruminated on how he could offset such serious sins, how he could atone for his sins, make up for his sins by meritorious deeds, and finally still attain the crown and rewards that he expected. No matter what happened to him, he couldn’t understand the truth or God’s intentions from the things that occurred to him. He didn’t understand God’s intentions at all. As for comprehending the truth, Paul was the worst person, so we can say that Paul’s caliber was the worst.

Can people with very poor caliber understand the truth? (No.) Can people who cannot understand the truth be saved? (No.) People who want to be saved must be of a satisfactory caliber. They must be at least of average caliber, and cannot be too poor in caliber. They must attain an understanding of the truth. Regardless of the extent to which they can comprehend the truth, they must at least come to know themselves on the basis of their understanding of truth and know how to practice the truth. In this way they can be saved. Why do I say that in this way they can be saved? When you can link the things that come your way in your daily life with the truth and can view and treat things based on God’s words, then you will be able to bring God’s words into your real life and, on this foundation, you will be able to accept the judgments of God’s words, being pruned by His words, and the trials and refinements in His words. Otherwise, if you don’t understand the truth, you won’t even be qualified to accept the judgments, trials, and refinements of His words. Before accepting God’s judgment and chastisement, you must at least understand some truths, have an attitude of submission to God, and have changed in some ways. You must also know with what attitude, mentality, and perspective you should deal with the acts of God. All of these things involve the truth. It is not the case that people can use simple religious slogans, religious ceremonies, and regulations to casually deal with this and relate to the truth. Nor is it the case that simply doing some good deeds involves the practice of the truth. It’s not that simple. With regard to what you know, what you experience, and what happens around you, you must know in your heart the principles you should abide by. Only in this way are you involved with the truth. In addition, the way you treat the things God has you do, the way you treat the manner and attitude in which God treats you, as well as the attitude and perspective you adopt, must involve the truth. Only in this way can you have life entry. Otherwise, God will not be able to do any work on you. Do you understand? (We understand.) Look at those people in religions who abide by regulations, talk about doctrines, and pretend to be good. Their actions look good from the outside, but why does God never work on them? It’s because the things they do and all their good deeds don’t involve the truth. They have only changed their behavior, but this doesn’t involve a change in their disposition. It’s because they don’t measure up to God’s requirements and standards. It is as if a child who just graduated from elementary school wanted to go straight to university. Is it possible? It is absolutely impossible because they are not qualified. Therefore, whether we are talking about the path people walk or their humanity and caliber, people should at least meet the conditions necessary for salvation. Specifically, they must understand the truth, cast off their corrupt dispositions, and be able to truly submit to God.

How do we measure people’s caliber? The appropriate way to do this is by looking at their attitude toward the truth and whether or not they can comprehend the truth. Some people can learn some specializations very quickly, but when they hear the truth, they become confused and they doze off. In their hearts, they become muddled, nothing they hear goes in, nor do they understand what they are hearing—that is what poor caliber is. With some people, when you tell them they are of poor caliber, they disagree. They think that being highly educated and knowledgeable means they are of good caliber. Does a good education demonstrate high caliber? It does not. How should people’s caliber be measured? It should be measured based on the degree to which they comprehend God’s words and the truth. This is the most accurate way of doing it. Some people are silver-tongued, quick-witted, and especially skilled at handling other people—but when they listen to sermons, they are never able to understand anything, and when they read God’s words, they do not comprehend them. When they talk about their experiential testimony, they always speak words and doctrines, revealing themselves to be mere amateurs, and giving others the sense that they have no spiritual understanding. These are people of poor caliber. So, are such people competent to do work for the house of God? (No.) Why? (They lack the truth principles.) Right, this is something you should understand by now. Another way to say doing work for the house of God is performing one’s duty. When it comes to performing one’s duty, this involves the truth, the work of God, principles of conduct, and ways and methods for treating all kinds of people. These issues all have a bearing on whether or not people can perform their duties in an effective and satisfactory manner. Do these issues related to performing one’s duty involve the truth? If they involve the truth, yet you do not understand the truth and only rely on your petty cleverness, will you be able to solve problems and perform your duty properly? (No.) No. Even if nothing goes awry in certain matters, it may be that those things have nothing to do with the truth, and are purely external things. However, you must still possess principles when doing external things, and handle them in a way that everyone regards as appropriate. Suppose that you are asked to handle something in accordance with the principles all by yourself, and while you are doing this, an unexpected situation arises, and you don’t know how to deal with it. You think that you should proceed according to your experience, but acting exactly as experience taught you just disrupts and disturbs the thing you’re doing, messing it all up. Isn’t this an error? What is the cause of it? It is because you do not have a pure comprehension, you do not understand the truth, and you do not have a grasp of the principles. Whenever you encounter matters that involve the truth and the principles, you are not able to deal with them, and your own will bursts forth. As a result, you harm the work of the church and the interests of the house of God, and you embarrass yourself. Is it effective to deal with problems based on human experience and methods? (No.) Why is it not effective? It is because human experience and methods are not the truth, and God’s chosen people will not accept them. If you always handle problems using human experience and methods, doesn’t that just mean you think yourself to be smarter than you really are? Isn’t that arrogant and self-righteous? Some people even argue, “It’s not that I don’t understand the truth regarding this matter—I understand it in my heart. It is just that I didn’t think on it enough. If I put in more effort and consider the matter more carefully, I can handle it well. In the past, when interacting and handling things with nonbelievers, I had to use certain methods and means. However, the house of God does not allow these approaches, so I didn’t know what to do. I just dealt with the matter in my own way, so it’s no surprise that I made a little mistake.” Do these people know themselves? (No.) Why don’t they know themselves? Doesn’t this have something to do with the truth? They don’t seek the truth in this matter, but think up ways to cover for their mistake. They think that they have only made a mistake and been negligent in terms of their behavior. They don’t think that their error involves the truth, or that it arose due to their lack of understanding of the truth and the fact they act based on their corrupt dispositions. This is what it means to be of poor caliber. When things happen, these people are always looking for reasons and excuses. They think that they have simply made a mistake. In their first reaction, they don’t know that they must seek the truth. In their second reaction, they still don’t know that they must seek the truth. And in their third reaction, they still don’t know that they need to seek the truth and know themselves. This is what it means to have very poor caliber. No matter how you guide them, expose them and fellowship with them, they still won’t realize what truth principles they have violated and what truths they should put into practice. No matter how you guide them, they will never be aware of these things. They lack even the slightest ability to comprehend the truth. This is what it means to be of poor caliber. No matter how clearly you fellowship on the truth, they will not realize that it is the truth. They will use their own reasons and excuses, or say it was just a mistake or an error, in order to cover up the facts. They will not admit in the slightest that they have violated the truth or revealed their corrupt dispositions. No matter what mistakes they have made, what corrupt dispositions they have revealed, or how many corrupt states they have produced, they will never realize what the corrupt dispositions they have revealed actually are, let alone what their corrupt essence is. Nor do they know how to seek the truth or how to know themselves in this matter. They know nothing of these things. They are spiritually numb and don’t have the slightest feeling about these things. This is a manifestation of poor caliber.

Let’s bring in some examples to fellowship a bit about how to measure a person’s caliber. For example, I said that some people procrastinate and are perfunctory in doing things. After hearing this, people of good caliber will immediately realize that this state is something they also experience, and that they often experience such a state and attitude when they don’t feel well physically or when they are negative or lazy. In addition, some images will float through their minds of times they procrastinated or acted in a perfunctory way in some tasks. They will compare themselves against God’s words and admit that what God exposes is the reality of man’s corruption and that it relates to man’s corrupt dispositions. They will likewise admit that God’s words are the truth and comprehend them in a pure manner, without misunderstandings or their own notions. This is what it means to be of good caliber. Upon hearing these words, their first reaction will be to measure themselves against them. They will realize that this is a state they also experience, and they will link these words of God to their own states and daily lives. Then, they will engage in self-reflection, take a clear look at this state of theirs, and accept that God’s words are the truth. This is how people of good caliber react when they hear God’s words. For a person of average caliber, you can’t just say “procrastinate” and “perfunctory.” You must directly point out their issues by exposing their manifestations, and combining this with the things they do, saying, “You are often muddleheaded and you don’t take things seriously. You are just being perfunctory by doing your duty like this. How can you not sense this? How many times have I said this to you? This is called being perfunctory and procrastinating.” Point out their problems like this. After hearing this, they will reflect on how they procrastinated and acted in a perfunctory way. After they truly reflect on this and come to know it, they will admit their mistakes and be able to correct them. However, what they recognize is a fixed thing, a fixed state. They can only accept and admit what you say if it aligns with their own imaginings. This is what we call average caliber. Working on people of average caliber requires effort, and only by speaking from a basis of facts can you fully convince them. What is the state of people who possess poor caliber? How should they be approached? People of poor caliber are simple-minded and a few cards short of a full deck. They can’t see through any of the situations they encounter, and they don’t seek the truth. If people don’t tell them things in a clear and direct manner, they cannot figure them out on their own. So, when talking to people of poor caliber you must speak more clearly and directly, and you must also give examples. You must speak on the basis of facts, and repeat yourself over and over again. This is the only way your words can have some effect. You have to speak like this: “You are procrastinating and being perfunctory by performing your duty like this!” What will their first reaction be? “I have? I’ve procrastinated? As soon as I wake up in the morning, I start thinking about things related to my duty, and I get those things done first. When I go out, I also think about how to do those things well. I don’t procrastinate or act in a perfunctory way. I put a lot of effort into these things!” Their first reaction will be to deny what you have said. They have no awareness and, fundamentally, they don’t realize that they are performing their duties in a perfunctory way and procrastinating. You will have to then explain to them what the manifestations of procrastination and being perfunctory are, and speak in a way that really convinces them before they will accept your words. It is not easy for them to admit that they have not done well or that they have made mistakes in external matters. If something involves the truth, the principles of practice, or the disposition of God, it is even more difficult for people of poor caliber. They won’t understand anything you say, and the more you talk, the more confused and in the dark they’ll feel, and they won’t want to listen anymore. These are people of extremely poor caliber; this is a manifestation of their inability to reach the truth. For people of poor caliber, no matter how you fellowship on the truth, it’s of no use. No matter how you try to talk to them, they can’t understand. At the very most they can understand some doctrines and regulations. Therefore, it’s not necessary to fellowship on the truth in great detail with people of extremely poor caliber. Just tell them what to do in a simple manner, and if they can stick to that, that’s quite good. People of extremely poor caliber lack any comprehension ability, to the extent that they will never be able to understand the truth, and they certainly cannot be required to reach the level of acting according to principles. If something happens right in front of these people and you spell it all out for them, they still won’t be able to link it to themselves. This is what we call poor caliber. For example, when it comes to lying, see how people of good caliber react. When people of good caliber hear others talk about how they dealt with and solved the states of lying and deception, speaking about their states of lying and giving examples, they will reflect on themselves and compare what they heard with their own states. After this, they will be able to recognize situations in which they told lies and what intentions they had while acting in that way. Based on revelations in their daily lives, through examining their intentions, motives, and thoughts, people of good caliber will be able to discover which of their words were lies and which contained deceit. When they listen to other people’s experiential testimonies, they can benefit and gain something. Even if you only talk about a few principles, they will understand and learn to apply them. Then, they will take these words as the truth principles, making them their own reality and, little by little, change themselves. After a person of average caliber hears other people’s experiential testimonies, they will be able to see how obvious cases relate to themselves, but they will not be able to link to themselves the less obvious things or the things in the depths of those people’s hearts that haven’t been expressed in their words. In addition, their comprehension of the truth principles is also a bit shallower, like doctrines. Their level of comprehension is much worse than that of people of good caliber. As for people of poor caliber, when listening to the testimonies of others, no matter how those other people carefully dissect which things are lies and empty words and which things are deceitful states, they will not be able to link this to themselves, and they will not be able to reflect on or come to know themselves. Not only do these people fail to recognize their own lying and deceitful states, but they even think themselves to be very honest people who cannot tell lies. Even if others lie and deceive them, they cannot discern this and they are easily fooled. They are even less able to understand the truth principles fellowshipped on by others. They lack the slightest comprehension ability. This is a manifestation of poor caliber.

Of the people with the three types of calibers we just mentioned, which one can achieve a change in disposition? Which kind of person can enter into the truth reality? (People of good caliber.) People of good caliber can enter into the truth reality a bit faster and deeper. People of average caliber enter more slowly and superficially. People of poor caliber can’t enter at all. This is the difference. Can you see how people differ from one another? (Yes.) Where are their differences? Their differences lie in their caliber and their attitude toward the truth. People who love the truth and are of good caliber enter the truth reality quickly and are able to gain life. People of average caliber are obstinate and numb. Their entry into the truth is slow, and their life progress is also slow. People of poor caliber are not just foolish and arrogant, but they are also stupid, with vacant and dull faces; they are numb in their spirits, slow to react, and slow to comprehend the truth. Such people are devoid of life, for they do not understand the truth, and do nothing but talk about doctrines, shout slogans, and follow the regulations. Since they do not understand the truth, they cannot enter the truth reality. Is there life within those who cannot enter the truth reality? They are devoid of life. When things happen to people who are devoid of life, they follow their own will and blindly act, going off on a detour in one direction sometimes, and in another direction at other times, lacking a precise path of practice, and always feeling hesitant and helpless. They make a pathetic sight. Over the years, I have constantly heard some people say that they do not know what to do when things happen to them. How can that still be after they have listened to so many sermons? Their expressions show that they really are at a loss. Their faces are vacant and dull. Some people say, “How can I be called numb? I’m very sensitive to what’s popular in the world. I know how to use all kinds of computers, cell phones, and game consoles. You are dumb and don’t know how to use them. How can your caliber be so poor?” But their little bit of cleverness is just a skill, a bit of smarts—it does not count as caliber. If you ask them to listen to a sermon or to fellowship on the truth, these people are revealed: In their spirits, they are awfully numb. How numb are they? They have believed in God for years, but they still are not certain if they will be saved and cannot gauge this, nor are they clear about what type of person they are. If you ask them what they think of their caliber, they will say, “My caliber is a bit worse than good caliber, but a lot better than average caliber.” That shows how poor their caliber is. Is this not a bit stupid? People who are of really poor caliber reveal this kind of stupidity. No matter what it is, if something involves the truth or the principles, they will understand nothing of it and not be able to rise to its level. This is what it means to be of poor caliber.

Now that we have fellowshipped on these things, will you be able to measure what is good caliber and what is poor caliber? If you can understand what good caliber is and what poor caliber is, and clearly see your own caliber and your nature essence, it will help you know yourself. Once you have a clear idea of your own place, you will have a bit of reason and know your own measure. You will not be liable to become arrogant and you will be more steadfast and at ease when doing your duty. You will not set your sights too high and you will be able to attend to your proper work. When people don’t know themselves, it causes a lot of trouble. What sort of trouble? Even though their caliber is clearly average, they always think they have good caliber, better than others. They always have impulses in their hearts and always want to serve as leaders and lead others. They always have such things in their hearts, so will this affect the performance of their duties? They are constantly disturbed by these things, their hearts are not at ease, and they cannot calm down. Not only can’t they perform their duties well, but they also do some foolish, embarrassing things, and some things without reason that God detests. They have such serious problems—is it okay if they remain unresolved? Definitely not, these people must seek the truth to solve them. First of all, they must pray to God and reflect on why they have such thoughts, why they are so ambitious, and where these things come from. If they only think over these things in a simple manner, will they be able to penetrate to the essence of the problems? Absolutely not. They must pray to God and read God’s words to find the root of the problems—only then will it be easy for them to solve. Their ambitions and desires can only be eradicated when they’ve resolved their corrupt dispositions. In this way, they will be able to perform their duties in a down-to-earth manner, and be much more dutiful; they will no longer swagger around so much, believe that they are better than everyone else, or act so superior, and they will not feel themselves to be different from others. These corrupt dispositions will not bother them anymore, and they will become much more mature. At the very least, they will possess dignified and upright saintly decency. Only in this way can they be sure to live before God. When people believe in God and come to God’s house, they should at least possess conscience and reason in order for them to accept the truth. If they are like nonbelievers, like untamed wild animals, they will not be able to come before God. Some people say, “What is so difficult about coming before God? I often come before God.” It is not a simple thing to come before God. You must have a correct attitude and a heart of submission to God in order to be accepted by God. If people who are like beasts come before God, God will certainly hate them and loathe them. Therefore, coming before God is not something that can be achieved by people’s wishful thinking, it is not as though God will acknowledge that you have come before Him just because you wish to do so. The right to make a decision in this matter is in the hands of God. You will have only come before God when God acknowledges you. Only when you have the right intentions, seek the truth, and pray to God frequently can you receive the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Only then have you truly come before God. If God says you are an ignorant commoner, an untamed wild animal, will He pay you any mind? (No.) God will not pay you any mind, He will only give you surface-level things, like a bit of grace and a few blessings. In the real sense, you won’t be able to truly get close to God or come before Him at all. So, before God recognizes you as His follower, you have to make some changes to reach the point where God recognizes you as a member of His house. Only then will God begin to test your duty and test your every word and deed, your every thought and idea, only then will God start to work on you. Before stepping through the door of God’s house, some of people’s behaviors and manifestations, the revelations of their humanity, their practices, their thoughts and ideas, and their attitudes toward God are detestable and repulsive to God. Will God take the hands of people whom He finds detestable and repulsive and lead them through the door of His house? (He will not.) Then why do some people like this feel so pleased and so happy? Where does this feeling come from? From pretense. Isn’t this a bit lacking in reason? (Yes.) God—the Creator—absolutely has standards for choosing His followers. It is not enough for people to just believe. God likes honest people, and God blesses people who sincerely expend themselves for Him. God uses those who can exalt and testify to Him. God’s standards for people are different from the standards of man. When you choose a friend to associate with, you have to consider their character, whether they suit your tastes, what kind of personality they have, whether they share common hobbies with you, and their appearance. Even you have standards when choosing people, so what about God? Some people say, “What standard does God use to select people? Is it that difficult to approach God? Is it so difficult for people to come before God and enter the door of God’s house?” In fact, it is not difficult, the bar is not high, but there are standards. First, people must at least have a pious attitude and know their place. In addition, they must approach God with an honest and pure heart. Also, they must comport themselves with saintly decency in all they do and say, and, at the very least, they must possess some good words and deeds, manners, and upbringing. If you don’t even meet these basic conditions, to be honest with you, God won’t pay you any mind at all. Do you know what is going on here? When it comes to some people who believe in God, look at what they do, what they manifest, and what they reveal. Why are they so disgusting and detestable to God? It is because these people have no humanity, no conscience and reason, and they don’t even have the most basic and fundamental saintly decency. People like this want God to lead them by the hand through the door of His house, but that is impossible. Only fools would spread the gospel to people like these who lack humanity. Some people wear heavy makeup and revealing clothes in their daily lives. They dress in an even more alluring way than the dancing girls among the nonbelievers. In their private lives and their conduct, you cannot see how they are any different from nonbelievers. When they are among the brothers and sisters, they clearly look like nonbelievers and disbelievers. Such people may appear like true believers on the outside; they may have renounced things, they may be able to perform their duties, and some of them may not retreat when faced with persecution and tribulations, but can such people accept the truth? Can they accept God’s judgment and chastisement? Based on the things they live out, are they dignified and upright people? Are they honest people? Are they people who love the truth? Are they people who sincerely expend themselves for God? Does God want people such as these? Absolutely not. These are nonbelievers who have snuck their way into God’s house. They are outside the door of God’s house and have not yet passed through. The things they do for God’s house are help and toil—these are friends of the church, but not part of God’s house. God does not want nonbelievers or wild animals. There are also some people who, on the basis of their many years of belief in God, the bit of capital they possess, and the important duties they have performed in the past, throw their weight around in the house of God, wanting to control the church and have all the authority. These people’s attitudes toward God and the truth are detestable to God. Based on their essence and the things contained in the depths of their hearts, God doesn’t acknowledge such people as members of His house. Since God does not acknowledge such people as members of His house, why does God allow them to work in His house? God allows them to help out or do temporary work. In the process of helping out and doing temporary work, if they really have conscience and reason, if they can listen, submit, and accept the truth, and if they have saintly decency and something of a God-fearing heart, and do things with a sincere heart, if they pass these tests, God will lead them into His house, and they will become members of the house of God. At this time, the work they do and what God entrusts to them will become their duties. What people do outside the door of God’s house is not performing a duty, it is working for and helping the house of God, and these people are laborers.

Now, can you measure whether you are a member of God’s house? If you judge by the length of time you have believed in God, then you should be a member, but is this an accurate method of measurement? (No.) What is the basis you should use for measurement? It is based on whether you have any internal reaction when you hear the truth, whether you feel guilty, reprimanded, and disciplined deep in your heart when you violate the truth or resist and rebel against God. Some people are disciplined in the form of developing mouth sores after they speak judgmental words; others act in a perfunctory manner, not taking things seriously, so God subjects them to illness. When these things are mentioned, if these people feel remorse deep inside and can repent—if they display these manifestations—then they are members of the house of God. God treats these people as members of God’s house, of His own family. He chastens, disciplines, reprimands, and prunes them—this is what it is to be a member of God’s house. When your attitude toward God changes and you can repent, God will also change His attitude toward you. When you’ve entered into life, and your views on things and the direction of your life have undergone some changes, and the faith and fear of God you hold in the depths of your heart have gradually grown and transformed, you will have become part of the house of God. Some people have believed in God for many years, but they have not done much to benefit God’s house. In fact, they have done quite a few bad things. They have lied and cheated, done things in a perfunctory manner, acted arbitrarily and unilaterally, stolen offerings, sown discord, caused disruptions and disturbances, and wrecked the work of the church. They have committed many wrongdoings, but have never felt reproach. Their hearts feel no remorse, and they haven’t the slightest sense of guilt. These are people who stand outside the door of God’s house. People of this sort always live outside the door of God’s house. They follow no principles in what they do and are not interested in God’s words or the truth. They focus solely on performing tasks, running about, exerting themselves, making a great show of themselves and accumulating personal capital. They act perfunctorily when it comes to the work of the church and their duties; they lie to and deceive God, and even mislead and control the brothers and sisters. They do not feel the slightest reprimand or remorse, and they do not feel God’s discipline either. These people are not members of God’s house. On the outside, this type of person shows a lot of enthusiasm for running about and expending themselves; they have much faith and are willing to expend themselves. It seems that they love the truth, love God, and are willing to practice the truth. However, as soon as they listen to sermons, they doze off, can’t sit still, and feel repelled. In their hearts, they think, “Isn’t fellowshipping on these things just pointing out people’s states, telling people to know themselves, then getting them to understand a little truth and finally achieve submission? I understand all of this, so why does it have to be fellowshipped again?” These people don’t love the truth at all, and even like this, they feel no reproach and receive no discipline, as if they lack hearts at all. These people are all outside the house of God. They are nonbelievers. From the time they first accepted God’s work until today, they have never truly acknowledged that they are created beings and that God is their Creator. They do not accept the truth in the least and do not willingly perform their duties. However, because they have a bit of shrewd intelligence and some enthusiasm, coupled with their ambition, they focus on running all over and doing work to gain people’s admiration, all so that they can carve out a position for themselves in God’s house. They think, “By doing these tasks and running about like this, I have established prestige and gained credibility in various places. I’ve secured my position in the church, and wherever I go, brothers and sisters look up to me. Having such a reputation among brothers and sisters is enough; this means I have life. As for how God defines it, there’s no need to be scrupulous about it.” What type of people are these? Strictly speaking, they are disbelievers. What is the basis for saying this? The basis is their attitude toward the truth and toward God. They never repented, never came to know themselves, and never knew what it is to submit to God. Instead, they do whatever they want, engaging in personal management in the name of performing their duties, and satisfying their own desires and preferences. They have believed in God for so many years and listened to so many sermons, but they have no concept of the truth, and they have no concept that believing in God requires one to practice the truth. After listening to so many sermons, they still haven’t understood what the way is actually about. From the bottom of their hearts, they do not feel that man is extremely corrupt and in need of God’s salvation. They also don’t have genuine desire and yearning for the truth and God from the bottom of their hearts. Isn’t this problematic? (Yes.) It’s very problematic. To them, God, truth, and salvation are just rhetoric, merely a kind of argument or slogan. That is very problematic.

What do you see as the most obvious difference between Paul and Peter? Paul worked for many years, traveling, expending himself, making contributions, and enduring a lot of suffering, but the path he walked did not involve the truth, did not involve submission to God, did not involve dispositional change, and it certainly did not involve being saved. Therefore, no matter how high Paul’s reputation is, no matter how much his writings have influenced future generations, he was not someone who truly loved the Lord Jesus. He had no genuine understanding of the Lord Jesus, he did not acknowledge the Lord Jesus as the one true God, but only recognized the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, as an ordinary person. As a result, he had no true submission to the Lord Jesus; he just did everything he could to spread the gospel and win people over, establish churches, and personally shepherd them in the hope of gaining God’s approval, but God scrutinized Paul’s heart and did not approve of him. Peter, in contrast, did things quietly, and his heart was always filled with what the Lord Jesus had said to him. He pursued loving and understanding God according to the requirements of the Lord Jesus. During this time, he had accepted being reprimanded, pruned, and even rebuked by God. What were the words God used to rebuke Peter? (“Get you behind Me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23).) Right, “Get you behind Me, Satan.” God spoke such words, but these words did not determine Peter’s outcome, they were merely a rebuke. Did God rebuke Paul during his work? (No.) In one respect, looking at subjective factors, God didn’t rebuke him. In another respect, from the perspective of objective factors, Paul didn’t accept the truth, didn’t seek the truth, and did not seek the way of receiving salvation at all, so he could not receive or experience these things. The work that God did on him was to make use of his service—if he could labor until the end without committing any great evils, he could remain as a laborer; if he committed any great evil, however, the outcome would be different. That’s the difference. Peter, on the other hand, received much discipline, chastening, and reprimand from God. From the outside, it would seem that Peter did not accord with God’s intentions, making God displeased, but from the perspective of God’s intentions, such a person was exactly one whom He wanted and who pleased Him. That is why God continuously chastened and pruned him, so that little by little he grew, entered into the truth, and came to understand God’s intentions, ultimately achieving true submission and true change. This was God’s love and God’s salvation.

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