Today we will continue to fellowship on the topic of the responsibilities of leaders and workers. Previously, we fellowshipped up to the fourteenth responsibility, and there are still a few sub-topics under this responsibility that have not been fellowshipped. Before we fellowship, first, review how many responsibilities of leaders and workers there are. (There are fifteen.) Go ahead and read them.

(The responsibilities of leaders and workers:

1. Lead people to eat and drink of God’s words and understand them, and to enter the reality of God’s words.

2. Be familiar with the states of each sort of person, and resolve various difficulties relating to life entry they encounter in their real lives.

3. Fellowship the truth principles that should be understood in order to perform each duty properly.

4. Keep abreast of the circumstances of supervisors of different work and personnel responsible for various important jobs, and promptly alter their duties or dismiss them as necessary, so as to prevent or mitigate losses caused by using unsuitable people, and guarantee the efficiency and smooth progress of the work.

5. Maintain an up-to-date grasp and understanding of the status and progress of each item of work, and be able to promptly resolve problems, correct deviations, and remedy flaws in the work so that it will progress smoothly.

6. Promote and cultivate all manner of qualified talent so that all who pursue the truth can have the opportunity to train and enter the truth reality as soon as possible.

7. Allocate and make use of different types of people sensibly, based on their humanity and strengths, such that each is put to their best use.

8. Promptly report and seek how to resolve confusions and difficulties encountered in the work.

9. Accurately communicate, issue, and implement the various work arrangements of the house of God in accordance with its requirements, providing guidance, supervision, and urging, and inspect and follow up on the status of their implementation.

10. Properly safeguard and sensibly allocate the various material items of the house of God (books, various equipment, grain, and so on), and carry out regular inspections, maintenance, and repair to minimize damage and waste; also, prevent evil people from taking possession of them.

11. Choose dependable people of up-to-standard humanity especially for the task of systematically registering, tallying, and safeguarding offerings; regularly review and check incomings and outgoings so that cases of squandering or waste, as well as unreasonable expenditures, can be identified promptly—put a stop to such things and demand reasonable compensation; additionally, prevent, by any means, offerings falling into the hands of evil people and being taken into their possession.

12. Promptly and accurately identify the various people, events, and things that disrupt and disturb God’s work and the normal order of the church; stop and restrict them, and turn things around; additionally, fellowship the truth so that God’s chosen people develop discernment through such things and learn from them.

13. Protect God’s chosen people from being disturbed, misled, controlled, and grievously harmed by antichrists, and enable them to discern antichrists and forsake them from their hearts.

14. Promptly discern, and then clear out or expel all manner of evil people and antichrists.

15. Protect important work personnel of all sorts, shielding them from the interference of the outside world, and keep them safe to ensure the various important items of work can proceed in an orderly fashion.)

Did everyone hear all these fifteen responsibilities clearly? (Yes.) The fourteenth responsibility of leaders and workers is “Promptly discern, and then clear out or expel all manner of evil people and antichrists.” So how can you discern various kinds of evil people? The first criterion is based on their purpose for believing in God. How many points did we divide people’s purposes for believing in God into? We divided them into nine points: The first point is to satisfy one’s desire to be an official; the second is to seek out the opposite sex; the third is to avoid disasters; the fourth is to engage in opportunism; the fifth is to live off the church; the sixth is to seek refuge; the seventh is to find a backer; the eighth is to pursue political aims; and the ninth is to monitor the church. This is discerning the essence of various kinds of people based on their intentions and purposes for believing in God. The second criterion for discerning the various kinds of people who need to be cleared out or expelled is based on the manifestations of their humanity essence in various aspects. How many manifestations are involved in this criterion? 1. Loving to misrepresent facts and falsehoods; 2. Loving to take advantage; 3. Being dissolute and unrestrained; 4. Being inclined toward vengeance; 5. Being unable to guard one’s tongue; 6. Being unreasonable and willfully troublesome, with no one daring to provoke them; 7. Consistently engaging in licentious activities; 8. Being capable of engaging in betrayal at any time; 9. Being capable of leaving at any time; 10. Wavering; 11. Being cowardly and suspicious; 12. Being inclined to court trouble; 13. Having a complicated background. There are thirteen manifestations in total. The fourteenth responsibility of leaders and workers is “Promptly discern, and then clear out or expel all manner of evil people and antichrists.” Issues related to the first criterion—one’s purpose for believing in God—have already been fellowshipped. We have also already fellowshipped on the first seven issues of their humanity, which is the second criterion. Today, we will begin to fellowship from the eighth manifestation of their humanity: being capable of engaging in betrayal at any time.

Item Fourteen: Promptly Discern, and Then Clear Out or Expel All Manner of Evil People and Antichrists (Part Six)

The Standards and Bases for Discerning Various Kinds of Evil People

II. Based on One’s Humanity

H. Being Capable of Engaging in Betrayal at Any Time

Those who obviously manifest a capacity to sell out the church at any time—you can recognize people of this sort, right? Is the problem with these people very serious? (Yes.) Some people sell out the church because they are cowardly, while others do so because of their evil humanity or other issues. Regardless of the reason, the fact that people of this sort are capable of selling out the brothers and sisters and betraying God at any time shows that they are unreliable. If they grasp some important information about the church or personal information about the brothers and sisters, such as where the brothers and sisters live, who the church leaders are, what work the church is involved in, or who does which important jobs and duties, they could divulge this information when danger arises or in certain special circumstances, selling out the church and the brothers and sisters. One reason they may do this is to protect themselves and secure their own safety. On the other hand, they may intentionally act this way, not treating this information seriously and being capable of disclosing it and engaging in betrayal at any time in exchange for personal gain. For example, some people are arrested by the great red dragon, and during interrogation, the great red dragon threatens, entices, or even uses torture to force a confession, telling these people that if they talk, they will be released, so they betray all the information they know about the brothers and sisters and the church in exchange for their own freedom. People of this kind are textbook Judases. Tell Me, how should the type of people who are textbook Judases be treated and dealt with? (People of this type should be expelled immediately and also cursed.) Usually, these textbook Judases—whether intentionally or unintentionally—inquire about or gain knowledge of certain situations about the church and keep it in mind. Later, once some circumstance befalls them and they are arrested, they confess this information. On the surface, their inquiries and learning about these particulars may not seem to be for the purpose of deliberately confessing the information to the great red dragon, but when they are arrested, they cannot help themselves. As a result, their confession brings some adverse consequences to the church. Thus, their casual inquiries and learning about these particulars are not of the nature of ordinary chatting or idle talk; rather, they are doing so intentionally and purposefully. This prepares the conditions for them to later become Judases. Can the problem of people who casually betray others’ information be resolved by such methods as fellowshipping the truth or giving them warnings? (No.) Why not? (Because people of this type lack conscience and reason, and they will not accept the truth, and fellowshipping the truth with them is useless.) How should this kind of evil person who can casually harm others be dealt with? There is only one solution, which is to clear them out, because what they have done not only harms the brothers and sisters, but also disturbs the work of the church. This kind of behavior can be characterized as selling out the brothers and sisters and selling out the church, so people of this type must be cleared out or expelled. Although people of this type cannot be characterized as antichrists, there are sufficient grounds to characterize them as evil people who disrupt and disturb the work of the church. Therefore, clearing out people of this type is entirely in accordance with principles. These people are not interested in the truth; they just like to inquire everywhere about the particulars of the leaders and workers, as well as the particulars of certain brothers and sisters. They have believed in God for several years and haven’t understood many truths—yet they have gathered quite a lot of information about the families of the leaders and workers and the brothers and sisters. No matter which brother or sister is mentioned, they can share some of their particulars, which others find quite shocking. Although they are not leaders or workers, they are always eager to inquire about certain internal matters of the church, such as administrative work, the heads of the various structures, and some jobs related to external matters. They frequently ask who has gone to which places to do their duties and when they left, who has been promoted, who has been dismissed, and how certain aspects of the church’s work are going. After inquiring about these things, they spread the information everywhere. What’s even more detestable is that some people even write down the information they’ve gathered after asking about it. Doesn’t this show that they have ulterior motives? (Yes.) When recording their own matters in the country of the great red dragon, they know to use code or cryptic language, but when recording others’ information, they don’t employ a method that demonstrates even a bit of wisdom, instead just writing down the real names, appearances, ages, phone numbers, and other details of the brothers and sisters. Isn’t it that they are intending to engage in betrayal? They have bad intentions, and do indeed intend to engage in betrayal. Once something dangerous happens and the police confiscate the information they recorded, the police only need to threaten and intimidate them without even resorting to torture, and they immediately confess everything in detail, without holding anything back. For the things they’ve forgotten, they even rack their brains to remember, and as soon as they recall something, they tell it to the police immediately. They even lead the police to the homes of the brothers and sisters, to the homes of leaders and workers, and to the accommodations of those doing important duties, to have them arrested. Don’t you think that people of this type are extremely vile? (Yes.) Before they sell out others, their behavior didn’t seem like that of an evil person, much less that of an antichrist—it may have just been the manifestations of an ordinary corrupt human being—but once they were arrested, they were able to readily sell out any of the brothers and sisters. Just this one manifestation makes them even more vile than evil people and antichrists. It’s not that they couldn’t help but divulge a bit of insignificant information under severe coercion, torture, and persecution because their flesh was too weak and they couldn’t endure it anymore. Rather, they proactively and heedlessly disclosed all the information they knew, without any regard for the safety of the brothers and sisters, much less any regard for the work of the church. This is extremely vile! This is one of the manifestations of the type of people who are Judases.

There is another type of people, who seek to report the church and the brothers and sisters at the slightest provocation. For instance, when they encounter natural disasters, illness, or theft, they complain about God and they also complain that the brothers and sisters lack love and don’t help them solve their problems. This makes them want to sell out the church and the brothers and sisters. Some people commit reckless misdeeds and are pruned, and the brothers and sisters also distance themselves from them; this makes them feel that God’s house lacks love, so they blurt out: “You’ve all taken a dislike to me, haven’t you? You all look down on me, don’t you? Can I really still gain blessings from believing in god? If I don’t gain blessings, I will report you all!” This is the most “classic” line from such people. Why do I say that this statement—“If I don’t gain blessings, I will report you all”—is “classic” for them? It’s because this statement represents their humanity. This phrase is not something they say just to vent their hatred after encountering many dissatisfying situations or because of deep-seated resentment, nor is it a spur-of-the-moment outburst. Rather, it is something that has filled their hearts and can be revealed at any time. It is something that has long existed in their hearts and can erupt at any moment. This represents their humanity. Their humanity is this degraded—if anyone provokes or hurts them, they are capable of selling out that person at any time. If, while doing their duty, they violate the work arrangements or principles, and the leaders and workers or the brothers and sisters prune them a bit, they become resentful, angry, and dissatisfied, and then they say things like, “I’ll report you! I know where you live, I know your first and last names!” If you don’t appease people of this type, they really might sell you out. They aren’t just trying to scare anyone, nor are they saying it in the heat of the moment; if someone really offends them or makes them angry, they are fully capable of selling out that person. Some people say, “Why be afraid of them?” It’s not that we are afraid of them. We wouldn’t fear their betrayal if this happened in a democratic and free country. But in the country of the great red dragon, if they really do engage in betrayal, it could cause trouble for the brothers and sisters and impact the work of the church. If the brothers and sisters really are arrested, the great red dragon will make a big deal out of it. Once they find a breach, they will keep arresting people endlessly. In that eventuality, the church life of any number of people would be affected, and the normal performance of duty of any number of people would be impacted. Aren’t these quite severe consequences? You must consider these things! People of this type are always throwing tantrums when interacting with others. If someone says something that makes them unhappy, or exposes their problems and angers them, they get upset with that person and may even refuse to speak to them for several days, and when you go look for them and ask them to do their duty, they ignore the request. It’s impossible to get along with people of this type. Aren’t they evil people? In a group of people, you often hear evil people say things like: “If anyone crosses me, I won’t let it go! I know exactly where you live, I even know the color of your window curtains. I’m fully aware of where you gather and where the leaders and workers live!” Would you say that people of this type are dangerous individuals? (Yes.) They are textbook Judases. Even when everything is normal, they may still go out of their way to engage in betrayal. And if there is some mishap, they will be the first to jump out and turn Judas. Therefore, if people of this type are discovered in the church, they should be cleared out or expelled as early as possible. What other manifestations do people of this type have? For example, during gatherings, because the brothers and sisters see each other regularly, there’s no need for exchanging pleasantries. When it’s time, they start the gathering, reading God’s words and fellowshipping on the truth. But those who throw tantrums get angry when they see that no one pays attention to them or greets them. They blurt out, “Do you all look down on me? Hmph! None of you welcome me—well, that’s fine; I’ve got a way to deal with you. I know where the church leaders live, I know which of you are doing your duties where and what work you’re doing, I know who is hosting the leaders and workers, who is safeguarding offerings, who handles the printing of books, and who is responsible for transporting them. I’ll report you all! I’ll report everything about the church to the police!” If people treat them with the utmost respect, everything is fine. But as soon as someone triggers or provokes them, it becomes a problem—they will seek revenge and betrayal. Whenever they encounter something that makes them unhappy or dissatisfied, they make harsh threats against the brothers and sisters and the church leaders. Would you say that people of this type are frightening and dangerous? (They are dangerous.) People of this type are Judases who are capable of engaging in betrayal at any time; they are dangerous individuals.

There’s another manifestation of people who are capable of engaging in betrayal at any time. For example, in the country of the great red dragon, the number of churches established in various provinces and cities, how many people belong to each church, who the leaders are, and what work the church is engaged in—these things must be kept strictly confidential. Even nonbelieving family members and relatives must be guarded against, and this information must never be leaked to prevent future problems for the church. However, these dangerous individuals who harbor ulterior motives are always trying to inquire about such things. If the brothers and sisters refuse to tell them, they feel: “Why do you all know these things, while I’m the only one left in the dark? Why not tell me? Are you treating me like an outsider, not as one of the brothers and sisters? Fine then, I’ll report you!” You see, in any situation, they are capable of reporting the church and the brothers and sisters. No one has offended them, but even the slightest dissatisfaction gives them the urge to report the church. For example, when books of God’s word are distributed to the brothers and sisters, everyone eagerly starts looking at how many chapters of God’s word there are in the book, how many pages there are, and the quality of the printing. They are all happy and excited to hold the book in their hands. But the type of people who are Judases, on the other hand, are thinking: “Where was this book printed? How much does it cost to print a single copy? Who is in charge of the printing? After printing, who handles the transportation? How did these books get delivered to our church? Where are the books stored? Who is in charge of safeguarding them?” These topics are inherently sensitive. Generally, those who have rationality and those who have humanity won’t inquire about such matters, but these dangerous individuals who are capable of engaging in betrayal are eager to inquire about them. So, what do you think—should you tell them when they keep asking about these things, or not? (We shouldn’t tell them.) If you tell them, they’ll be capable of disclosing this information and engaging in betrayal. And if you don’t tell them, they’ll have something to say: “How come I don’t get to know about this? God’s house isn’t fair! I’m part of god’s house, I have the right to be informed about any and all matters! You’re treating me like an outsider. Fine, I’ll report you!” Once again, they want to report the church. Aren’t they evil people? If they really did report the church to the police, what consequences would it bring? Wouldn’t the brothers and sisters face life-threatening danger if they were arrested? Furthermore, after the police made arrests, this would cause so much difficulty for the brothers and sisters and the work of the church. It would also impact the life entry of God’s chosen people to varying degrees—those who don’t know how to seek the truth could become negative, and might even stop attending gatherings altogether. They don’t consider any of this at all. So, do they have a conscience and reason? Whatever work the church is doing, they always want to know about it first. They’re only happy when they know everything going on in the church. If there’s even one thing they aren’t told about, they can’t let it go and want to go and report the church, which can cause huge trouble. What sort of wretch is someone like this? They are a devil! If a devil is always concerned about something in the church, it’s bound to cause trouble. For example, if there are some brothers and sisters who are well-off and make large offerings, they never stop thinking about this and ask them, “How much did you offer?” The other party replies, “How could I tell you that? What the left hand does, the right hand shouldn’t know. I can’t tell you—it’s confidential!” They respond, “Even that’s confidential? You don’t trust me. You’re not treating me as one of the brothers and sisters!” In their heart, they resent the other party and think, “Hmph, you think you’re so great with your large offerings! You won’t tell me how much you offered. I know your family runs a business. If you provoke me, I’ll report you for believing in god, and your business will fail! Then you won’t be able to offer a single cent!” You see, they want to go report people again. Whenever there’s a small thing they aren’t told about, they want to report the church and the brothers and sisters. The residences of certain individuals doing important duties are only known to a few people. This isn’t about deliberately hiding anything from anyone or doing something shady behind others’ backs; it’s because the environment is too dangerous, and for safety reasons, such arrangements are necessary. When this traitor, this Judas, hears that a certain family is hosting some traveling brothers and sisters, they think this is something worth reporting—maybe the police will even reward them! They lurk behind the door eavesdropping, and after hearing something, they get angry: “You’re discussing church matters behind my back without telling me. You’re afraid I’ll sell you out, so you’re guarding against me and keeping things from me, not treating me as part of god’s house. Fine, I’ll report you!” Once again, you see, they want to report others. Would you say this person is a big problem? (Yes.) They believe that all situations involving the brothers and sisters or the church should be made known to everyone, and that everyone has the right to be informed—especially themselves. If there’s even one thing they aren’t told about, they threaten to report people. They constantly use the act of reporting to threaten the brothers and sisters and the church leaders, always using it to achieve their own goals. People like this are a great hidden danger in the church, a ticking time bomb. At any moment, they could bring harm and disaster to the brothers and sisters and the church’s work. When such individuals are discovered, they should be cleared out—they must not be indulged.

In the church, there are also some people who are Judases, and they are always trying to inquire about how much money God’s house has and who in the church makes the largest offerings. Others say to them, “This matter cannot be told to you. Knowing it will not benefit you, and besides, this matter is not something you should be inquiring about.” After hearing this, they turn hostile and say, “You’re all guarding against me, looking down on me, not treating me as one of the brothers and sisters; you’re treating me like an outsider. I know in whose home the church’s money is being safeguarded. I’ll report you, and let the police confiscate it all—then I’ll find out how much money there is!” Whenever something happens, they want to sell out or report others; it’s only when it comes to the disturbances caused by false leaders, antichrists, and evil people in the church that they never report anything. Or, even when they see false leaders and antichrists stealing or seizing offerings, they never expose or report these actions, nor do they inform God’s house. They are not concerned with such matters. But if any brother or sister provokes, offends, or slights them, they will go and report them. Or if some work arrangement of God’s house doesn’t align with their notions, making them feel embarrassed or putting them in a tough spot, they start thinking: “I’ll report you! I’ll make sure you lose your position as church leader, I’ll make sure the church’s work fails, I’ll make sure the church falls apart!” See? They want to report the church leader even because of this. In some churches, several people who are suitable for doing duty abroad are selected—their family and personal circumstances allow it, they meet the requirements of God’s house, and the brothers and sisters all agree. When those Judas-like people see this, they think, “Such good things never happen to me. I ought to report you! I’ll tell the police that certain people in our church are going to go abroad to do their duty. I’ll make sure you can’t leave the country. I’ll have the great red dragon arrest you, or have the government put you under surveillance, so you can’t even return to your homes!” As long as the brothers and sisters can’t go abroad, they feel satisfied. What do you think—isn’t the nature of such people’s actions more severe than that of those who occasionally disrupt and disturb? (Yes.) This kind of person is a big problem. They lack a God-fearing heart, and they are not afraid of God at all. No matter the situation or reason, as long as things don’t go their way, they want to report the church and sell out the brothers and sisters—they are devils! When the church discovers such people, they should be cleared out or expelled as early as possible to prevent future trouble. If the current environment doesn’t permit this or the conditions are not yet ripe, then they must be strictly monitored, supervised, and guarded against. When the conditions allow, dangerous individuals like this absolutely must not be tolerated—clear them out or expel them as early and as quickly as possible. Don’t wait until they sell out the church and cause consequences before taking action. Once they do and this leads to real consequences, the losses will be significant. Who knows how many brothers and sisters will be left without a home to return to, or even arrested and imprisoned. Many brothers and sisters may no longer be able to do their duty or live church life. The consequences will be unimaginable. Therefore, if, as leaders and workers, you discover people who are Judases in the church, you must clear them out or expel them in a timely manner. If, as one of the brothers and sisters, you discover such people, you must report them to the church’s leaders and workers as early as possible. This matter concerns the safety of the church’s brothers and sisters, as well as your own. Don’t think, “They haven’t actually engaged in any betrayal yet, so it’s not a big deal; they’re just speaking out of a moment’s anger.” Everyone gets angry—some people, when angry, might at most say a few harsh words, throw a minor tantrum, or be negative for a couple of days, but as long as they have a God-fearing heart, are afraid of God in their hearts, and have some conscience and reason, as well as basic boundaries when it comes to being a person, they would never do things that harm others, no matter what. However, it’s different for those who are natural Judases. They can report the church and the brothers and sisters at the drop of a hat, always wanting to use the forces of Satan to threaten the brothers and sisters and the church to achieve their goals. These people are aligned with demons—they have no basic boundaries when it comes to being a person. Therefore, both church leaders and the brothers and sisters must be especially vigilant regarding those who can report the church at the drop of a hat. If anyone discovers such people who are unreasonable, willfully troublesome, and impervious to reason, they should immediately report them to the leaders and workers, and then observe and supervise them. If church leaders discover such people, they should come up with a plan to handle and resolve the situation as early as possible. They must protect the brothers and sisters, and protect church life and the church’s work from being damaged and disturbed by such individuals. Don’t assume that when such people say they will report the church or the brothers and sisters, it’s just something said in a moment’s anger, and thus let your guard down. In actuality, the fact that they frequently say such things proves that this idea is already in their minds. If they think this way, they are capable of acting on it. Sometimes, after saying “I’ll report you,” they might not follow through, but who knows when they might actually go ahead and do it. Once they do, the consequences will be unimaginable. So, if you always treat their words, “I’ll report you,” as merely something said in anger, then you are being ignorant and foolish. You have failed to see through to the substance of their humanity through these words, and this is a mistake. They can say “I’ll report you” to threaten others at the drop of a hat—this is absolutely not a simple angry remark; it represents their Judas-like nature and their lack of basic boundaries when it comes to being a person. Just what sort of wretch is someone who has no basic boundaries when it comes to being a person? The sort with no conscience and no rationality. Without a conscience, they are capable of committing any evil deed, and without rationality, they are able to act beyond the bounds of rationality, doing all kinds of stupid things. It’s possible that after reporting the church and seeing the brothers and sisters arrested and the church’s work damaged, they might shed tears and express regret. But these unreasonable and willfully troublesome people act without rationality; when faced with a similar situation in the future, they will still report the church. Doesn’t this indicate a problem with their nature? This is precisely their nature essence. Some church leaders still believe that what they say is just something said in a moment of anger, and that their nature isn’t bad. They think this isn’t a natural revelation of their humanity and doesn’t represent their humanity. Is this viewpoint wrong? (Yes.) Even if they don’t usually display behavior that shows a vile character, the fact that they often say they will report the brothers and sisters, and that the slightest thing that displeases them can lead them to think of reporting them, is enough to prove that their character is lowly and vile, and that they are not trustworthy. Such people have no conscience or reason. They act however they please when it comes to being a person, doing whatever they want based on their own interests and preferences, without any boundaries of conscience. Such people should be dealt with by being cleared out, and there’s no need to show leniency to them, because they’re not children; they’re adults and should know the consequences of reporting the brothers and sisters and the church. They are fully aware that this is the most ruthless move, the most effective one. They see it as their trump card, the ultimate way to get revenge on the brothers and sisters and the church. Tell Me, aren’t such people devils? (Yes.) So why show leniency to devils? Do you have to wait until you see them openly pointing out the brothers and sisters and the host families to the great red dragon before you acknowledge they are Judases? By the time you see these facts and characterize them, it will already be too late. In fact, their nature essence is already exposed the moment they start shouting about reporting the church when they encounter some issue. Don’t wait until they take action to discern and clear them out—that would be too late. If no one—whether church leader or brother or sister—has heard them talk about reporting the brothers and sisters and no one knows them well, and when they get provoked or offended by someone they report them, so that the brothers and sisters have no choice but to hide and avoid danger, and some who are doing their duty have to quickly relocate, then, in such a scenario, you can’t blame the brothers and sisters for being foolish and unable to see through them. But if they frequently say they’ll report the brothers and sisters and people still don’t take it seriously, that would be truly stupid. After hearing so much of the truth, they still can’t discern people—aren’t they muddleheaded? (Yes.) For those who could become a Judas at any time, don’t think their betrayal is due to understanding little of the truth, or because they’ve believed in God for a short time, or due to some other reason. None of these are the cause. At the root, it’s because their character is vile; at their core, their essence is that of evil people. Discerning and characterizing them in this way, and then clearing them out or expelling them as evil people, is entirely correct. Doing this protects the brothers and sisters, and at the same time it also protects the church’s work from being harmed. This is the responsibility of the church’s leaders and workers. Therefore, leaders and workers must promptly guard against and supervise such people, and then they should fellowship with the brothers and sisters so that everyone can discern them. They must strive to cleanse such people away before their schemes succeed, in order to prevent any trouble for the brothers and sisters or the church. This is the discernment and the principles of handling matters that leaders and workers should have when faced with such people, and it is the way they should practice in such situations. Is this clear? (Yes.) Of course, it’s best to deal with such people in a wise way, ensuring that clearing them out doesn’t bring future trouble to the church. If handling one hidden threat leads to even more later on, then the church leader who does this is grossly incompetent and falls far short of the standard; they do not know how to do the work, and they lack wisdom. On the other hand, if a church leader can handle a hidden threat in such a way that avoids adverse consequences, benefits the church’s work, and also helps the brothers and sisters grow in discernment, then that is truly knowing how to do the work. Only this kind of leader or worker is up to standard.

If a leader or worker encounters people who are capable of selling out the church but cannot discern them or sense what kind of humanity they have or what kind of trouble they might bring to the church and the brothers and sisters, being unclear about all of these things in their heart, and they don’t know how they should treat or handle such people, how to do this work, or even that this is work leaders and workers must do—or, even if they do know but are unwilling to offend such people and simply turn a blind eye to the matter, without clearing them out or expelling them—what kind of leader or worker is that? (A false one.) They are not up to standard as a leader or worker. For one thing, they foolishly try to help everyone, showing love and patience to everyone, and treating them all as brothers and sisters. This is someone who is muddleheaded, a false leader or false worker. Additionally, when they discover people who are Judases in the church, they do nothing to promptly handle or resolve the issue. Instead, they turn a blind eye, pretending not to notice anything. In their heart, they think, “As long as my own status isn’t threatened, it’s fine. I don’t care about the church’s work, the safety of the brothers and sisters, or the interests of god’s house. As long as I occupy this position and get to experience enjoyment every day, that’s all I need.” They don’t do any real work, and when they see problems, they don’t resolve them; they just enjoy the benefits of their status. Is this a false leader? (Yes.) For example, let’s say a person of the type who is capable of engaging in betrayal at any time has been acting tyrannically in the church for a long time, constantly threatening to report the church and the brothers and sisters. Some false leaders see this but do nothing. Even when someone reports this individual and the upper-level leaders deal with them by clearing them out, the false leaders still don’t take it seriously or think anything of it. They think, “Let them report whoever they want. As long as they don’t report me or affect my role as a church leader, it’s fine.” Is this kind of leader a false leader? (Yes.) They occupy their position only to enjoy its benefits without doing any real work, noticing someone who is capable of selling out the brothers and sisters at any time but failing to clear them out or expel them—they are a false leader, and should be promptly dismissed from their role. Some false leaders, after being dismissed, remain defiant. They say, “What right do you have to dismiss me? Was it just because I didn’t clear out that person? Wouldn’t the issue be settled if you just cleared them out yourselves? Besides, they only said they would report the brothers and sisters, they didn’t actually do it. And they didn’t cause any trouble for the church. Why deal with them?” They even feel quite wronged. They don’t do any real work; they only enjoy the benefits of their status, and when such an obvious Judas appears in the church, they neither handle nor clear them out. Some brothers and sisters are in constant fear, saying, “There’s a Judas among us, always threatening to report the brothers and sisters—this is so dangerous! When will this person be cleared out?” They tell the church leader about this issue several times, but the leader doesn’t address it, instead saying, “It’s nothing. It’s just a personal dispute, it doesn’t involve the church’s work or the safety of the brothers and sisters.” They do not handle the matter. What is the only work they do? One type is the work assigned to them by the upper-level leaders, which they have no choice but to do. Another is a type where not doing the work would affect or endanger their status, in which case they reluctantly do some tasks that make them look good. But if their status isn’t affected, they avoid work whenever they can. Is this a false leader? (Yes.) When really faced with a certain environment or with being arrested, they are the first to run for cover, only caring about their own safety, without any concern for whether the brothers and sisters are safe, and they don’t protect the church’s work or the interests of God’s house. No matter what they do, it’s all to preserve their own status. As long as the Above doesn’t dismiss them, and as long as in the next election the brothers and sisters still vote for them and they get to remain a leader, they will reluctantly do some work. If something they do could affect how the Above views them, potentially causing the Above to dismiss them, or if their actions and manifestations could cause the brothers and sisters to form a bad impression of them and not elect them again, they will try to salvage their image by doing at least some work that’s right in front of them. This way, they can answer to those above and below them—it’s only God whom they cannot answer to. Everything they do is just for appearances. As long as the upper-level leaders don’t dismiss them, and the brothers and sisters continue to support them, they feel satisfied. During their tenure as a church leader, they don’t commit major evil, and outwardly they always seem to be busy with work, but they don’t do any real work. Especially when they see evil people disturbing the church, they do nothing. They’re afraid of offending these evil people, so they try to appease and negotiate with them whenever possible, seeking only to maintain harmony. They are unwilling to offend anyone; even if these people disturb the church’s work or threaten the safety of the brothers and sisters, they do nothing. This is a false leader in the truest sense of the term.

For false leaders who do not do real work, if the brothers and sisters remind them repeatedly, asking them to solve problems, and they still do not do real work, do not solve real problems, and do not correct mistakes, then you should report this upward. If the higher-level leaders and workers do not address the issue, then you should think of any way possible to remove these false leaders. I have actually said these words for many years, but the majority below are slaves who would rather suffer some personal loss and endure some harm than offend others. No matter the circumstances, they always take the middle road and act as people pleasers, never offending anyone. What is the cost of not offending people? It is sacrificing the work and the interests of God’s house, causing the interests of God’s house to be harmed and the brothers and sisters to be disturbed. If evil people are not dealt with, many who are doing their duty will be affected. Doesn’t this equate to the work of God’s house being affected? (Yes.) When the work of God’s house is affected, no one feels anxious or worried, which is why I say that most people are sacrificing the work and the interests of God’s house to maintain harmony and amicability with others. They avoid offending leaders and the brothers and sisters; they offend no one. Everyone acts as a people pleaser. Their mindset is: “You’re good, I’m good, everyone is good—after all, we see each other all the time.” And what is the result? This allows evil people to exploit the situation; they repeatedly act tyrannically, doing whatever they please. So, if the church leaders are unreliable and do not cleanse evil people away, then the brothers and sisters must think of any way possible to protect themselves; they must avoid, keep away from, and isolate evil people when they see them. Some people say, “If we isolate them and they get angry, won’t they report us again?” If they really did report you, would you be afraid? (No. This would reveal them as evil people.) If they report you again, it just further proves that they are natural Judases, devils. You must not be afraid of them. If the leaders and workers are blind and unable to see through things, muddled, and useless, or if they are indecisive, never offending anyone, only indulging in the benefits of their status without doing real work, then the brothers and sisters should not place any hope in them anymore. They must unite to deal with the evil people and get rid of the Judases according to the principles. They might need to change the gathering location or use a wise method to cleanse them away to avoid being perturbed by these people. Ensuring the normal functioning of church life and the normal progress of all church work is the most important thing. If a church leader does real work, has sufficient caliber, and their humanity is also quite good, then as long as they carry out their work according to the work arrangements, everyone should obey them. If they do not do real work, then they should not be engaged with or relied upon. At that time, problems should be solved according to God’s words and the truth principles. If the leader needs to be dismissed, then they should be dismissed; if a re-election is necessary, then hold one. If this false leader does not protect the interests of God’s house, does not secure the environment in which the brothers and sisters do their duty, and does not care about the safety of the brothers and sisters, then they are not up to standard; they are incompetent, just a huge piece of trash that serves no real function—the brothers and sisters should not listen to them or be constrained by them. Any leaders and workers who cannot cleanse away Judases whenever needed are false leaders and false workers; such false leaders and false workers should be dealt with in the manner described above. If they are not dealt with promptly, the brothers and sisters will all be sold out by the Judases, and the church will cease to exist. This concludes our fellowship on the eighth manifestation: being capable of engaging in betrayal at any time.

I. Being Capable of Leaving at Any Time

The ninth manifestation is: “Being capable of leaving at any time.” This type of person who is capable of leaving God’s house at any time is not someone who only leaves when they encounter a special situation, or when they encounter a great disaster beyond what an average person can bear, exceeding their limit. Rather, they are capable of leaving at any time—even a small matter can cause them to leave; even a small matter can cause them to not want to do their duty anymore, to not want to believe in God anymore, and to want to leave God’s house. This type of person is also a huge pain. On the surface, they may seem slightly better than people who are Judases, but they are capable of leaving God’s house at any time and any place. Whether or not they are capable of selling out the brothers and sisters is uncertain. Do you think this kind of person is reliable? (No.) So, do they have principles when it comes to how to be a person? Do they have a foundation in believing in God? (No.) Do they show any sign of truly believing? (No.) Then what kind of person are they? (A disbeliever.) They believe in God and do their duty as if it were all a joke. They’re like someone not attending to proper tasks going out to buy some soy sauce, who sees street acrobats or performers creating a lively scene and gets caught up in the excitement and forgets about buying the soy sauce, ending up delaying proper matters. People of this sort do not stick to anything for long; they are half-hearted and fickle. Their belief in God is also based on their interest—they feel it is quite fun to believe in God, but at some point when they lose interest in it, they will leave immediately without any reluctance. Some who leave go into business right away, some pursue an official career path, some get involved in romantic relationships and prepare for marriage, and some who want to get rich quickly head straight to the casino. People say that after not seeing someone for three days, they should be looked at with fresh eyes. For someone who is capable of leaving God’s house at any time, if you don’t see them for just one day, when you meet them again, they are like a completely different person. Yesterday, they were still dressed decently and properly, appearing well-behaved and presentable. They even prayed to God with tears streaming down their face, saying they wanted to dedicate their youth and shed their blood for God, to die for God, to be loyal unto death, and to enter the kingdom. They shouted such lofty slogans, but shortly afterward, they went to the casino. Yesterday, they were happy to do their duty, and during the gathering, they read God’s words with a glowing face and boiling with enthusiasm, moved to the point of wailing tearfully. So how is it they ran off to the casino today? They gambled late into the night without wanting to go home, having plenty of fun and boiling with enthusiasm. Yesterday, they were still attending gatherings, but today they’ve run off to the casino—so, just which manifestation is the real them? (The latter one is the real them.) If one does not understand the truth, they really cannot see through to just what this person is. The two manifestations, both before and after, are actually displayed by the same person—so how is it that it seems like they are displayed by two different people? A person such as this cannot be seen through by most people. You see that as a believer in God they often attend gatherings, do not commit evil, and are quite able to endure hardship and pay a price in doing their duty. When sitting in front of the computer, they are focused and diligent, working hard and putting their heart into it. You would think that as someone who believes in God, they shouldn’t be playing Mahjong, right? But after just one day without seeing them, they’ve run off to the Mahjong hall or the casino to gamble. And they’re a first-rate Mahjong player—they don’t look like a person who believes in God at all! They’ve got you totally stumped—are they someone who believes in God, or a nonbeliever who plays Mahjong? How can they switch roles so quickly? When they believe in God, then, do they have God in their heart? (No.) They believe in God just to have fun and pass the time, to see what believing in God is all about and whether it can bring happiness to their life. If they aren’t happy, they are capable of leaving at any time. They never planned to believe for their entire life, and they certainly never planned to do their duty and follow God for their entire life. So what have they planned? In their mind, if they are truly to believe in God, then at the very least it must not hinder their ability to have fun, must not involve doing any work, and must still guarantee they can live a happy life. If they have to read God’s words and fellowship about the truth every day, then they won’t be interested or happy. Once they get tired of it, they will leave the church and run back to the world. They think, “Life is not easy, so people shouldn’t mistreat themselves. We must be the masters of our own fate and not mistreat our flesh. We must ensure that we’re happy every day—that’s the only way to live freely. Believing in god shouldn’t be done obdurately. Look at how easygoing I am—wherever there’s happiness, that’s where I go. If I’m not happy, I’ll leave. Why should I make things uncomfortable for myself? Being capable of leaving at any time is my highest credo for how to be a person, being a ‘free-spirited believer’—living like this is so comfortable and carefree!” What kind of songs do people of this sort often sing? “Don’t ask me where I come from, my hometown is far away.” If not, then what else do they sing? “Why not live freely just once?” When they feel it’s boring or not fun anymore, they quickly leave, thinking, “Why stick to one place when there’s so much more to see in the world?” What’s another famous saying they use? “Why give up an entire forest for the sake of one tree?” What do you think—do people of this sort have true belief? (No, they are disbelievers.) When it comes to disbelievers, since we are talking about how their problems are all problems of humanity, then what exactly is wrong with the humanity of such people? Do you think people of this sort have ever considered questions like how to be a person, what path people should walk, or what kind of outlook on life and values people should have as they live? (No.) So, what is the problem with the humanity of this kind of person? (This kind of person lacks the conscience and reason of normal humanity; they do not consider such questions.) That’s for sure. In addition, to be precise, this kind of person has no soul; they are just a walking corpse. They have no requirements of their own regarding how to be a person or what path one should walk, nor do they consider these things. The reason they don’t consider these things is because, although they have the appearance of a human on the outside, their essence is actually that of a walking corpse, a hollow shell. This kind of person has an attitude of just drifting through life when it comes to matters of human life and survival. To be specific, “drifting through life” means just muddling along and waiting for death, not learning and remaining ignorant, spending their days eating, drinking, and having fun. They go wherever there is happiness, and whatever makes them feel happy and joyful, and comfortable in the flesh, is what they will do. But they will avoid and stay far away from anything that causes their flesh to suffer or brings inner pain; they simply don’t want their flesh to endure hardship. However, there are some people who experience life through enduring hardship. Or, by going through and experiencing various things, they make it so that their lives are not empty and they can gain something from it. In the end, they come to the conclusion of what path one should walk and what kind of person one should be. Through life experiences, they gain a lot. For one thing, they are able to see through certain people; additionally, they are able to conclude what principles and methods a person should use to treat various people, events, and things, and how a person should live their whole life. Regardless of whether what they ultimately conclude aligns with the truth or goes against it, at the very least, they have given it thought. On the other hand, those who are capable of leaving God’s house at any time have no interest in pursuing the truth or doing their duty in believing in God. They are always looking for opportunities to satisfy their own lustful desires and their preferences, and never want to diligently learn a professional skill in doing their duty, do their duty well, or live out a meaningful life. They just want to be like nonbelievers, happy and joyful every day. Thus, wherever they go, they look for fun and amusement, just to satisfy their own interests and curiosity. If they have to keep doing one duty, they lose interest and no longer have the motivation to continue doing it. With people of this sort, their attitude toward life is just to muddle along. On the surface, it seems as if they live in a very free and easygoing way, not fussing over things with others. They appear cheerful and carefree every day, able to adapt to circumstances wherever they go. Some even seem unaffected and unrestrained by worldly customs or conventions of human relations, giving the outward impression that they are extraordinary and above the common crowd. But actually, their essence is that of a walking corpse, a thing without a soul. Those who believe in God but are capable of leaving the church at any time never stick with anything they do for long—they can only maintain a temporary enthusiasm. But people with a conscience and reason are different. No matter what duty they are doing, they learn it seriously and strive to do it well. They are able to accomplish something and create some value. For one thing, they are able to gain the recognition of those around them, and at the same time, they can feel confident inside, seeing that they are capable of doing something and are useful people, not worthless ones. This is the minimum that a person with the conscience and reason of normal humanity can achieve. But as for those who drift through life, they never think about these things. Wherever they go, it’s just eating, drinking, and having fun. Outwardly, it may seem like they live very freely and at ease, but actually such people have no thoughts in their heads. In everything they do, they are never serious; they are always cursory and motivated by a short-lived enthusiasm, never accomplishing anything. They want to muddle along for their entire lives, and wherever they go, they carry this same attitude—not even their belief in God is an exception to this. You may see that during a certain period, it seems like they are quite serious about doing their duty and are able to endure hardship and pay a price, but no matter who points out their problems or tells them how to do things, they never take it seriously and do not accept the truth at all. They just do things however they want—as long as they are happy, it’s fine for them. And if they are not happy, they go off to have fun, not listening to anyone’s advice. In their hearts, they think, “I never planned to believe in god for the long term anyway.” If someone prunes them, they are capable of leaving immediately. This is one of the manifestations of people who are capable of leaving the church at any time.

Those who are capable of leaving the church at any time have another type of manifestation. Some people—no matter how many years they have believed in God, no matter whether they appear to have a foundation or not, and no matter what duty they may have performed before—once they encounter a special circumstance that involves their own personal interests, can just up and disappear. At any time, it’s possible for other people to lose contact with them, and no longer see them in the church, while having no idea what’s going on with them. Some people, when they encounter someone of the opposite sex trying to seduce them, stop doing their duty and go off to date, becoming completely unreachable. There are also others whose children have reached the age of marriage, and they become busy arranging their children’s marriages, no longer doing their duty and no longer participating in gatherings. No matter who looks for them, they are turned away at the door. Some people, when their parents or spouse are sick and hospitalized, or when something major happens or an unexpected disaster occurs at home, will—if they are true believers in God—give an explanation, saying, “There have been some matters at home recently that I need to take care of, so I can’t attend gatherings. I need to request a leave of absence, and if you can find someone suitable, please have them temporarily take over my duty without delay.” At the very least, they will give some notice and explanation. But those who are capable of leaving the church at any time cut off contact with the church without saying a word, and no matter how the brothers and sisters try, they can’t get in touch with them. It’s not that they don’t have the means to be contacted—any method could reach them—but they simply don’t want to contact or respond to the brothers and sisters. They say, “Why should I get in touch with you? I do my duty voluntarily; I’m not getting paid for it. If I want to leave, I’ll leave! If there’s something going on at home, that’s my personal business. I’m not obligated to inform you, and you don’t have any right to know!” Some people leave for a month or two and then come back to report in without even feeling embarrassed, acting as if nothing happened. Others leave for two or three years and are completely unreachable. People in the church, not knowing the situation, think that since this person has believed in God for many years, it’s impossible that they would leave the church. They assume something unexpected must have happened and worry whether they were arrested by the CCP. In actuality, it’s just that the person doesn’t want to believe in God anymore and left without notifying the brothers and sisters. Some people leave for about ten days and then come back; this doesn’t mean they’ve stopped believing. Some people leave and then are gone for two or three years—would you say they’ve stopped believing? (Yes.) They have indeed stopped believing, and they should be struck off. This isn’t an ordinary departure; they’ve stopped believing. From a human perspective, this is called no longer believing. How does God view this? In God’s eyes, this is called denying God, not following God, and it is rejecting God. But from their perspective, they think, “I haven’t rejected god; I still believe in god in my heart!” See? They just brush it off lightly. There are also others who stop attending gatherings and stop doing their duty just because they are in a bad mood or feel upset inside, because they think that doing their duty is too hard and tiring, or because they were pruned a little. They leave without even explaining anything about the work they had on hand, saying, “No one contact me. I’m not happy, and I don’t want to believe anymore!” When they get upset, it can last for a year or so. Their temper is really something—they can’t snap out of it for a year or so! Some people take on the work of leaders and workers in the church, but not only do they fail to do the work well, they also recklessly commit misdeeds, bringing disruptions and disturbances to the church’s work. Later, the brothers and sisters don’t elect them, and also discern and expose them in fellowship. So they start thinking, “Is this a criticism session against me? I just didn’t do the work well, is it really such a big deal? Why are they fellowshipping and exposing me like this? In all my years, I’ve never suffered such grievance! Before I believed in god, I was always the one upbraiding others; nobody ever upbraided me. When have I ever endured such hardship before? You’re all picking on me, making me feel humiliated. I won’t believe anymore!” Just like that, they stop believing. Those who say this are not just young people—some are those who have believed in God for eight or ten years and are in their forties or fifties, yet they can also say such things when they’re unhappy. Do such people have a place for God in their hearts? Do they take believing in God as the most important thing in life? It’s normal to feel a bit negative and weak when pruned or when encountering disasters or setbacks, but these things shouldn’t lead one to not believe in God. Such people are not sincere believers in God. Sincere believers in God can persist in their belief even when they are arrested and persecuted—only these are people who have testimony. Some people, when encountering a bit of natural disaster, if the brothers and sisters either don’t know about it or find out a bit late and don’t help them in time, start thinking, “I’m facing difficulties and no one is paying attention to me. So, they look down on me! Believing in god is pointless. I won’t believe anymore!” Just because of such a small matter, they can stop believing in God. This is one of the manifestations of people who are capable of leaving the church at any time.

There is another situation for those who are capable of leaving the church at any time. The CCP, in order to win them to its side, offers them a good job, saying to them, “You earn nothing by believing in god. What prospects could you possibly have? We’ve found you a position at a foreign company with a high monthly salary, good benefits, and labor insurance. There’s no future for you in believing in god; it’s better to work, earn money, and live a good life.” In the end, they leave the church and go to work. Someone says, “Yesterday this person was still doing their duty in the church. Why have they packed their things and left today?” They are going to work and earn money; they no longer believe in God. They leave without saying a word, and from then on, they go a separate way from the brothers and sisters, becoming people on a different path. They want to pursue fame and gain, to rise high and stand out, and they no longer believe in God. There are also people who, while preaching the gospel, meet someone they like, get involved with them, and go off to live out their days together. Not only do they stop doing their duty, but they even stop believing in God. Their parents at home are still unaware, thinking that they are doing their duty in God’s house. In actuality, this person vanished long ago—who knows, they might even have had a child by now. Doing one’s duty is so important, yet they can even abandon such crucial work as preaching the gospel. When they meet someone they like, or someone who likes them, a few simple seductive and enticing words from that someone are enough to lead them away. They are so frivolous and casual, capable of leaving God and betraying God at any time and place. No matter how many years such people have believed in God or how many sermons they have listened to, they still don’t understand a bit of the truth. To them, believing in God is simply not important, and doing their duty doesn’t matter either—for the sake of gaining blessings, they feel they have no choice but to do these things. As soon as there is a personal matter or a family issue, they are capable of leaving just like that. When they encounter a bit of natural disaster, they can stop believing just like that. Anything can interfere with their belief in God; any matter can cause them to become negative and give up their duty. What kind of people are they? This question is truly worth deep reflection!

What kinds of people are those who are capable of leaving the church at any time? One type are mindless, thoughtless, muddled people who have no idea why they believe in God, no matter how many years they have believed. They have no idea just what believing in God is all about. Another type are disbelievers who don’t believe in the existence of God at all and don’t understand the meaning or value of believing in God. Listening to sermons and reading God’s words, to them, is like studying theology or learning some professional knowledge—once they understand and can talk about it, they consider it done. They never put it into practice. To them, God’s words are just a kind of theory, a slogan, and can never become their life. So, for these people, anything related to believing in God doesn’t interest them. Such things as doing one’s duty, pursuing the truth, practicing God’s words, gathering with the brothers and sisters and living church life together, and so on don’t hold any appeal for them, and none of it brings them the happiness and excitement that eating, drinking, and having fun do. On the other hand, sincere believers in God feel that being together with the brothers and sisters to fellowship the truth or live church life can always bring them benefits and gains. Although sometimes they face danger and persecution, or take risks preaching the gospel and endure some hardship doing their duty, no matter what, they gain an understanding of the truth and achieve the result of knowing God through enduring hardship and paying a price, and this hardship and price bring about a transformation in their life disposition. After weighing and evaluating all this, they feel that believing in God is good, and that being able to understand the truth is incredibly valuable. Their hearts become especially attached to the church, and they never think of leaving church life. If they see a few individuals getting sent to Group B or being isolated or cleared out by the church for disturbing the church’s work, those who sincerely believe in God feel a bit of anguish in their hearts. They think, “I need to do my duty diligently. I absolutely cannot be cleared out. Being cleared out is equivalent to being punished, which means the outcome of going to hell! What would be the point of living then?” Most people are afraid of leaving the church; they feel that once they leave the church and leave God, they won’t be able to go on living and everything will be over. But those who are capable of leaving the church at any time see leaving the church as quite a normal thing, just like quitting a job to find another one. They never feel distressed or suffer any pain inside. What do you think—do those who are capable of leaving the church at any time have any conscience or reason? Such people are truly unbelievable! Some people’s performance of duty is not up to standard, and they always recklessly commit misdeeds, bringing disruptions and disturbances to the church’s work. The church then stops them from doing their duty and sends them to an ordinary church. So, what happens as a result? The very next day, they act like a completely different person, starting a new life altogether. Some begin dating and get married, some start looking for jobs, others go off to college, and still others reconnect with old friends, build connections, and seek opportunities to get rich. These people quickly blend into the vast world, disappearing into the sea of humanity—it happens just that quickly. Some brothers and sisters, after being sent to an ordinary church due to poor results in doing their duty, go through a period of anguish but are able to reflect on themselves and recognize their own problems, showing some attitude of turning around. However, those who are capable of leaving the church at any time, as soon as they encounter some difficulties, don’t want to do their duty anymore and leave the church the next day, returning to the life of a nonbeliever. They don’t feel pained at all and even think, “What’s so good about believing in god? You’re constantly ridiculed and slandered by others, and you’re even likely to get arrested and imprisoned. If the great red dragon beats me to death, wouldn’t my life have been in vain? I’ve endured so much hardship believing in god all these years, but what have I gained? If I hadn’t believed in god, I’d have become an official, made money, and been living a life of prestige by now! Having believed in god until now, I even feel regret—if I had known it would be like this, I would have left long ago! What’s the use of understanding the truth? Can that understanding keep you fed or pay the bills?” See? Not only do they have no regret, but they even feel fortunate to be able to leave the church. Isn’t this their true face as disbelievers being exposed? (Yes.)

Some people are habitually perfunctory and commit reckless misdeeds in their performance of duty. After being cleared out by the church, when they see the brothers and sisters, they look at them as if they were enemies. Even when the brothers and sisters kindly try to speak with them, they ignore them and view them hatefully, saying, “You’re the ones that cleared me out of the church. Look at me now! I’m better off than you! Now I’m decked out in gold and silver, I’m a big cheese! I’m navigating the world so comfortably, and look at how shabby and exhausted you are in believing in god! You are all constantly pursuing to gain the truth, but I don’t think you’re any smarter than me! What’s so good about gaining the truth? Can it be eaten like food or spent like money? Even without pursuing the truth, I’m still living pretty well, aren’t I? It was my good fortune that you cleared me out—I ought to thank you for it!” From their words, it is evident that they are disbelievers, and doing their duty revealed them. Can a nonbeliever who only verbally believes in God willingly do their duty? Doing one’s duty means fulfilling responsibilities and obligations without earning wages or making money. They see this as a loss, so they are unwilling to do their duty. Their true colors as disbelievers are thus exposed; this is the way God’s work reveals and eliminates disbelievers. Some people always have a perfunctory attitude when doing their duty, merely drifting along day by day. The moment they get an opportunity to make money or gain a promotion in the world, they leave the church at any time—they have always had this intention in mind. If they are transferred to an ordinary church because they are habitually perfunctory and commit reckless misdeeds while doing their duty, not only will they not reflect on themselves, but they will also think, “Your cleansing me away from the full-time duty church is a loss for you and a gain for me.” They even feel quite pleased with themselves. Aren’t such people disbelievers? Tell Me, for those disbelievers who are cleansed away because they severely disrupted and disturbed the church’s work through their reckless misdeeds, is it in accordance with principles for God’s house to cleanse them away like this? (Yes.) It completely accords with principles; this is not wronging them in the slightest. Their attitude toward God and toward doing their duty is such that they are capable of abandoning and betraying them at any time. This is enough to prove that they have no interest whatsoever in positive things in their hearts. They have believed in God for so many years and have listened to so many sermons, yet none of the truths of believing in God or the experiential testimonies of God’s chosen people can retain their hearts. Not a single one of these things interests them, touches them, or makes them feel attached. This is the essence of their humanity, which is that they have no interest whatsoever in positive things. So, what are they interested in? They are interested in eating, drinking, and having fun, in pleasures of the flesh, in evil trends, and in Satan’s philosophies. They are especially interested in all the negative things in society; it is only the truth and God’s words they are not interested in. That is why they are capable of leaving God’s house at any time. They have no interest whatsoever in frequently reading God’s words or frequently fellowshipping the truth during the gatherings of God’s house. They are especially repelled by doing duty and even think that those who do their duty are all fools. What kind of mentality and what kind of humanity is this? They have no interest in the truth or in God’s salvation of people, and they feel no attachment at all to church life. Although they have not openly judged or condemned God’s words, they have listened to sermons for several years without understanding even a little of the truth—this clearly indicates a problem. There is no one who dislikes both positive things and negative things at the same time. As long as you do not like positive things, you will be especially interested in negative things. If you are especially interested in negative things, then you definitely won’t be interested in positive things. This type of person has no interest whatsoever in positive things, so there is nothing in God’s house that they feel attached to, nothing that they like or long for. The evil trends of the world, money, fame and gain, officialdom, getting rich, and various popular heresies and fallacies are what they are most interested in. Their heart is set on the world, not on God’s house, which is why they are capable of leaving at any time. Leaving God’s house and leaving church life brings them no regret, no anguish or pain, but rather complete relief. They think to themselves: “I finally don’t have to listen to sermons or fellowships about the truth every day anymore, I no longer have to be restricted by these things. Now I can boldly pursue fame and gain, pursue money, pursue beautiful women, and pursue my personal prospects. At last, I can boldly lie and cheat others, carry out plots and schemes, and practice all sorts of wicked tactics without worry. I can use any means to interact with people!” Listening to sermons and fellowshipping the truth in God’s house is painful for them, and leaving God’s house feels like a relief. This means that these positive things are not what their heart needs. What they need are all the things of the world and society. From this, it is clear that the reason they left the church is directly related to their pursuits and preferences.

What is the nature essence of these people who are capable of leaving God’s house at any time? Do you see what it is now? (Yes. They are the type of people who are disbelievers. Most of these people are beasts reincarnated, they’re all muddleheaded individuals without brains or thoughts.) That’s right. They do not understand matters of faith. They do not understand what human life is really about, what path people should take, what things are most meaningful to do, what principles of practice should be adhered to when it comes to being a person, and so on, and they do not want to seek the truth to figure them out either. What do they like to pursue? All day long their minds revolve around what they can do to gain benefits and enjoy a life superior to others. Some people start believing in God while they are employed out in the world. But as soon as they are promoted to supervisor or manager, or become a boss, they stop believing. When the brothers and sisters reach out to them, they say, “Now I’m someone with status and reputation, with social standing. Believing in god with you is too humiliating. You all should stay far away from me, and do not come looking for me again! You can strike me off or expel me if you want. In any case, my chapter of believing in god is over, and I have nothing to do with you anymore!” See what they say? What kind of person are they? Would you still reach out to them? (No.) They have spoken this bluntly, yet some church leaders still feel it’s regrettable when they see them leave and reach out to them multiple times to persuade them: “You have such good caliber, and you even used to be a leader and a worker. It’s only because you didn’t pursue the truth that you were dismissed. If you pursue the truth diligently, you are sure to be saved, and in the future, you will definitely be a pillar, a mainstay in God’s house!” The more the leaders say these things, the more it repels the other party. Some church leaders are muddleheaded and lack discernment; this person was promoted in the world, yet these leaders still envy them and want to establish connections with them—doesn’t this show a lack of self-respect? People who understand the truth can see this matter clearly: Getting promoted in society is not a good sign; it is not the right path for one to walk! Some people stop believing in God as soon as they gain a bit of status in society—this just reveals them and proves that they are not people who sincerely believe in God or love the truth. If they were sincere believers, even if they were promoted and had a promising future in society, they still wouldn’t leave God. Now that they have betrayed God, is there any need for the church to reach out and work on them? There’s no need, because they’ve already been revealed as disbelievers. By not believing in God, they are the ones who lose out—they simply don’t have the blessing. They are just wretched beings; if you still insist on pulling them into believing in God, isn’t that stupid? The more you try to pull them in like this, the more they look down on you. They think that all those who believe in God are people with low social status and who are lacking in caliber. That’s why they are especially arrogant and self-righteous, looking upon everyone with contempt. If anyone shows concern for or cares about them, they see it as trying to curry favor with them. What kind of mentality is this? It’s an inability to view the brothers and sisters correctly. Are they someone who sincerely believes in God? When encountering this type of person, you should reject them. As soon as they say, “I’m a senior supervisor now. Do not come looking for me again. If you keep reaching out to me, I’ll turn against you! Especially don’t come to my company and embarrass me—I have nothing to do with people who believe in god!”—once they say these words, you should leave immediately, strike them off, and never associate with such a person again. They’re afraid we’ll take advantage of their success; thus we need to have some self-awareness. They’re thriving and ascending to higher echelons; they’re out of our league. We’re just ordinary folks, people at the bottom of society. We shouldn’t try to establish connections with them—don’t lower yourself like that! There are also some people who are older and whose children buy a luxury home in the city. After moving in, they do a vanishing act with the brothers and sisters, saying: “Don’t come looking for me again. You’re all from the countryside. If you come looking for me, people will think I’m also from the countryside, that I have rural relatives. How embarrassing that would be! Do you know what kind of person my son is? He’s a moneybags, he’s a wealthy man, a man of public renown! If you keep in touch with me, wouldn’t that be humiliating for my son? So don’t come looking for me again in the future!” As soon as they say these words, just respond: “Since this is your attitude, we understand. Then we wish you happiness and joy!” At that moment, if you say even one more word, you will come across as stupid and lowly. Just leaving immediately is the right thing to do. Don’t ever try to forcefully convince disbelievers—that’s just stupid behavior. Do you understand? (Yes.) How stupid can some people be? They say, “That person’s son is a wealthy man, a moneybags with status in society. He’s even connected with government officials. If we persuade them to continue believing in God, their family could even host brothers and sisters!” How does this idea sound? If you think about it from the perspective of being considerate of the church’s work, being considerate of the brothers and sisters, and considering safety, it’s perfectly suitable. But you have to see if they sincerely believe in God. If they aren’t willing to believe in God and don’t like to be in contact with the brothers and sisters, yet you still want to persuade them to believe in God, isn’t that stupid? Don’t do things that show a lack of self-respect. We have God’s protection and God’s guidance in believing in God. No matter what environment we live in, it is all under God’s sovereignty and arrangements. No matter what suffering we endure, we should live with dignity. Some people even envy this person who left God’s house, saying that they are capable—is this view correct? How should we see this matter? Once they moved into a big house, they stopped believing in God. In society, they have status and standing, and in their heart, they look down on the brothers and sisters, viewing them as people at the bottom of society who are unworthy of interacting with them. So, we should have self-awareness and not try to establish connections with such people or cozy up to them, right? (Yes.)

For those who are capable of leaving God’s house at any time, whether they are disbelievers or just idlers, whether they believe in God to gain blessings or to avoid disasters—no matter the situation—as long as they are capable of leaving God’s house at any time, and after leaving, they are repelled by the brothers and sisters reaching out to them, and even more repelled by the brothers’ and sisters’ help and support, showing hostility toward anyone who fellowships the truth with them, there is no need to pay any attention to such people. If disbelievers of this type are discovered, they should be exposed and cleared out in a timely manner. Some people may not love the truth, but they like being good people and enjoy living together with the brothers and sisters; it puts them in a happy mood, and on top of that they avoid being mistreated. In their hearts, they know they believe in the true God and are willing to labor diligently. If they really have this kind of attitude, do you think they should be allowed to continue doing their duty? (Yes.) If they are willing to labor, and do not disturb or disrupt, then they can continue laboring. But if one day they are no longer willing to labor and want to leave God’s house, saying: “I’m going out to try to make it in the world. I’m not going to believe in god with you anymore. It’s no fun here, and sometimes when I’m perfunctory in doing my duty, I get pruned. It’s really tough being here; I want to leave”—should such a person be persuaded to stay? (No.) We can just ask them one question: “Have you thought it through?” If they say, “I’ve thought about it for a long time,” you can say, “Then we wish you the best. Take care, and goodbye!” Is this approach okay? (Yes.) What kind of people do you think these are? They are the kind who think they’re above the ordinary, and who detest the world and its ways, often reciting verses from famous people, like, “I wave my sleeve, not taking even a strand of cloud away.” They think they keep themselves pure and don’t fit in with this world, and they want to find some comfort through believing in God. They always see themselves as someone extraordinary, but in actuality, they are the most mundane of people, living only for eating, drinking, and having fun. They have no real thoughts and no real pursuits. They see themselves as someone lofty, as if no one can understand their thoughts or measure up to their way of thinking. They consider their own mental horizon to be higher than that of the average person, saying things like: “You are all ordinary people, but look at me—I’m different. If you ask me where I’m from, I’ll tell you that my hometown is far away.” Did they tell you where they’re from? Do you know where this so-called “far away” place is? People who are capable of leaving the church at any time are exactly this type. They feel that nowhere can satisfy them and are always thinking about some unrealistic, vague, illusory things. They don’t focus on reality and don’t understand what human life is about or what path people should choose. They don’t understand these things—they’re just oddballs. If a person of this type has made up their mind to leave the church and says they have thought it through for a long time, then there’s no need to persuade them to stay. Don’t say even one more word—just strike them off, and that’s it. This is how such people should be handled; it conforms to the principles of how to treat people. That concludes the fellowship about those who are capable of leaving the church at any time.

J. Wavering

The tenth manifestation is: “Wavering.” What specific manifestations are displayed by people who waver? First of all, the biggest doubts these people have about believing in God are: “Does god actually exist? Is there a spiritual realm? Is there a hell? Are these words spoken by god the truth? People say this person is god incarnate, but I haven’t seen any aspect that makes him appear like god incarnate! So, where exactly is the spirit of god? Does god really exist or not?” They can never figure out these questions clearly. They see that there are many people believing in God and think, “God must exist. He probably does exist. I hope he exists. Believing in god hasn’t caused me any loss anyway; no one has mistreated me. I’ve heard that doing duty can bring blessings and a good destination, and will make it so that I won’t die in the future. So I guess I’ll just follow along and believe.” After believing for a period of time, they see that some people encounter trials and adversities, and they start to ponder: “Isn’t believing in god supposed to bring blessings? Some people got seriously ill and died, some were arrested and persecuted to death by the great red dragon, and others got sick or had disasters befall their families while doing duty. Why didn’t god protect them? So, does god really exist or not? If he exists, these things shouldn’t have happened!” Some well-meaning people fellowship the truth with them, saying: “God is sovereign over all things, and people’s fates are orchestrated by God’s hand. People should accept these matters from God and give themselves to God’s orchestration. Everything that God does is good.” To which these wavering individuals say: “I don’t see what’s good about it! Suffering disasters—is that good? Getting seriously ill or an incurable disease—is that good? Being dead is even worse. Does god exist or not? I don’t know.” They are always filled with doubts about God. When they see many people doing duty, the work of God’s house expanding more and more, and the church flourishing day by day, they feel that God must exist. Especially when they hear the brothers and sisters bear witness to the signs and wonders God has shown and the grace they have received from God, these wavering individuals feel even more strongly that: “God definitely exists! Although people can’t see the spirit of god, the words spoken by god incarnate have been heard by people, and I have also heard so many people fellowship god’s words and experience god’s words. So, god must definitely exist!” When the church is flourishing, everything is going smoothly for it, it’s thriving, and the church’s work is expanding more and more, and especially when the brothers and sisters experience some special circumstances and special matters and see God’s protection, sovereignty, and leadership through these things, they feel that God exists and that God is truly good. After a period of time, however, they may experience frustrations and rough patches, some may experience failures and setbacks, or God’s house may eliminate a portion of people; these things, particularly the last one, heavily contradict their notions and are beyond their expectations. They feel, “If god exists, how could these things happen? They shouldn’t happen! It’s normal for these things to happen among nonbelievers, but how could they happen in god’s house too? If god exists, he should settle these matters and prevent these things from happening, because he is almighty, has authority, and has power! Does god really exist or not? People can’t see god’s spirit. As for the words spoken by god incarnate, people all say that they are the truth, the way, and that they can be people’s life. But why do I not feel that they are the truth? I have listened to sermons for so long, but my life hasn’t transformed at all! I have suffered so much—what have I gained?” They start to have doubts about God, and their enthusiasm for doing their duty diminishes and cools down. They then think about leaving God’s house to go work and earn money to live a decent life—these active thoughts begin to emerge. They think to themselves: “If the god I believe in isn’t the true god, then my not working or earning money all these years while believing in god will have been such a great loss! No, thinking like this is wrong. I still need to believe properly. I’ve heard people say that reading more of god’s words will enable one to understand the truth, solve all problems, and no longer be weak. But I’ve read god’s words and still haven’t understood the truth. Why do I still feel negative? Why do I always feel like I don’t have the energy to do my duty? God isn’t working in me! I have so many difficulties, but god hasn’t opened up a way out for me. So, does god really exist or not? If this is the true way, god should bless people who do their duty with peace, smoothness, and normalcy. So why are there still such great difficulties in preaching the gospel and doing duty? Although I know the religious community has fallen behind, and believing in almighty god is entering the Age of Kingdom, why haven’t I seen how the holy spirit works?” What kind of people are these? They are people with no spiritual understanding. They read God’s words but do not understand the truth. No matter how much truth is fellowshipped, they cannot grasp its meaning. They always view things based on their notions and imaginings, and are constantly filled with doubts about God. How could such a person possibly understand the truth? Some people see that preaching the gospel is quite difficult, so they think: “If this were the true way, the holy spirit would be working greatly. Wherever the brothers and sisters went to preach the gospel, it would be smooth and unhindered. Even more so, government officials would also start believing and give the green light to everything. This really would be the doing of the true god. But now, looking at the facts, that’s not the case at all. Not only do presidents and officials in various countries around the world not believe in god, but they also do not support belief in god. In some countries, governments even persecute believers and obstruct people from believing in god. So, is the god we believe in really the true god? I don’t know; it’s hard to say.” There’s always a huge question mark in their hearts. Every time they hear some kind of news, it feels to them like an “earthquake” whose impact is neither huge nor unnoticeable, causing them to waver. Some people say: “Is it because they’ve believed in God for only a short time that they always waver?” That’s not the case—some people have believed for three years, five years, or even over ten years. Is that considered a short time? If someone believed for three or five years during the work of the Age of Grace, it wouldn’t be considered long, because they hadn’t heard God’s utterances and words in the last days; they only understood a little biblical knowledge and spiritual theories from the Bible and from people’s sermons. That’s far too little to have gained. It’s different when someone accepts the work of this current stage—as long as they do their duty and follow God for three years, what they experience, understand, and gain surpasses what someone could have gained from believing in the Lord for twenty or thirty years, or even a lifetime, in the Age of Grace. But these people who waver, even after believing for three, five, or even more than ten years, still cannot determine whether this stage of work is done by God or not, and they even have doubts about God’s existence. Would you say that such people are very troublesome? Do they have the ability to comprehend the truth? (No.) Do they have the way of thinking of normal humanity? (No.) They are unable to comprehend the truth. No matter what situation arises in the church, it can always cause them to waver—the question mark in their hearts constantly triggers “earthquakes” for them. If antichrists cause disturbances in the church and some people are misled, or if someone they idolize does something they didn’t expect—like stealing offerings or engaging in licentious activities—and gets cleared out, it causes their hearts to waver, and they start doubting God: “Isn’t this the stream of god’s work? Then how could such lawless things happen in the church? How could god allow the appearance of antichrists and evil people? Is this really the true way?” Everything that happens in the church which goes against their notions causes them to develop doubts and start questioning whether this is the true way, whether it is God’s work, and whether God really exists. They simply do not seek the truth to view the matter correctly. This alone is enough to prove that from beginning to end, they have fundamentally never believed that this stage of work is done by God. From beginning to end, they have never known what the truth is, nor why God expresses the truth. God has spoken so many words and done so much work—all this is God’s doing. So many people have verified and become certain about it, but they refuse to view matters on the basis of these things. They always use human perspectives and human thinking to make judgments—they trust in themselves too much. When there are some loopholes or deviations in the church’s work or in church life, or when the church is suppressed and persecuted by the government, they start to question again: “Is this really the true way?” When antichrists and false leaders appear in the church, they also start questioning. They say: “Look at those pastors and elders in the religious churches—they truly love the Lord, and there aren’t any antichrist incidents in their churches. Now that’s the true way. If what you have here is the true way, why are these things still happening?” This is how they make comparisons. And how do some other morons make comparisons? They say: “Look at those people believing in god in the Three-Self Church—they have state approval, and the state even issues them certificates and grants them land to build churches. It’s all legitimate and legal. Do you have a public church? Are your churches registered? The state even assigns pastors to the Three-Self churches, and those pastors have licenses. Do your leaders and workers have licenses? The state doesn’t allow you to believe in god; it arrests and persecutes you. You don’t even have a fixed place for gatherings; you always gather in secret. Is this really the true way? If this were the true way, why would you always gather and do your duty in such a secretive manner?” They can’t see through even this matter. Any situation can cause them to waver and develop doubts about God. Tell Me, can a person like this stand firm? (No.) Although they haven’t outwardly left the church, they are on the brink of danger in their heart. They can never be certain about God’s work and the truths expressed by God, and they are always half-believing, half-doubting; this makes it impossible for them to have true faith. They cannot see that all the persecutions, suppression, and arrests that have occurred over these years of God’s work have all been under God’s sovereignty, and all fall under God’s orchestrations and arrangements. Therefore, they have notions and are able to question whether God can be sovereign over all things. They always believe that all the work of God’s house is done by humans, being unable to see even the slightest sign of God’s deeds. Are they not a disbeliever? If such a person has only been newly believing for six months or a year and hasn’t clearly grasped various truths, it is understandable for them to have doubts and waver when they see things that go against their notions. But some people have believed in God for several years, have listened to plenty of sermons, and have had the truth fellowshipped to them when encountering difficulties. At the time, they understood what they heard doctrinally. Afterward, however, when faced with matters again, they still question God and God’s work. This shows that such people have no ability to comprehend the truth, lack the thinking of normal humanity, and don’t meet the standard of being human.

How should people who waver be handled? In terms of humanity, these people don’t amount to evil people, but they are indeed a troublesome type of people, because they lack the ability to comprehend the truth and don’t have the thinking of normal humanity. Most importantly, they can’t even confirm the many truths that God has expressed, nor do they know whether these words are the truth, or if they are God’s expression and God’s work. Judging from their comprehension ability, what kind of people are they? It’s correct to say they are disbelievers, and it’s also correct to say they are muddleheaded people. Although people of this sort haven’t committed any obvious evil and don’t qualify as evil people, since they are muddleheaded to this extent and can do many things that disrupt and disturb, aren’t they good-for-nothings? (Yes.) No matter how long they have believed in God or how many sermons they have listened to, they can never understand the truth. They can’t even confirm God’s existence or God’s sovereignty. What kind of caliber is this? These people have absolutely no ability to comprehend the truth. They are people with very poor caliber; or you could say they have no caliber at all—they are brainless good-for-nothings. Tell Me, what duty can good-for-nothings do? (They can’t do any duty.) They can’t do any duty and are always doubtful and wavering. So, how should people like this be treated and handled? The most appropriate way to handle such people is to not let them do any duty. Even if they request to do duty, they should not be permitted. Why not? Because once people like this begin to do duty, especially when they have endured hardship and paid some price, sooner or later they will want to settle accounts with God’s house. If they are arrested or face natural disasters or man-made calamities, they will regret having expended themselves for God; they will complain bitterly, and go about spreading remarks like: “I’ve suffered so much for the church’s work and for doing my duty. I’ve eaten so much less food, gotten so much less sleep, and earned so much less money. If I hadn’t done duty, I could have put the money I earned in the bank, and it would have earned interest! I’ve taken on so many risks—how much is each hour of risk worth? How much is the labor fee?” They will try to settle financial accounts with God’s house and will even threaten that if God’s house doesn’t compensate them, they’ll report God’s house. Wouldn’t letting people like this do duty bring endless trouble? Dealing with such lowly individuals will lead to an entanglement that’s impossible to resolve. No matter how many things they handle for the church, they keep a little ledger in their hearts, recording every single account clearly. Whatever they do for the church, they never do it willingly. Because they are unwilling, they want to settle accounts. Why is this? It’s because, in their hearts, they don’t acknowledge God’s existence or believe in God’s existence. They don’t acknowledge that God’s words are the truth or that God’s work can save people. So, what kind of reward would it take for them to feel satisfied with having paid a little price, suffered a bit, done some duty, and expended some human and material resources for the so-called god they imagine in their minds? If they didn’t receive anything in return, would they be satisfied? If one day they realize they’ve been eliminated for not pursuing the truth, what will the consequences be? They will think that God’s house tricked them, that the leaders and workers tricked them, and that they were kept in the dark and fell victim to a scam. Then, they’ll have a bone to pick with God’s house and demand compensation, dragging things out endlessly. Do you think God’s house would want to get entangled with such a person? God’s house absolutely won’t do something so stupid! God’s chosen people do their duty to fulfill the responsibility of created beings—it’s entirely their own choice, something they are willing to do. God’s house never forces or compels anyone. But once disbelievers start doing duty, it’s only a matter of time before trouble arises. When they’re in a sour mood, they will definitely start grumbling and complaining, saying to others: “You all spoke so nicely and tricked me, saying that believing in god would allow me to gain the truth and eternal life. But none of you mentioned that there would be antichrists in the church misleading people, evil people disrupting and disturbing church work, or that the church would clear out or expel people. You never told me any of this would happen in the church!” They can even turn around and accuse you, saying: “You never explained these things to me clearly. I just followed you in believing in god and doing my duty. As a result, now I have no prospects in the world; you’ve kept me from making big money. You need to compensate me for my losses!” Don’t you find it disgusting when they start settling accounts with you? Would you be willing to get entangled with them? (No.) Who could possibly make things clear to people like this? They don’t accept the truth, they can’t see God’s existence, and they can’t sense God’s existence through their experiences. Tell Me, who could cram this fact into their minds? No one could. They don’t have the faculties to accept the truth, so asking them to pursue the truth would be making things very difficult for them, it’d be putting them in a tough spot—doing so is simply unrealistic. They believe in God just to receive blessings. As long as they do a little duty, they demand a reward. If they don’t get what they want, they start hurling abuse: “I’ve been tricked and cheated! You’re all frauds!” Tell Me, would you want to bear that name-calling? (No.) Who tricked them? Isn’t it that they themselves have ambitions and desires and want to receive blessings? Didn’t they believe in God precisely to receive blessings? They haven’t received blessings now, but isn’t that because they don’t pursue the truth? Isn’t that their own problem? They don’t even believe in God, yet they still want to receive blessings from God—how could it be so easy to receive blessings? Weren’t these matters explained to them clearly long before they began doing duty? (Yes.) But can you reason with them? You can’t—they’ll just say you tricked them. Tell Me, in God’s house, regardless of how long the brothers and sisters have believed in God, who among them isn’t doing duty voluntarily? Even though there are rare cases where children don’t believe in God and are dragged into believing and doing duty by their parents or relatives, these are still very few. Even if your parents drag you into it, it’s for your own good—you should understand that. But that’s your family dragging you—the brothers and sisters of God’s house do not drag you or force you. Believing in God and doing duty are entirely voluntary. Right now, anyone who wants to leave may do so; the doors of God’s house are always open. However, once you leave, coming back won’t be so easy. Those who do duty full-time in God’s house are selected carefully—not just anyone is accepted. There are standards required and principles, and only those who meet the qualifications can stay in the full-time duty church. People who waver think, “You didn’t explain such an important matter clearly to me. At the time, I only did duty because I was confused.” What wasn’t explained clearly? The brothers and sisters fellowship the truth together every day while doing duty—if these people didn’t understand, it’s because they’re muddleheaded and blind. They can’t blame anyone else for that. But they won’t reason with you about this; they just feel they’ve suffered a huge loss and want to settle accounts and argue with God’s house. Aren’t such people unreasonable and extremely disgusting? So, once you know the true colors of such people and see clearly that they are muddleheaded, completely useless, can’t do any duty, and are constantly focused on receiving blessings, with their hearts consumed by thoughts of gaining blessings, and that all they know is that doing duty can bring blessings, salvation, entry into the kingdom, and immortality, and they know only these few phrases without understanding anything else—not knowing what the truth is, how to practice the truth, or how to submit to God—then, even if they want to do duty or request to do duty, can they be arranged to do it? (No.)

People who waver, in fact, even when they are safe and sound, carry doubts, and are always observing. Once they encounter persecution and arrests, they begin to waver. This shows that, in their usual belief in God, they do not possess genuine faith. When circumstances arise, they are revealed. This shows that they have never been certain about God’s work and have always been questioning and observing. Why haven’t they left the church? They think, “I’ve believed in god for so many years and suffered so much hardship. If I leave now without having gained any benefits, wouldn’t that be a loss? Wouldn’t all that suffering have been in vain?” This is what they think. You may think they are certain, that they have faith, that they understand the truth, but in fact, they do not. They are still in doubt, still observing. In their hearts, they just want to see whether the work of God’s house truly thrives, whether each item of work bears fruit, and whether it has had a large impact on the world. What they especially want to know are the following things: How is the spreading of the gospel by churches across various countries going? Does it have scale and influence? Is there international recognition of this stream? Have any famous people or influential figures accepted this stage of work? Has The Church of Almighty God been acknowledged or approved by the United Nations? Does it have the support of the governments of various countries? Have the brothers and sisters in various countries had their applications for political asylum approved? These are the kinds of things that such people are always concerned about, and this is a clear manifestation of their wavering. Once they see that God’s house has gained power and the gospel work has spread, they feel fortunate that they did not leave God’s house, and they no longer doubt God. But as soon as they see that the work of God’s house is being disturbed, obstructed, or damaged, that the brothers’ and sisters’ performance of duty is also being affected, and that the church is being excluded and denied by the world, they start thinking about leaving God’s house. They are always questioning: “Is god really sovereign over all this? Why can’t I see god’s almightiness? Are god’s words really the truth? Can they truly cleanse and save people?” They are never able to see through these matters and keep questioning them because they do not have spiritual understanding and cannot comprehend God’s words. No matter how many sermons they hear, they cannot come to a conclusion about any of this. As a result, they are always asking around, wishing they could develop ears that can hear things that are extremely far away and eyes that see a thousand miles away, so they could know and get news about what is happening far away. Then, they could decide early on just whether they should stay or leave. Aren’t such people stupid? (Yes.) Aren’t people of this sort living exhausting lives? (Yes.) They do not have the thinking of normal humanity, nor do they understand the truth. The more things happen, the more flustered and perplexed they become. They do not know how to discern these matters or how to characterize them; and they certainly don’t know how to discern right from wrong in these matters or learn lessons from them, and then find the principles of practice within God’s word. They don’t know how to do these things. So what do they do? For example, when antichrists and evil people appear in the church and mislead people, they start wondering: “Just who is right and who is wrong? Is this way really true? Will I be blessed if I continue believing until the end? I’ve been doing my duty for several years now—has this suffering been worth it? Should I continue doing my duty?” They consider everything from the perspective of their own interests and cannot understand any of the people, events, and things before them, appearing very clumsy. They lack correct thoughts and viewpoints, and want to stand on the sidelines observing, seeing how things turn out. Looking at them, you feel they’re both pitiful and ridiculous. When nothing is happening, they behave quite normally, but as soon as something major happens, they don’t know from what stance they should view this matter, and the things they say reflect the thoughts and viewpoints of nonbelievers. After everything is over, one can’t see what they have gained from it. Aren’t such people very stupid? (Yes.) This is exactly how stupid people behave. So, what are the principles for handling people of this sort? Based on their manifestations, they cannot be considered extremely treacherous and wicked people. However, they do have a fatal flaw, which is that these people have no thoughts, no soul, and cannot see through anything. Whatever happens around them leaves them at a loss, not knowing whom to trust, whom to rely on, or how to view the problem or where to begin to resolve it—they are just in a state of panic. After their panic, they may develop doubts, or they may temporarily calm down, but their habitual wavering remains unchanged. From their manifestations, since they cannot be classified as evil people, if they currently are able to do a bit of duty and willingly labor, they may be allowed to continue doing their duty. However, this is based on the premise that their duty produces at least some results. If they do their duty without accepting the truth at all and are always being perfunctory, then they should be sent home. If they are willing to correct their mistakes, however, then they should be allowed to stay in God’s house and continue doing their duty. They should be assigned whatever duty they are suited for. If they are unable to do any duty, and they are simply useless, then they should be sent to someplace that suits them. In this case, it can no longer depend on whether they are ready and willing to labor. Isn’t this way of handling things simple? (Yes.)

Can you discern people who waver? Are there such people around you? Some people were cleansed away from the church in the past. Suppose one of them says this: “I’ve changed for the better. I no longer waver. I used to always waver when it came to the true way because, when god’s house was just beginning its work overseas, things were really tough. At that time, it was very hard for the brothers and sisters in the church to preach the gospel, and there were few people overseas who accepted the true way. Additionally, there didn’t seem to be any prospects for the spreading of the gospel work. Thus, I was always doubtful about god’s work then. Now that I see that the gospel work of god’s house is spreading, various items of work are improving and bearing results, and the churches in various countries are increasingly flourishing, I no longer have doubts or waver. Please let me do my duty. Don’t place me among the ranks of those who have been cleared out or expelled!” Would it be okay to give such a person a chance? (No.) Why not? (Their words are false. They only want to attach themselves to the church again because they see that the work of God’s house is trending toward spreading and that it has gained power. But whenever something happens that goes against their notions, they’ll waver again.) Have you seen through this matter? (Yes.) Some people are born waverers. Today the wind blows one way and they follow in that direction; tomorrow it blows another and they follow that one—even when there is no wind, they still waver on their own. Such people do not possess the thinking ability a normal human should have, so they don’t meet the standard of being human. Is this correct? (Yes.) If someone has the thinking ability of a normal human and possesses the comprehension ability which humans should have, they would see that God has expressed so many truths and be able to confirm that this is God’s work. What’s more, there are so many people believing in God—they see God’s work and the work of the Holy Spirit every day, as well as God’s wonderful deeds; their faith grows stronger and their energy in doing their duty increases. Are these things that can be achieved by the work of man? Those who do not possess the thinking ability of a human, no matter how clearly you explain these matters to them, cannot confirm that this is God’s work. They lack the ability to make that judgment. No matter how great the work God is doing now, how much He speaks, how many people follow Him, how many people are certain this is God’s work, or how many people are certain that the fate of humankind falls under God’s sovereignty and arrangements, and that God is the Creator, none of this is important to them. So, what is most important to them? They need to personally see God from heaven appear to them, and they also need to see God open His mouth and speak, see Him personally create the heavens, the earth, and all things, and personally perform signs and wonders, and when He speaks His words would have to sound like thunder. Only then would they believe in God. They are just like Thomas—no matter how many words the Lord Jesus spoke, how much truth He expressed, or how many signs and wonders He performed during His time on earth, none of that was important to Thomas. What was important was whether the Lord Jesus’ resurrection after death was real or not. How did he confirm this? He demanded of the Lord Jesus: “Reach out your hands and let me see the nail marks. If you really are the resurrected lord Jesus, there will be nail marks on your hands, and then I will acknowledge you as the lord Jesus. If I cannot feel the nail marks in your hands, then I will not acknowledge you as the lord Jesus, nor will I acknowledge you as god.” Wasn’t he a moron? (Yes.) People like this only believe in the facts they can see with their own eyes and in their own imaginings and reasoning. Even if they hear God’s words, experience God’s work, and see the rise, growth, and flourishing of God’s work, they still do not believe that this is God’s work. They cannot see God’s great power, they cannot see God’s authority, and they cannot discern the power of God’s words or the results they can achieve in people. They cannot see or discern any of these things. They only hope for one thing: “You must speak from the heavens with a thunderous voice, declaring that you are the creator. You also need to perform signs and wonders, and personally create the heavens, the earth, and all things to show your great power. Then I will believe you are god, I will acknowledge you as god.” Does God value such acknowledgment? Does He value such belief? (No.) Does God need your acknowledgment to be God? Does He need your approval? God has expressed so many truths, so many people have accepted God’s work, and there are so many experiential testimonies—testimonies that surpass those of any previous generation—yet you still can’t confirm whether it’s God’s appearance and work. You don’t believe in or acknowledge the facts that God has already accomplished nor the fulfillment of God’s promises. So, what kind of thing are you? You are not even human—you are a moron! And yet you still want to receive blessings from God—fat chance! You’re just dreaming! You doubt and deny God at every turn, always wanting to laugh at the misfortune of God’s house. You’ve never acknowledged or believed in God’s existence, nor have you ever acknowledged, believed in, or accepted God’s words and work. Therefore, God’s promises have absolutely nothing to do with you, and you will gain nothing. Some people say, “But they’re still doing their duty. How could they gain nothing?” Then we have to be clear about what their purpose is in doing their duty, who they are doing it for, and what principles they follow when doing their duty. If you do not accept God’s words, then even if you do your duty, you are just laboring—it is not true submission. God does not recognize what you do as doing your duty. In God’s eyes, you are nothing more than a dead person with no spirit. A dead person still hopes for blessings—isn’t that just wishful thinking? That you even manage to do a bit of duty is because you are driven by your intent to gain blessings. And you constantly doubt, always inwardly judging, condemning, denying God, and also judging and denying God’s words and work. This makes you someone who is an enemy of God. Can a person who is an enemy of God be up to standard as a created being? (No.) You set yourself up as an enemy of God at every turn, secretly observing Him and His work from the shadows, secretly clamoring against God in your heart, judging and condemning Him, and judging and condemning His words and work. If this isn’t being an enemy of God, then what is it? This is openly being an enemy of God. And you are not being an enemy of God within the world of nonbelievers—you are doing so within God’s house. This is even more unforgivable!

These people who waver, whether we look at their humanity substance or their manifestations, do not accept the truth and do not accept God’s words and work. They only care about whether they can receive blessings. They are never certain about God or His work, always observing behind the scenes, constantly wavering and doubting. They follow God while observing, walking and stopping, stopping and walking. These people are quite troublesome! Especially now, with the church frequently cleansing people away, they are always on tenterhooks, thinking, “I’m always wavering. Maybe one day someone will notice, and I’ll be cleared out of the church. I can’t let my inner doubts about god slip out. I can’t mention this to anyone.” So, they secretly observe behind the scenes; and they don’t fear being revealed by God, because they don’t believe in God’s existence, let alone in God’s scrutiny. These people often hear the brothers and sisters fellowship about how God has guided them, how He has disciplined them, how He has revealed people, how He has saved people, how God has bestowed grace and blessings upon them, and how, in the process of following God, they have experienced His work, and what they have felt, seen, or appreciated, and so on. When they hear the brothers and sisters fellowship about these experiences and understandings, they think to themselves: “Are those experiences you’re talking about just your imagination? Are these just human feelings? Why haven’t I felt those things? Especially those who write experiential testimony articles—I don’t know them, and I haven’t seen how they achieved these things through these experiences. Whether they truly possess the truth reality is still uncertain!” Some morons still observe and question the work of God’s house, unable to see which truth realities are contained within the experiential testimony articles written by God’s chosen people, trying to find excuses and bases for their own wavering and lack of faith. They think that since they are wavering, others must be wavering as well. If someone never wavers, has no doubts, and their usual fellowship on the truth is always quite practical, and no matter what problems they encounter, they can seek the truth to resolve them, then these fools feel a sense of disparity and discomfort in their hearts. When they feel uncomfortable, how do they find relief? They look for someone who is just like them, trying to find a kindred spirit. When they see someone feeling negative and weak, they hint at their own thoughts to test the waters, saying: “Sometimes I feel negative too. When I am feeling negative, I know I shouldn’t be that way, but sometimes I doubt if god really exists.” If the other person doesn’t respond to them and they see that the person is merely negative and weak but has no doubts about God, they’ll say something else which is insincere to go and test someone else: “What’s up with me, do you think? I believe in god just fine, but why do I always have doubts about him? Isn’t that rebellious? It shouldn’t be like this!” They say this entirely to ingratiate themselves with the other person and to test them. They eagerly hope that other people question God just like they do—that would make them happy! If they discover someone else who is always doubtful about God and constantly has notions about Him, they feel fortunate to have found a kindred spirit. The two, sharing the same foul mindset, often confide in each other. The more they talk, the further they drift from God. The more they talk, the less they want to do their duty, and the less they want to read God’s words, and they even want to stop participating in church life. Gradually, the two end up going out into the world to work, clinging to each other like inseparable partners, wrapped around each other as they head out together. When they leave, they don’t even take a single book of God’s words with them. Someone asks them, “Have you stopped believing in God?” and they reply, “No, I believe.” They still stubbornly deny it. The other person asks, “Then why didn’t you bring any books of God’s words with you?” and they reply, “They’re too heavy, and I don’t have anywhere to put them.” Everything they say is just to fob off the other person. In actuality, they’re just getting ready to return to the world, find a job, and live their lives. I tell you the truth: People of this kind are disbelievers, and this will be their final outcome—this is what they’re really like. Their belief in God won’t last long. As soon as they find someone they like, someone they can share their innermost thoughts with, they think, “Finally, I’ve found somebody who has my back, someone to rely on. Let’s go! Believing in god is so boring. There’s no god in this world anyway. It’s too much to bear treating something that doesn’t exist as real. These past years have been so hard!” They leave and stop believing on their own, and even tell the brothers and sisters not to look for them, saying, “We’ve gone to work. Don’t call us anymore, or we’ll alert the police!” These two fools, a pair of stupid donkeys, leave just like that. Good riddance, I say—it saves God’s house the trouble of expelling or clearing them out. Tell Me, is there any need to fellowship the truth with people of this kind to support and help them? Is there any need to try to reason with and persuade them? (No.) If you try to persuade them, you’re being extremely foolish. People of this kind are disbelievers to their core—they are walking corpses and brainless dolts. If you try to persuade them, then you are foolish too. You should quickly bid people of this kind a happy farewell—and there’s no need to look for them afterward. They’ve made themselves clear that they won’t believe in God anymore, and that if you call them again, they’ll report you to the police. If you still try to contact them, aren’t you just inviting trouble? If they really do call the police and accuse you of harassment, would that create a good reputation if word spread? (No.) You absolutely must not do something so stupid! Let them take care of themselves and leave quietly—this is a much better approach! Each person follows their own path; each person’s path is determined by who they are. They are not blessed, theirs are just rotten, worthless lives. Such a great blessing is beyond their ability to inherit or enjoy—they simply don’t have the fortune to receive it. To accept the provision of God’s words and to accept the truth as life is the greatest blessing in the entire universe and among all humankind. Whoever can accept the truth is a blessed person, and whoever cannot accept the truth simply does not have this blessing. One day, those who have accepted the truth will survive through the great disaster and be greatly blessed, while those who have not accepted the truth will perish in the disaster and suffer calamity, by which time, it will be too late for regret. Even if you now acknowledge that God’s words are the truth and that God’s work is done by God Himself, if you do not pursue the truth, do not accept the truth, and do not enter into the truth, you will still not gain such a blessing! Do you think this blessing can be so easily gained? This is a blessing that has never existed from the beginning of time and will never exist again—how could you be allowed to gain it so easily? God has promised such a blessing to humankind, but it is not something that ordinary people can gain. This blessing is for those chosen by God, and it is impossible for some stupid donkey, walking corpse, scumbag, or scoundrel to be chosen. God carries out three stages of work to save humankind, and in the end, He will make a group of overcomers, enabling these people to become masters of all things and to become a new humankind. How great is this blessing for humankind! How many years has this stage of work of judgment in the last days been going on? (Over thirty years.) Just looking at these thirty-plus years, it can be seen how much of a price God has paid and how much work He has done, so it is clear just how incredibly valuable and how incredibly noble the humankind that God ultimately gains will be, and that it is precious and so extremely important in God’s eyes! How fortunate you are, then; this is such a great blessing for you! Therefore, for some people who are still wavering at this point, they are truly not blessed! Even if they didn’t waver and were fully committed to following, then if they didn’t pursue the truth, they still wouldn’t gain this blessing. So those who gain this blessing in the end are not ordinary people—they are those God has rigorously and repeatedly screened and carefully selected; they are the ones who can ultimately be gained by God.

The main manifestations of those who waver are precisely these issues. Regardless of what their ultimate outcome may be, at any rate, once such people are identified within the church, they should be handled according to principles. They should not be treated as brothers or sisters. If they have positive feelings toward believing in God or they can exert some effort and are willing to provide some labor, at most they are a church friend, and cannot be considered a brother or sister. So even if they take on a new name, like “Submission” or “Sincerity,” you still shouldn’t call them a brother or sister—calling them by their new name is sufficient. Why is this? Because such people don’t measure up to being brothers or sisters. Do you understand now? (Yes.) So, you now have the principles for handling people of this sort, right? (Yes.) That’s all for today’s fellowship. Goodbye!

June 29, 2024