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

The fourteenth responsibility of leaders and workers is to “promptly discern, and then clear out or expel all manner of evil people and antichrists.” Last time, we fellowshipped about the second criterion for discerning various kinds of evil people, which is based on their humanity, covering three manifestations. Read these three manifestations. (Eighth, being capable of engaging in betrayal at any time; ninth, being capable of leaving at any time; tenth, wavering.) After fellowshipping about these three manifestations, do you understand them? (Yes.) Most of the people who have these problems generally lack the ability to comprehend the truth; they do not understand what the truth is, nor do they understand what it means to believe in God. Additionally, some of them cannot see through what believing in God is all about. They think believing in God is just religious faith and that merely observing religious rituals is all it takes. They do not understand the significance of believing in God, nor do they understand the significance of doing duty; they are even unclear in their hearts about whether God exists, and they are not sure whether the path of following God is correct. No matter how many years they have believed, or how many sermons they have heard, they are never able to establish a foundation in the true way. As a result, they waver, and if something happens that displeases them, they could even leave the church or betray the church at any time. God’s house has specific principles for dealing with these several kinds of people. Depending on their different situations, there are specific plans for their handling and resolution; those who should be cleared out will be cleared out and those who should be expelled will be expelled. Even though some of these people are not evil people, and even less so are they antichrists, based on the nature of these manifestations of theirs and their attitudes toward believing in God, they are not people of God’s house, nor are they true brothers and sisters. Even if they remain in the church, it will be very difficult for them to come to understand the truth. What are the implications of it being difficult for them to understand the truth? It implies that because they are never able to comprehend God’s words and never able to understand the truth, they will ultimately fail to attain salvation and fail to be gained by God. That is, in the end, they cannot become people of God’s house, cannot become true created beings, and cannot fulfill the duty of created beings and return before God. Additionally, they often play a negative role in the church. Not only do they fail to have a positive effect, but from time to time, they also cause disturbances and destruction, affecting the states of some people and disturbing some of those who are doing their duty. Therefore, the church should take corresponding measures to handle them, whether by persuading them to leave or by clearing them out or expelling them. In any case, they cannot be allowed to cause disruptions and disturbances in the church.

The Standards and Bases for Discerning Various Kinds of Evil People

II. Based on One’s Humanity

J. Wavering

People who waver are never able to confirm whether God truly exists, and they are even less able to confirm whether the God they believe in is the true God. Today they want to seek here, and tomorrow they want to go check things out over there, not knowing which is the true way, always harboring a wait-and-see attitude. In the case of people like this, quickly persuade them to leave, by saying: “You are never able to confirm that God’s work is the true way, and you do not seek the truth to resolve your difficulties. What result can come from continuing to believe like this? Since you do not love the truth and do not enjoy living church life, you should go wherever you are interested, based on your own choices. Don’t you want to pursue rising above the rest and achieving great success? Then you should go out into the world and strive for it. Maybe you can become rich or be an official and achieve your dreams out in the world. You shouldn’t linger in God’s house any longer.” In the case of such people, by no means should you force them or try to urge them to stay. If they want to leave the church, let them go. Constantly advising and encouraging these disbelievers and urging them to stay is not in line with God’s intentions. God’s work never forces people, and when you keep dragging and pulling those who are undecided, there is an element of forcing to it. These people want to go out to work, make money, and live a good life, or pursue things they personally like. They have always had these intentions, and they have always had their own aspirations and plans. Although no one knows this, their behavior has already revealed it. For example, when doing their duty, they are often half-hearted, or often they are forgetful, perfunctory, and just go through the motions. They often show particular reluctance in doing their duty, always feeling like they are losing out, thinking that doing their duty is holding them back from making money. For people like this, they should be persuaded to leave, by saying: “You are always half-hearted and perfunctory in doing your duty, and ultimately you will fail to gain the truth, and God will not approve of you—what a loss that will be! Since you are not interested in the truth, are unable to confirm God’s existence or His sovereignty, and think the world is fantastic, believing that if you pursue the world you could become greatly successful and rise above the rest, then it would be better for you to go back into the world and strive there. What’s the point in enduring this hardship here?” In particular, these people often feel that they have proficiency in a particular field, that they have some skills and capability, and believe that if they struck out into society or the world, they might gain both fame and fortune, enjoying high status and remuneration. However, after coming to believe in God and muddling about for a few years, they have not received any promotions or been chosen for any important position. Unable to stand out above the rest, they feel very aggrieved and very unwilling in their hearts. They are unwilling to walk the path of believing in God, and even less willing to do their duty. They constantly have a restless heart and a wandering mind, and are flighty and unstable. From time to time, they think about how their classmates and friends have landed such good jobs, achieved such high positions, and are living a life that’s superior to that of others, which especially makes them feel that they are wronging themselves greatly by believing in God, and think that they are good for nothing, incompetent, and a failure for believing in God, feeling too ashamed to face their parents and ancestors. This causes them to be even more upset and unwilling, and they bitterly regret choosing to believe in God in the first place! So then their minds waver even more. Over the years of believing in God and doing their duty, not only has their faith not been strengthened, but they have also lost the initial enthusiasm they once had. How do you think such people should be handled? (Persuade them to leave.) If you persuade them to leave, they might say, “I’ve believed in god for so many years, giving up my education, marriage, and prospects. Now you’re telling me to leave the church—doesn’t that mean all the hardship I’ve endured these years will have been for nothing? Won’t I have no future destination at all? That’d be losing out on both fronts. Isn’t that like taking my life?” Is persuading them to leave being too heartless? Is it appropriate to do this? (Such people never wanted to believe in God in the first place. They only tricked their way into the church to receive blessings. When they see that the church is always focused on eating and drinking God’s words and fellowshipping the truth, they feel averse to these things and want to leave. Such people should be persuaded to leave. Though you may keep hold of them, you cannot keep hold of their hearts.) If they do their duty with some sincerity but simply lack clarity on the truth, or temporarily become somewhat negative and weak because they face setbacks and failures or have experienced pruning, in these cases, you may fellowship the truth to help and support them. However, supposing their weakness is not temporary, but rather they are consistently perfunctory and go through the motions in doing their duty, and do it half-heartedly, and are merely satisfied with not being sent away; and supposing they do their duty without sincerity or drive, or, to put it more precisely, they have no goals of pursuit and are just passing the days—if it becomes clear that this is the type of person they are, then they can be persuaded to leave.

Some people are disbelievers. If you can clearly see that they essentially are people who do not love the truth and are unwilling even to labor, then they should be persuaded to leave. Their main manifestations are that they never read God’s words, never learn hymns, never listen to sermons, and never fellowship the truth or talk about knowing themselves. They also don’t like listening to the experiential testimonies of the brothers and sisters. They never watch the movies or hymn videos or experiential testimony videos produced by God’s house, and even if they do, it is merely for entertainment or out of curiosity, in which case they only reluctantly watch a little; and it is entirely not out of any sense of burden for their own life entry, but just watching for the fun and excitement of it. What do they spend most of their time doing? Chatting, gossiping, or going online to look at things they like. For example, some of them like the stock market and constantly check stock trends online; some like cars or electronic products and are always checking online to see which brands have released new models or developed some new technology; others like watching online news reports produced by self-media; and some like beauty, makeup, or health care and frequently go online to read things about beauty, health care, or ways to maintain good health and achieve longevity. These people have no interest whatsoever in the various truths that believers need to enter in order to be saved, or in the experiential testimonies of the brothers and sisters. Apart from reluctantly doing a bit of duty, they are otherwise always focused on the changing situation of the nonbelieving world, and on what new trends and important pieces of news there are in the world, and developments in their own country, among other things. They just look at this kind of information. Due to their looking at these things all the time, their hearts are filled only with such matters, and they completely ignore the truths they should understand as believers in God. No matter who fellowships with them, they don’t take it in. They are neither interested nor concerned about matters related to life entry, such as what principles they should follow when doing their duty, what corrupt dispositions they reveal and what problems exist while doing their duty, and which of God’s various requirements for people they have and have not met. Though they do their duty, they are merely going through the motions, not seeking the truth principles in the slightest. Although such people claim they are believers in God, what they inwardly like and focus on are money, status, and the trends of the nonbelieving world, and they like to associate with those who follow the trends of the nonbelieving world. When talking about matters of the nonbelieving world, they do so with great gusto and tireless enthusiasm, talking eloquently and going on and on about it, but when they meet with those who love to fellowship about the truth, they have nothing to say. When a brother or sister says, “There’s a hymn that’s so beautiful, I’ve memorized all the lyrics,” they superficially say, “You’ve memorized it. That’s nice.” When a brother or sister says, “Sister So-and-so’s experiential testimony is really good!” they say, “There are so many experiential testimony videos now, which one isn’t good? They’re all pretty good.” They just respond in this superficial way; in actuality, they have no interest in the truth and share no common language with the brothers and sisters. When someone asks them, “Do you pray when faced with situations?” they respond, “Pray how? Pray about what?” They don’t pray, nor do they have anything to say to God. These people have no interest in anything related to believing in God, and their hearts are filled with all kinds of things from the nonbelieving world. What do you think—do such people have a problem? (Yes.) If you see that they are always half-hearted in doing their duty, and when assigned any task, they become very impatient, complaining as soon as they suffer a bit of hardship, and after a few years of believing in God, they frequently reveal thoughts such as, “I’ve lost out by believing in god. If I hadn’t believed in god, by now my salary would have increased to such-and-such an amount, and I would have been able to enjoy such-and-such status, and such-and-such a luxurious lifestyle,” how should such people be dealt with? (They should be persuaded to leave.) Just persuade such people to leave and do not have them do any duty anymore, as they are unwilling even to labor. They think that just attending gatherings as a believer is bearable, but doing their duty and following God gets in the way of their great undertakings. They feel that doing their duty and following God is a major obstacle to their pursuit of happiness. They believe that if they weren’t doing their duty, they would have already risen above the rest, becoming a high-ranking official and making a lot of money in the world. So why should we hold them back? So, persuading them to leave is good for everyone. Forcing them or trying to urge them to stay would be a huge mistake. You should persuade such people like this: “Why did you choose to believe in God? Can you ever gain the truth if you’re not interested in the truth and are always full of doubts about God? You’re someone with ideas, diplomas, and talent—if you were striving hard out in the world, you could absolutely become a president or CEO of a company, or become a millionaire or a billionaire. By just drifting along like this in God’s house, first of all, you can’t rise above the rest; secondly, you can’t achieve great success; and finally, you can’t bring glory to your ancestors. Moreover, when doing your duty, you’re always perfunctory, which leads to you being pruned, leaving you down in the dumps all the time. Why endure this suffering? You should go out into the world, either into politics or business, and surely you’ll achieve a certain level of success for yourself. You’re different from us: You have both diplomas and talent, and you are a noble individual—isn’t it beneath you to believe in God alongside us ordinary people? As nonbelievers often say, ‘The world is your oyster’—you should take advantage of the fact that there is still time left in the world to pursue some fame, gain, and status while you still have the chance. Don’t wrong yourself by staying here.” Is this an appropriate way to persuade them? The wording is fairly tactful, isn’t it? (Yes.) It doesn’t hurt them, and it is also saying what they want to hear. I think this approach is appropriate, it makes it easy for them to accept the advice, and they can boldly leave without any worries. When dealing with people of this kind, if you are certain they are disbelievers, and you see that they have no enthusiasm at all for believing in God, that they are never sincere in doing their duty, and that they have never gained any life entry—nor are they likely to in the long run—then they should be persuaded to leave. If you don’t persuade them to leave, they will always have a perfunctory and lukewarm attitude in doing their duty, and there may well come a time when they cause a major disaster.

K. Being Cowardly and Suspicious

We’ve finished fellowshipping about the tenth manifestation—wavering. Now, let’s next take a look at the eleventh manifestation—being cowardly and suspicious. What are the manifestations of cowardly people? (Cowardly people feel scared when facing arrest and persecution. They want to do their duty but don’t dare to.) That’s only one small aspect. The main issue is that they have a viewpoint about believing in God: They always feel that believers in God seem out of place in this world; they feel that their belief in God is embarrassing. Especially in some authoritarian countries or countries without religious freedom, where believers in God are not only unprotected by law but also subject to persecution, some people don’t dare to admit they believe in God and are afraid that others will find out. They feel that believing in God isn’t something aboveboard and honorable. Although they know they believe in the true God, they don’t feel any honor in this, nor do they have confidence. When there’s any sign of trouble or when they see the government arresting, persecuting, oppressing, and ostracizing believers, they become especially worried that they might be implicated. In such situations, some people quickly disassociate themselves from the church, even rushing to return books to God’s house. Others, out of fear of being arrested, don’t dare attend gatherings anymore and don’t dare greet the brothers and sisters when they meet. Especially with those who are relatively well-known for their belief or have been previously arrested, these people even more so don’t dare to interact with them—they are cowardly to this extent. Even worse, upon hearing that the government has begun a major wave of arrests, they rush to the authorities to proactively admit that they previously believed in God and know which people believe, proactively selling them out and handing over books of God’s words and other materials related to belief in God in exchange for leniency, with the sole purpose of self-preservation. Tell Me, are these not manifestations of being cowardly? (Yes.) Especially for some people, after believing in God, they are always scared that others will find out about their faith, and they are even more scared that if someone gets arrested, they will be sold out. As soon as someone learns that they believe in God, they rush to explain that they no longer believe, even rushing to do things to make nonbelievers stop suspecting them of being a believer. For example, they foster connections with nonbelievers, eating, partying, gambling, drinking alcohol together, and so on. At the slightest sign of trouble, they don’t dare attend gatherings and no longer do their duty, ignoring anyone who tries to reach out to them. When everything is peaceful, they think about how believing in God brings blessings, allows one to avoid dying, and allows one to go to heaven and have a good destination—they are full of energy for believing in God then. But as soon as they face an environment that is a bit dangerous, they disappear without a trace. Then, when the situation passes and things are calm again, they return. This kind of person frequently goes ghost. No matter how important the duty assigned to them is, as soon as a bit of danger arises, they can immediately drop their work without making any arrangements for its continuation, and no one can reach them afterward. Other people, when similarly faced with a dangerous environment, can think of all sorts of ways to handle the aftermath properly. If the environment is currently too hostile and the risk of arrest is high, they wait until the danger passes before continuing the work. Or, if they are too well-known as believers and could easily be arrested if they show their face to do work, they arrange for someone else to do it. But when these cowardly people sense the slightest trouble, they rush to hide, and scramble to cover their heads and save their own skin, completely ignoring and disregarding the church’s work and property, not making any effort to safeguard the church’s work or protect the brothers and sisters. What are they most afraid of in their belief in God? First, they are afraid that the government will learn about their belief. Second, they are afraid that their neighbors will find out. Third, what they are most afraid of is being arrested and imprisoned, or beaten to death. So, whenever something happens, the first thing they think about is whether they might be arrested or whether they might be killed. If there’s even a 1% chance of either happening, they’ll figure out a way to escape. For example, during a gathering, some brother or sister might say, “On my way here, I saw someone nearby who looked unfamiliar. Could it be a nonbeliever keeping tabs on us?” Just from hearing this one comment, cowardly people won’t attend the next gathering and will cut off contact with everyone. Would you call this being cautious? (This isn’t normal caution, it’s cowardice—there’s no place for God in their hearts.) This is caution taken to an extreme. In countries or regions where the environment is particularly hostile, it’s true that believers should be cautious, but that doesn’t mean they should stop doing their duty or attending gatherings out of fear of being arrested, being so cautious that there’s no place for God in their hearts. What is cowardly people’s principle for being cautious? No matter what happens—big or small—they do not believe that everything is in God’s hands at all. They think no one is reliable, and they rely on themselves to protect themselves. This is their principle. They do not believe that everything is in God’s hands; that everything is orchestrated and arranged by God; that if something truly happens, it’s permitted by God, and that if it’s not permitted by God, no one will be arrested. They have absolutely no faith in this regard. Instead, their hearts are filled only with cowardice. Furthermore, there is a fatal flaw in their cowardice, and it is also the most detestable thing about them: To protect themselves and deal with any environment that makes them feel timid, they follow what they see as their “supreme wisdom,” which is that no matter what happens—whether they are being watched or arrested and imprisoned—once something goes wrong and their safety is threatened, for one thing, they deny that they believe in God, and for another, they betray everything they know without holding anything back. Why do they do this? Simply to protect themselves from physical suffering; thus, they divulge whatever they know. First, they sell out the church leaders, and also divulge who the district leaders and the regional leaders are and where they live, divulging everything they have knowledge of. They betray everything, even before being tortured. Furthermore, if asked to sign the “Three Letters,” they immediately sign without even having to think about it—they had been prepared for this all along. This is so that they can avoid imprisonment, avoid torture, and steer clear of any danger of death. They are so cowardly. They neither believe in God’s sovereignty nor are they able to risk their lives. Instead, they think of every way possible to protect themselves. For them, the best method is to sell out others and the church—this is the most effective way. They use the betrayal of others as the price to secure their own safety and avoid any anguish. This is something they had planned far in advance—it is their “supreme wisdom.” Tell Me, is the cowardice of this kind of person normal cowardice? (No.) Then what’s the issue here? (They are so cowardly that they become Judases, ready to sell out the brothers and sisters and the church at any time and place. Such people are not true believers.) Let’s set aside for now whether they are true believers or false believers. Just look at their humanity—they think that believing in God is something sneaky and shameful, rather than an aboveboard and honorable thing, and they regard the matter of believing in God, something so aboveboard, honorable, and positive, as something negative—what kind of people do you think they are? (Muddled people, who are relatively wicked.) Their perspective on and way of comprehending things are different from those of normal people. Sometimes they can even call white black, unable to distinguish right from wrong. How is it possible that believers in God could be purposely sneaky? It’s because this world is too evil—the law doesn’t protect religious freedom, and to an even greater extent the satanic regime hates God and regards God’s work with hostility. It doesn’t allow positive things to exist and goes to great lengths to persecute those who believe in God. So, under such societal circumstances, believers have no choice but to act cautiously when gathering and doing their duty; they don’t dare do it openly. From the outside, it may look as if they are being sneaky like thieves, but actually this is entirely due to the context of being persecuted, right? (Yes.) So how does the great red dragon describe the acts of believing in God and doing one’s duty? As “suspicious behavior.” Is this suspicious behavior? (No.) It’s not suspicious behavior—it’s something people do because they have no other choice. Have these people done anything illegal? (No.) They haven’t done anything illegal or anything to oppose the government, much less have they broken the law or disturbed public order. What have these people been doing? They have simply been doing the duty of created beings. This work is the most valuable, meaningful, and just undertaking in the world. But because this world is evil and dark and proclaims white to be black, it calls the most just, valuable, and meaningful undertaking “suspicious.” This is Satan’s interpretation. Is Satan’s interpretation the truth? Is it positive? (No.) It certainly is not. When cowardly people hear this interpretation, however, they not only fully agree with it in their hearts, but they also accept this interpretation from Satan. As a result, they also think that believing in God and doing their duty secretly is improper and must be wrong. They are always afraid that one day they, too, will be tormented by society and the government, with no place to argue in their defense and no one to help or rescue them. Thus, they are especially afraid of people finding out about their belief in God. They do not acknowledge in their hearts that the words God has expressed are the truth, or that the path God leads people to walk is the right one, yet they still want to receive blessings from God. Isn’t this contradictory? In the end, they feel incredibly aggrieved for believing in God and suffering these hardships in such an environment. Why do they feel aggrieved? Because they are deeply afraid of the evil regime in this world and of the evil forces of devils and Satans, and they are always afraid that devils and Satans will torment them and take their lives. Since they do not have any real faith in God, they act especially cowardly, even to the point of not doing their duty altogether. If there is absolutely no danger, they will attend gatherings or interact with the brothers and sisters, or do some things for the church, but they simply don’t dare to admit that they believe in God, that they are part of the church, or stand up to testify for God or do their duty—they are deeply fearful. They have no real faith in God, yet they still want to receive blessings and a good destination from God. Would you say this is contradictory? (Yes.) Hasn’t their focus on their own personal interests clouded their minds? (Yes.) These people are consumed by greed for personal gain. They don’t believe that God is sovereign over everything, yet they still want to receive blessings from God. They don’t believe that the work of the church and the duty the brothers and sisters are doing are just, valuable, and meaningful. They are especially afraid of doing important duties, or that the leaders and workers will often ask them to go out and handle matters, fearing that if something goes wrong, they will be implicated. These cowardly people, when faced with danger, can become Judases and sell out the church—this is also a type of dangerous individual.

What other manifestations do cowardly people have? These people can deny and renounce God’s name at any time, betray God at any time, and become Judases at any time. Cowardly people are unworthy of entering the kingdom of heaven—isn’t this the case? (Yes.) What is the fatal weakness of cowardly people? (They are afraid of death and can engage in betrayal.) These people drift through life ignobly, they covet life and fear death. Fear of death is their fatal weakness. As long as they are not made to die, they are willing to do anything—whether it be becoming a Judas, becoming a son of destruction, or being cursed—they are willing to do anything, as long as they can live. Living is their highest goal. No matter how you fellowship that people’s life and death are in God’s hands; that God controls, is sovereign over, and orchestrates people’s fate; and that people should submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements, they neither believe nor accept these words. They just think that it’s a rare opportunity to be reborn as a human, so they absolutely cannot die; they also think that once they die and their flesh perishes, their soul will either be reborn as an animal or become a wandering ghost, never again having the chance to be reborn as a human. Therefore, they are especially afraid of death. To them, death is a catastrophic disaster, not a good opportunity for the next reincarnation, nor a new beginning for another rebirth. Therefore, they spare no cost to preserve their lives. Even if it means selling out others or causing any kind of damage to the church’s work, they will not hesitate to do so; and even if it means forsaking God’s name, they don’t care about the consequences—they only care about living safely. What kind of people are these? (People who drag out an ignoble existence.) They are lowlifes who drag out an ignoble existence! They live without dignity or integrity, willing to do anything just to stay alive, stooping to any low. Some people have already calculated in their hearts what to do before they face a dangerous environment: “If I get arrested, I’ll just talk. When the great red dragon tortures, threatens, and intimidates you, forcing you to sell out the church, you all refuse to say a word. Well, I’m not as foolish as you, who would rather endure physical pain than talk. I’d talk even before being beaten or intimidated—see how smart I am! As the saying goes, ‘A wise man submits to circumstances.’ What’s so bad about me selling out the brothers and sisters of the church? Everyone has to be selfish, right? Isn’t it just foolish not to look out for yourself?” Before anything happens, they’ve already worked out how to protect themselves. They thought it all through long ago. What is their creed for how they conduct themselves? “Why should a person make life hard for themselves? Why be so stubborn? Only by being good to yourself will this life not have been lived in vain!” This is their creed for conducting themselves. They have no moral boundaries. What do you think should be done with people like this? (If such people are discovered, they must be cleared out with wisdom—they are ticking time bombs.) Exactly, they are ticking time bombs. They are downright cowardly, and when danger comes, they will sell out the church. If someone has normal humanity, they will use wise methods to respond to dangerous environments, and they will have real faith in God. They won’t let attending gatherings or doing their duty be hindered, and they will do their best to expend themselves for God based on their stature and circumstances. This is the revelation of normal humanity. But cowardly people especially cherish their lives; they covet life and fear death, valuing their lives above all else. They have no real faith in God and cannot see that God is sovereign over everything. So, when faced with persecution, they are naturally revealed as cowardly people. Cowardly people, in order to protect themselves, can become Judases. Such people are dangerous elements, they are terrifying individuals. The church absolutely cannot assign them any work, nor allow them to do any duty. Otherwise, if they engage in betrayal, the damage to the church’s work would be too great; it would do more harm than good.

How does the suspiciousness of people who are cowardly and suspicious manifest itself? Some people can never see the various aspects of the work of God’s house clearly. They don’t know what work God is doing exactly, or whether the words God speaks are the truth. They don’t have a correct comprehension or viewpoint on these matters, so they cannot confirm just what exactly is being done in the work of God’s house, what results this work aims to achieve, or whether it is done for the purpose of saving people. They cannot see any of these things clearly. They are also unclear about what the church is. No matter how many sermons they hear, they don’t understand even a little of the truth. They always have doubts about the brothers and sisters doing their duties, thinking to themselves, “These people are constantly busy, coming and going every day—what exactly are they doing?” Particularly within the context of believing in God and doing duties in the country of the great red dragon, leaders and workers fellowship and discuss certain items of the church’s work—such as administrative work, personnel work, general affairs work, and especially some work that involves taking on risks—without letting the ordinary brothers and sisters know about these things. This protects them, it does not harm them. However, some people don’t get this and always want to inquire about these things. For instance, they inquire about where the books are printed or where certain leaders and workers are being hosted. Would knowing these things benefit you? (No.) Do you lose anything by not knowing these things? (No.) Not knowing these things doesn’t affect your eating and drinking of God’s words, it doesn’t affect your attainment of the truth, and it certainly doesn’t hinder your life entry or the transformation of your disposition. So, isn’t it unnecessary for you to inquire about and look into these matters? Some people who do hosting are always suspicious. When leaders and workers don’t make them privy to their fellowship and discussions on church work, they think, “Why are the leaders and workers always gathering and fellowshipping behind my back? What activities are they up to?” They aren’t privy to the personal information of some leaders and workers, and they start to wonder, “Why don’t they make me privy to this? I don’t know their names, where they live, or what their actual situation is. Could these people trick me or harm me while leading me in my belief in god?” There are also some sensitive kinds of work, such as work involving offerings or some dangerous work—these are things that shouldn’t be asked about in the first place, yet these people always want to inquire about them. When others don’t give them answers, they become even more suspicious. In particular, there are some people who never had much faith in God to begin with—after coming to believe in God, they see that their family business is doing better and their family members are healthy, and they think this is God’s grace and blessing. Out of this passing happiness, they offer a bit of money, but then they start wondering, “Where was the money I offered spent? Was it used for church work? Was it invested in business or used for illegal activities?” They always want to inquire and find out about these things, and always want to get to the bottom of these things. Some people’s doubts are even stronger. For example, when the church buys some equipment or apparatus due to the needs of the work, or when it provides some care and assistance for the daily lives of those doing their duty, this sort of suspicious person always suspects, “Money is being spent in so many different areas—where does it come from? Is the church also doing some kind of business? Does it have a wealthy patron or some kind of powerful backer behind the scenes? Is there some group supporting the church?” Especially when they are exposed to some baseless rumors and devilish words from the authorities that defame the church—claims like So-and-so from the church committed murder and broke the law, Such-and-such person is a criminal wanted by the state, So-and-so fled overseas with a huge sum of money, and so on—their doubts about the church and about God’s work grow even stronger. Do such people have normal thinking? Can they see the principles believers should follow clearly? For most people, once they are certain that this is God’s work, they no longer have doubts about God. No matter what problems or what kinds of people appear in the church, they are able to approach them according to God’s words. Even if evil people or antichrists cause disturbances, they can comprehend it correctly. They never have suspicions about God or God’s work, or about the church or God’s house. At most, they may have opinions about certain individuals or some notions about God’s work, but they can gradually resolve these through living church life. But suspicious people are different. From the very beginning of their belief in God, they carry suspicions and all kinds of notions. They are unsure whether God’s words are the truth, unsure whether God expressing these words is God’s work, and even more unsure whether the brothers and sisters gathering together is God’s church. They constantly harbor suspicions, and always look for factual evidence to prove their suspicions are correct. What kind of attitude is this? Do you think people with this kind of attitude can understand the truth in their belief in God? (No.) They will never be able to understand the truth. What do they focus on most in their hearts? They are always pondering, “Who are these people? Is this some kind of social organization? Although god’s house provides for these people’s living expenses while I host them, I am still taking a risk by being their host. So, will god remember my good deeds? If god doesn’t remember them, won’t my hosting have been in vain?” They constantly have such doubts in their hearts. Do you think they host the brothers and sisters willingly? (No.) They do it completely out of a desire to gain blessings, while being filled with doubts. Especially when they hear some things which they can’t see clearly and consider negative according to their notions, the doubts in their hearts increase. For example, during gatherings, someone may bring up topics that involve the actions of the great red dragon’s regime and the ugly faces of the demon kings, or sometimes fellowship on the truth touches on the oppression and arrests carried out by the great red dragon, and the nature essence of the great red dragon, and so on. These topics don’t actually involve politics—they just help people learn to discern the great red dragon and see its face clearly, so that they can come to hate and reject the great red dragon and no longer be constrained and bound by Satan’s influence. But when suspicious people hear such topics, they are cowardly and frightened: “These people are even discussing politics! Aren’t they political criminals? Aren’t they counterrevolutionaries? These topics are too sensitive! Quick, shut the windows, lock the gate, unplug the internet and phone lines! If the government listens in on this, we could be in big trouble! We’d get life sentences for sure!” They are unwilling to listen to such topics and will try every means to interrupt the fellowship to stop them from being discussed. They think to themselves, “What kind of work do these people do exactly? It’s said that god doesn’t get involved in human politics, so why are these people talking about politics? Aren’t believers supposed to talk only about matters of believing in god? Why are they discussing these things? Isn’t this just asking for trouble? If they want to talk about these things, they can do it wherever they want, but they mustn’t do it in my house. I don’t want to be ‘piggybacking’ on this!” They cannot see anything clearly. When they hear some rumors fabricated by the government, not only do they fail to discern them, but their misgivings become even stronger. If they were frequently suspicious and skeptical toward the group of demons in power or the antichrist forces and sects of evil spirits within religion, that would actually help them protect themselves. But in the church where God works, God has expressed so much truth, and yet they still can’t understand it and cannot determine that it’s the true way. After listening to sermons for so long and seeing God speak so much, their suspiciousness remains unresolved, and their notions and imaginings haven’t been eradicated. It’s clear that their caliber is too poor, that they have no comprehension ability whatsoever, and that they are not people who pursue the truth. From the start of their belief in God, they’ve never believed that God is sovereign over everything, and they’ve never believed that all of God’s words are the truth; even less have they believed that the work of God’s house is fully led by the Holy Spirit. As a result, everything makes them doubtful. For example, when fellowshipping about discerning different kinds of people during gatherings, we may talk about how antichrists mislead people; or how some people don’t do any real work despite everything they consume and enjoy being provided for using God’s offerings, which constitutes living off the church; or how some people steal or squander offerings; or how certain individuals in the church engage in licentious activities; or how some people do things that disgrace God while preaching the gospel. We discuss these matters so that people can learn how to discern others, and so that they can view people and matters according to God’s words and the truth principles, draw lessons and learn from these things, and avoid being misled or constrained by others. However, when suspicious people hear these things, they say, “Oh no! This is god’s house, the place where god’s work is done—how could such things happen here? It seems I was right to be suspicious before. I need to be even more careful from now on. People are all too unreliable, and god’s house isn’t reliable either. Is god reliable, then? Who knows—maybe god isn’t reliable either.” See, they don’t understand the truth, nor can they comprehend it. No matter what aspect of the truth is fellowshipped by God’s house, what conclusion do they always reach in the end? That they were right to be suspicious for all those years, and that this was not unnecessary. If those who pursue the truth and have the thinking of normal humanity hear these things, they can treat them correctly. In one respect, their horizons are broadened and they gain discernment from these things. In another respect, they can draw lessons and learn from these things, and understand that people cannot follow other people, that they need to discern others and understand more of the truth, and that one can be misled at any time and in any place if they don’t understand the truth, and that once they understand the truth and have stature, they won’t be constrained, misled, or controlled by others. Suspicious people, however, will never think this way. The more God’s house fellowships about discerning different kinds of people and matters, the more they feel that their suspicions are correct and confirmed: “See, I’m the smart one! Good thing I stayed wary. People often say I’m suspicious and distrustful, but the facts prove I was right to be suspicious. Look how foolish you all are—in your belief in god, you only know to do your duties and talk about your experiential knowledge. What’s the use of that? Can that protect you? No! No matter what situations you face, you can only protect yourself if you’re warier and question things more. You have to guard against everyone. You can’t rely on anyone as much as yourself, not even your own parents!” Tell Me, just what kinds of people are they? Are they believers in God? (No.) No matter what kind of work God’s house fellowships about or which types of people it discerns, and regardless of what environments God lays out for people, the purpose is for God’s chosen people to learn lessons from these things, for them to receive training in the kingdom in a more practical manner, and for them—through these practical lessons—to come to understand the truth and gain discernment toward people, see people and various matters clearly, and thus better understand just which actual people, events, and things the words and truths that God expresses are referring to. But suspicious people aren’t just unable to learn any lessons from these things, and instead they become even more suspicious and cunning.

Some suspicious people, whenever they say or do something in God’s house, are always extremely cautious, constantly fearing that the brothers and sisters or the leaders and workers will prune them or even torment them. They say, “If I stop believing in god and leave the church, will the church retaliate against me?” They ought to rest easy about this. If a disbeliever leaves the church, it’s a happy occasion for all parties—it benefits everyone. So, if you want to leave the church or give up your duty to go back home and live your life, you should boldly bring it up without any worries. You could also write a statement, saying: “As of such-and-such date, I officially leave The Church of Almighty God and withdraw from the ranks of those doing their duty.” This is completely allowed. The doors of God’s house are open, and you can leave boldly without worrying about anyone retaliating against you. There’s no need to be afraid or suspicious. Do you see any evil people among these people in the church? Absolutely not. Even if there are evil people, they must get cleansed away. Most people are quite well-behaved and like to walk the right path in life. Retaliating against or harming others violates the truth principles, and they could never do such a thing. What do you think is wrong with how suspicious people conduct themselves? They have only a distrustful mind but no intelligence. They believe that their cunning, deceitful, and distrustful mind is the highest form of wisdom when it comes to how they conduct themselves. They aren’t interested in the truth principles nor in God’s work and words—they neither understand nor seek to. Instead, they live only according to Satan’s philosophies, thinking, “No matter what befalls me, I should question things more. In addition, I think that no matter whom I harbor suspicions toward, it is reasonable for me to do so, and regardless of whether my suspicions align with the facts, it’s justified. In summary, suspecting more when confronted with situations benefits me.” As a result, no matter how many years they believe in God, they never seek the truth in God’s words, nor do they seek answers in God’s words to resolve the various problems and misgivings they have. Instead, they rely on their own mind, distrustful mentality, philosophies for worldly dealings, or their own life experiences to analyze and deal with these matters. In the end, the more they encounter various situations and the more information of various kinds they hear, not only does their suspicious nature remain unchanged, but their misgivings grow and grow. For example, when this kind of suspicious person has believed in God for one or two years and hears about the Zhaoyuan Incident fabricated by the CCP to defame God’s house, they think, “Maybe it was done by god’s house. Even if it wasn’t ordered by god’s house, it must have been done by some brothers and sisters below, and you’re just not admitting it.” After believing in God for three to five years, they still believe the great red dragon’s version of events. Even after eight to ten years, their misgivings about God’s house remain unresolved. They don’t believe that it was the great red dragon framing and defaming the church; they simply assume that the people of God’s house did it. You see, when they view some matter, they never do so based on God’s words or the truth principles—they believe the great red dragon’s version and view the matter from the standpoint of devils and Satan. No matter how Satan oppresses and brutalizes God’s chosen people, they feel that it is understandable, but they never believe that God’s house is innocent or that the brothers and sisters who suffer persecution for believing in God are blameless. Even though they see with their own eyes that the brothers and sisters in God’s house are all people who are well-behaved and keep to their place, in their heart they always believe, without any doubt, the things that the great red dragon has done to defame the church. Although, in believing in God, such people can endure hardship, pay a price, and even make offerings, they are ultimately still disbelievers. In fact, suspicious people are more troublesome than those who don’t love or accept the truth. In what way are they more troublesome? Those who are uninterested in the truth are completely indifferent to and uninterested in the church’s work and the performance of duties; no matter how believers follow God or do their duties, it’s unimportant to them. As a result, they don’t have misgivings about matters of believing in God or doing a duty, and they basically never inquire about the church’s affairs. But suspicious people are the exact opposite—they love to inquire about hearsay. Why do they want to inquire about these things? One of their goals is definitely: “If I inquire more and know more, it’ll help me to prepare my backup plan in advance, and to decide at any moment whether to stay or leave.” They also focus on inquiring about certain matters, such as what the real name of a particular leader or worker is, where they live, what kind of career they have in the secular world, or why they left their home to do their duty. They might also inquire about those preaching the gospel, such as whom they have preached to, which of their family members believe in God, how many years they have been preaching the gospel, how many people they have gained, and so on. They inquire about all these things in great detail. Suspicious people love gathering this kind of information, and once they’ve gathered it, they feel at ease, thinking it’s very necessary to know these things, and that they can put this information to use at crucial times. Suspicious people know too much. They are “information databases,” and they even know some things that leaders and workers don’t know, such as who has gone abroad to do their duty and which country they went to—they even know these things about people going to other countries. But if you ask them which episode of sermons was issued most recently, they won’t be able to tell you. They never pay attention to matters of life entry, but when it comes to the personal information of the brothers and sisters and some of the church’s circumstances, they are very clear on those things. One of their purposes for often inquiring about things is to know more about all kinds of circumstances, after which they can prepare a way out for themselves at any time. They believe that it’d be extremely foolish to not give any thought to their way out—to use the words of nonbelievers, they’d be “helping someone count their money after being sold down the river by them.” In actuality, they’re like rotten old food, not worth a dime, and yet they see themselves as very valuable. What do you think, are these people suspicious? (Yes.) These are suspicious people indeed. Suspicious people have an especially cunning and deceitful humanity. Some people see cunning and deceitfulness as signs of high intelligence, but this is wrong. In actuality, these cunning and deceitful people are extremely stupid and lack any caliber. Their caliber is so poor, and this is already difficult to change; their also being cunning means that they are even harder to cure. If someone merely has poor caliber but they are relatively honest and not cunning, and they can sincerely do their duty, perhaps they still have a glimmer of hope of being saved. If they have poor caliber and are somewhat deceitful but they can accept the truth and know themselves, they perhaps have a glimmer of hope of casting off their deceitful disposition. If they can understand the truth and gradually know and enter into it, their suspiciousness might be lifted bit by bit. But unfortunately, these people are both lacking in caliber, and deceitful and cunning, and they are also stupid to a great extent. This is like a blind person suffering from an eye problem—there’s no cure, right? (Right.) Such people are irredeemable. Since these people are suspicious to an irredeemable degree, how do you think they should be treated? (If such people are discovered, they must be guarded against. They are capable of selling out the church to protect themselves; they are dangerous individuals. We can seek out opportunities to expose them and clear them out, or if we can’t find an opportunity to do so, we can persuade them to leave in a wise manner.) Once you’re certain that someone is a suspicious person, don’t engage with them. Engaging with them will only bring trouble. If you engage with them, they will always try to figure you out. If you are going to go out, they will keep a close eye on you, constantly asking, “Where are you going? How many days will you be gone? What are you going to do?” When you return, they will ask, “Who did you meet? Did you accomplish your task? What did you all talk about?” If you don’t answer them, they will complain: “They won’t let me be privy to anything. They don’t trust me, do they? They’re not treating me like a member of god’s house! They said that they were going to do church work, but why were they keeping it from me? They must have gone out to do something illegal.” They will always spy on you behind your back. Such people are really troublesome. They inquire about lots of things, wanting to know everything. But once they know those things, they can’t comprehend them purely or treat them correctly, and they also try to look for suspicious parts in them, which causes their doubts to grow larger and larger. Suppose that you advise them, saying, “Since you have such big doubts about God, and since you don’t believe that God’s words are truths, and that they can purify and save man, you should just stop believing in God!” They won’t be willing to do that—they’ll still want to believe and they’ll still want to gain blessings. Aren’t these people troublesome? (Yes.) These people are easy to handle. If they can bring major trouble to the church, then quickly persuade them to leave. These people aren’t trustworthy, they don’t have the ability to comprehend the truth, and even if they can do a bit of a duty, they will bring great trouble to God’s house—they do more harm than good. So, persuading them to leave is necessary.

Cowardly people are troublesome, and suspicious people are also troublesome. But people who are both cowardly and suspicious are even more troublesome. These people are extremely timid and afraid of death, and they are suspicious about everything, constantly being suspicious about whether believing in God could lead them to be tricked. They are afraid that their prospects might be hindered and think that being arrested and persecuted, leading to their death, would hardly be worthwhile. If they are suspicious to this extent, what’s the point of believing in God for them? Isn’t this just making things hard on themselves? They guard against the brothers and sisters and every work arrangement of God’s house as if they were guarding against swindlers, just like they guard against the great red dragon or devils and Satans. Some people still try to advise them, saying, “Just make sure to believe in God diligently, pursue the truth, and do your duty well, and God will approve of you.” But what are they thinking inside? “You want me to do my duty properly, but once I’m well known and the great red dragon arrests me, won’t that be the end of me?” If this really is their mindset, then there’s no point in trying to advise them. They are extremely timid, and always terrified of death. When they hear that believers in God have been arrested, they are so scared that they wet their pants. But when it comes to swindling and cheating people in business, no matter how much trouble they get into, they aren’t afraid at all—they are quite bold in this regard. Yet, when it involves matters of believing in God, they are utterly timid. They are full of all kinds of misgivings about the brothers and sisters, about God’s house, and especially about God and God’s words and work, and no amount of fellowship can resolve these misgivings. No matter how many years they believe, they still don’t know what it means to believe in God or why they need to gather and do their duty. It’s obvious that these people have impaired intelligence, and are quite cunning and deceitful. Such people should be persuaded to leave quickly. If they stop coming to gatherings and no longer want to do their duty because they’re cowardly or for any other reason, then that’s perfect—it saves the trouble of clearing them out and avoids the hassle. If one day they become interested in believing in God again and want to return to believing in God, you can tell them, “As a believer in God, you could be arrested and imprisoned at any time, and there’s even the risk of losing your life. But if you don’t believe in God and instead do business in the world and make lots of money, maybe you’ll be able to enjoy some comfortable days.” After hearing this, their hearts will fully settle, and they’ll no longer think about believing in God. They’ll think, “Finally, my years of worry and dread are over. I don’t need to suspect the church, the brothers and sisters, or god’s house anymore. I’ve finally broken free.” And just like that, these cowardly and suspicious people are convinced to leave. This resolves the major trouble, right? (Yes.) This is a great way to resolve the matter.

L. Being Inclined to Court Trouble

Let’s take a look at the next manifestation: being inclined to court trouble. Do you know what kind of people are inclined to court trouble? In the church have you encountered this type of person who is inclined to court trouble? Regardless of their age, gender, or what profession they have in the world, if they always court trouble and always do things that violate laws and regulations, bringing negative impacts to the church and forming huge obstacles to the gospel work, then the church should handle these people promptly. First, give them a warning, and if the situation is too serious, expel them or clear them out. You cannot show them any courtesy. What kind of people are those who are inclined to court trouble? For example, some people, when doing business or running factories in the world, associate with shady individuals and often do things that violate laws and regulations. Today, they’re evading or underpaying taxes; tomorrow, they’re engaging in fraud and deception, or even getting involved in legal cases for causing death. Because of these things, they frequently receive court summons, spend their days engaged in lawsuits, and are constantly embroiled in disputes. Can such people believe in God with sincerity? That is impossible. There are also some people who claim to believe in God but behave in very strange and abnormal ways. Today, they are harassing the opposite sex; tomorrow, they might sexually assault someone and get reported. Would you say these people are inclined to court trouble? (Yes.) So, can such people believe in God with sincerity? (No.) These people who are inclined to court trouble, after believing in God, still always associate with shady individuals from society and constantly give rise to disputes, such as disputes over emotional matters, finances, property, or personal interests. Or, because of some incident that causes tension in one of their relationships, or due to their ill-gotten gains being split unevenly, there are always people looking to cause them trouble. When the brothers and sisters occasionally visit their home, they may encounter these shady people. Even when they are at gatherings or doing their duty, these shady people sometimes show up at the door or send harassing messages, so anyone in the company of these people who are inclined to court trouble is likely to be dragged into their troubles; in particular, the church’s work and reputation are even more likely to be drawn in and damaged by these people. Tell Me, is it good for such people to remain in the church? (No.) This kind of person must also be cleared out and handled.

There are also some people who, regardless of what profession they have in society, always want to be at odds with the government, with government officials, or with certain social groups and public figures. Today, they’re exposing the government’s unfair actions; tomorrow, they’re suing some group or organization, demanding compensation for damages; the day after, they’re exposing a public figure’s private life, causing people to come looking for them. Is this courting trouble? (Yes.) Even after they come to believe in God, they still want to keep getting involved in societal matters. When they see something that makes them feel dissatisfied and indignant, they always want to stand up for justice to show themselves off, or write a comment or article to pass judgment on the rights and wrongs of the matter. What happens in the end? They don’t accomplish anything, but end up causing themselves a boatload of trouble, getting entangled in lawsuits and having their reputation ruined. And there are always shady people from society looking for them, wanting to retaliate or take action against them, so they live in extreme fear. To escape this kind of life and avoid trouble, they buy several houses, explaining, “As they say, ‘A crafty rabbit has three burrows.’ Only one of my three houses is known to the public; no one knows about the other two. I’m keeping them for the church to use and for the brothers and sisters to stay in.” Do you think the brothers and sisters would be safe staying there? (No, they wouldn’t.) Their words sound all very nice, and their intentions in doing this are good, but with their character and their flaw of being inclined to court trouble, who would dare stay at their house? If you stayed there, people might think you’re part of their family. If someone is looking to beat them up but can’t find them, wouldn’t they just give you a beating instead? Some people are inclined to court trouble. When they’re out driving ordinarily and go through a remote area, they might get stopped by someone, who then drags them out of the car, savagely beats them, and gives them a warning. They know it’s because they offended someone first and brought trouble on themselves, and that whoever they offended wanted to torment them. Isn’t that exactly what they deserved? This type of person is the type that is inclined to court trouble. After they start believing in God, regardless of what matter the church is discussing, they always want to butt in; they want to have their say on the matter and make some comments, also trying to get people to listen to them. If the church doesn’t adopt their suggestions, they become downright dissatisfied and resentful, unaware of their own abilities. No matter how many losses they suffer, they never remember them or draw lessons from their failures. Such people spell trouble even when they believe in God. For one thing, they don’t understand the truth but still always want to get involved in the church’s work, trying to meddle in everything, with the result that they disrupt and disturb the church’s work. For another thing, whenever they spend a lot of time with any brother or sister, they also bring trouble on them. People of this type who are inclined to court trouble are a huge pain. Do you think people who court trouble are people who don’t make waves? Are they people who keep to their proper place? (No.) They are definitely not people who keep to their proper place. Generally, people who live decent lives tend to keep to their proper place. As long as societal matters have nothing to do with their belief in God, they absolutely don’t get involved in or inquire about them. This is called being rational, understanding the times, and understanding the sense of things. This society and humankind are so wicked and complicated. As nonbelievers say, “In this chaotic era and chaotic world, people need to learn how to protect themselves.” Moreover, you’re always commenting on societal matters and wanting to get involved in them, but that is not the path you should be walking in life. Doing those things has no value and is not the right path in life. Even if you are able to speak fairly, that still doesn’t count as a just cause. Why not? Because there is no fairness in this world; evil trends do not permit it. If you can truly speak fair words and honest words in God’s house, that has value and significance. But if you speak fair words and honest words in this evil, corrupt, and chaotic world of man, such words easily invite trouble and bring danger. Wouldn’t it be very stupid to say such words then? Doing this not only wouldn’t allow you to live in a way that has value, but it would also bring you no end of trouble. So, smart people see that these societal matters are a scourge and distance themselves and avoid them, while stupid people head toward them, bringing a great deal of trouble upon themselves. Some people in particular, after training in martial arts for a few days, learn a few flashy techniques and gain a little fame, and then want to fight for justice and rob the rich to help the poor. They want to take on the role of a knight-errant or swordsman, going around righting wrongs, and they even step forward to help whenever they see injustice. As a result, this leads to trouble—they don’t realize how complex society is. Tell Me, when you step forward to help, won’t you end up offending some people? Won’t you ruin the careful plans that some people have made? (Yes.) When you ruin the careful plans those people have, will they let you get away with it? (No.) You might say, “What I’m undertaking is a just cause,” but even if it is a just cause, that won’t do—this world won’t allow you to undertake just causes. If you do, you’ll be courting trouble. Fools don’t get this, they can’t see through the world. They always think that, since they are a knight-errant, they should step forward to help others. But in the end, they mess up somebody’s careful plans, and that person seeks revenge on them and refuses to let up. This is how they court disaster. The other person secretly starts finding out their name, where they live, what their family situation is, who their family members are, whether they have any influence in that area, and how best to take action against them. Once they have a clear understanding about all this, they then start making their move on the “knight-errant,” whose life becomes difficult from then on. People of this type frequently court trouble and, no matter how great the losses they suffer, they never learn their lesson. When they encounter something they see as unjust, they still want to fight for justice, and to step forward and help. Not only do they bring trouble upon themselves, but they also put their family in harm’s way, and sometimes even drag friends or colleagues around them into it. If they believe in God and enter the church, the brothers and sisters could end up getting put in harm’s way by them as well. For example, if they get into trouble in society and someone wants to retaliate against them, and that person knows that you attend gatherings with them, they might come to you for information about their personal and family situation. So, will you tell that person or not? If you do, it’s tantamount to betraying them, which will bring trouble upon them; if you don’t, that person might torment you. There are too many evil people in this world, and evil people are all beyond reason. If someone offends them, they will resort to any means to get revenge. Isn’t that the case? (Yes.) No matter what kind of trouble people who are inclined to court trouble get into, it always causes trouble and disturbance for the performance of their duty and can also affect the church’s work to varying degrees. If someone constantly courts trouble, do you think fellowshipping the truth with them can resolve this problem? (No.) People of this type often lack sound reason. Even when they get into trouble, they don’t see it as trouble; they might even think they have a sense of justice. In such cases, fellowshipping the truth with them is useless because they are people with distorted comprehension, they are absurd individuals. Absurd individuals don’t easily accept the truth. Some people might say, “They are facing difficulty; how could we disregard them? How could we not show them some pity? We should treat them with love.” Treating them with love is fine, but can they accept it? If they do not accept the truth whatsoever and continue to hold onto their own views, is it appropriate for you to keep fellowshipping the truth endlessly with them? (No.) Why is it not appropriate? (People of this type don’t sincerely believe in God. Their essence is that of disbelievers. Even if we fellowship the truth with them, it won’t resolve the problem, and they can still bring a lot of trouble to the church.) So, should people of this type be cleared out? (Yes, they should.)

There is another type of people who are inclined to court trouble. In the church, they are always inciting the brothers and sisters to do certain things. For example, they say: “That action taken by the government and the policy they formulated are unreasonable. As Christians, we must practice righteousness, we have to speak up and cannot tuck our tails like cowards. We need to march in the streets with banners and protest, fighting for the well-being of the brothers and sisters, our church, and all humankind!” And what is the result of this? Before they can even march, the government already finds out, and the court sends a summons. Tell Me, is it fortunate or unfortunate for the church to have such people? (Unfortunate.) Some people say: “It turns out that our church has such a talented person—this person is leadership material! Look at the people in our church; they are all meek and toe the line, with no influence in society. They are timid and don’t dare to take on any major matters, and they are very afraid of courting trouble. This person is different—they are courageous, insightful, and decisive; they also have influence in society, they are capable, and when they see injustice, they dare to stand up and step forward. Even when faced with a legal case, they don’t get flustered or anxious. Their mental capacity makes them naturally suited to being an official. If this person were involved in politics, they would either be a representative or at least the governor of a province. We are not good enough. Thus, the church should select them to be leader. If they lead us, we will surely obtain salvation!” Some foolish people hold those who are inclined to court trouble in society in particularly high regard and idolize them, even wanting to elect them as church leaders. Do you think this is appropriate? (No.) Why is it not appropriate? Doesn’t the church need such “capable people”? (The church does not need such people. Church leaders must lead God’s chosen people to eat and drink God’s words together in gatherings, pursue the truth, and do their duty to spread the gospel. Even though such people may appear to have so-called courage, insight, and decisiveness on the surface, they are unable to do this kind of work and will bring endless trouble to the church. Therefore, they are not fit to be church leaders.) Let Me tell you, it is a mistake for this kind of person to remain in the church, and it would be even more disastrous to elect such people as leaders. Where would they lead the church? They would turn the church into a religious group! This is because when they see injustices in society, they will file lawsuits; when they see evil people bullying the poor, they will fight for them; when they see corrupt officials brutally harm the people, they will want to champion justice on behalf of Heaven. Consequently, you would all also gradually become knights-errant fighting for justice. In this way, could you still obtain salvation? On the surface, people who are inclined to court trouble may seem quite competent, but in the end, what happens? They are all eliminated for disrupting and disturbing the church’s work, because the path they follow is not the right path. No matter what kind of trouble they court, they are not walking on the right path, nor are they following God’s will. Nothing they do has any connection with the church, with God’s work, or with God’s intentions; everything they do is distanced from God’s intentions and departs from the right path. The nature of their courting trouble is that they are dealing and entangled with devils; they are being plagued by devils. Therefore, God’s house must draw a clear line between itself and such people. If they repeatedly court trouble, refusing to listen no matter who tries to advise them, and they court trouble without learning from their mistakes, even committing reckless misdeeds, then they should be persuaded to leave. You can say: “Look at all the trouble you’ve courted, how much of an obstacle it has been to the church’s work, and how many people’s performance of duty has been affected. How do you not realize this? Your breadth of mind is far too broad—it’s broad enough to encompass the whole world. A person like you should strike out into the world; you ought to cultivate yourself and govern the nation, bringing peace to the world. You are suited to associating with high-ranking officials; only then can you ride above the everyday and spread your wings and soar. Staying with people who believe in God all day—won’t that just hold back your grand ambitions and limit your ability to spread your wings and fly? Look at us—none of us have grand aspirations. We are focused solely on believing in God, reading more of God’s words to understand some truths, and doing less evil, and then perhaps we can receive God’s approval—that’s all. We are all people slandered and insulted by worldly people, rejected by the world, so you aren’t meant to associate with people like us. You’d be better off if you returned to the world and strove there; maybe you’ll achieve great success and realize your ambitions.” Is persuading them to leave in this way appropriate? Is this a good way to resolve the issue? (Yes.) This is how the church should handle such disbelievers; resolving the matter this way fully aligns with the truth principles.

What other types of people are inclined to court trouble? There’s a type of person who is particularly popular with the opposite sex and is always flirting with shady individuals. They aren’t pursuing a proper romantic relationship; instead, they maintain very close and improper relationships with multiple people of the opposite sex. Because they can’t handle these relationships properly, it’s possible that the people they flirt with will become jealous or even seek revenge on each other. Is this trouble for them? (Yes.) This too is a major trouble. Some people might not care about these matters, but such things often bring trouble to their personal lives and their faith, and it can even affect their personal safety. These troubles constantly follow them, and those who frequently interact with them can’t help but become implicated as well. Whether they are genuinely in a romantic relationship with these opposite-sex individuals or merely flirting with and using each other, we aren’t concerned with such matters. What are we concerned about? We are concerned about whether the troubles they bring will have any detrimental impact on the brothers and sisters or the church. If there is an impact, the church should step in to resolve and handle the issue, advising them to take care of these troubles properly. As for how they take care of it, we won’t interfere. If, no matter how they are advised, they still refuse to listen and do not take care of or resolve these troubles, then they should be isolated and given a warning: “You need to first take care of your personal troubles. Once they are taken care of, you can resume doing your duty. If you don’t take care of them properly, you will remain isolated.” Although they are believers and may even do their duty—perhaps an important duty at that—because of the serious problems in their personal lives and because the trouble they court could affect the church’s work, the church leaders cannot ignore it, as these troubles pose potential risks. For example, the people they get into relationships with might learn some of the church’s circumstances or personal information about the brothers and sisters from them. If they were to leak this information to ill-intentioned individuals or to the great red dragon, it would be harmful both to the church and to the brothers and sisters. Therefore, for the church, these troubles or potential risks are all brought by them, so the church should have them resolve their personal troubles first. If they fully take care of the troubles, God’s house can make a decision to accept them again based on their circumstances. But if they continue to not resolve the troubles and still want to do their duty, what should be done? (They should not be allowed to do their duty.) In that case, they must be persuaded to leave or be cleared out. In short, whether it’s church leaders or the brothers and sisters, once they discover that there are people in the church who are inclined to court trouble, they should address the matter according to principles and handle it promptly. They should not wait until these individuals bring danger to the brothers and sisters or bring trouble to the church’s work before handling and resolving it.

Some people are quick to provoke trouble and get into fights and brawls. They always feel they can throw a good punch, always wanting to defeat everyone in the world, or, if they know a little fancy martial arts, they always want to use violence and force against others. Isn’t this kind of person also inclined to court trouble? (Yes.) There are also those who do not keep to their proper place wherever they go. They don’t follow rules or observe public order and always want to be unconventional. When driving, they insist on running red lights, or insist on making a left turn where it’s not allowed, and when pulled over and fined by the police, they refuse to accept it and want to report the officer. You see, they dare to report anyone. Even though the police act according to the law, they still want to report them—they flout the law. Aren’t these imbeciles also inclined to court trouble? (Yes.) This kind of person who is inclined to court trouble thinks that they have God to rely on because they believe in Him, and that the church has large numbers of people and great influence, and they thus fear nothing. They commit reckless misdeeds everywhere to show off their capabilities and to show how formidable they are. Even after getting into legal trouble, they don’t know to reverse course. In the end, what do they say? “This world is truly evil. I was arrested just for standing up for justice. This world is truly unfair!” They still refuse to admit their mistakes. They provoke and bring trouble upon themselves, yet they complain that it’s unfair to them. Isn’t this utterly absurd? (Yes.) No matter how evil and dark the world is, it is unwise of them to provoke trouble. God has never asked anyone to provoke trouble, nor has He asked anyone to use the banner of believing in God to fight for justice and enforce justice on behalf of Heaven. Some people say, “The laws of this world are not the truth, so there’s no need to follow them.” Even though the law is not the truth, God has never told you that you can break the law at will, nor has He told you that you can kill or commit arson. God asks you to obey the law and follow public order in society, to know to observe moral norms and follow the rules wherever you go, to not be provocative, and to not court trouble. If you break the law, you will bear the consequences yourself—don’t expect God’s house to take responsibility for you, because this is personal behavior and only represents you as an individual; God’s house never instructed you to do anything illegal. No matter which country you are handling matters in, God’s house has you check the law and consult a lawyer. Whatever the lawyer says is appropriate, that’s what you should do. If the lawyer didn’t advise you to act a certain way, and you act blindly, bungle matters, and break the law, you will bear the consequences yourself—don’t bring trouble to God’s house. Even if the approach the lawyer suggests is not the best option, you must still follow the lawyer’s advice. As long as it is legal and does not cause significant harm to God’s house, it can be done. God’s house has always told people to consult lawyers and handle matters according to the law. However, some people think, “God’s house does not belong to the world, so we should not follow the trends of the world! The law does not represent the truth—only God is the truth, and God is supreme. We only submit to the truth and God!” While this statement is correct, you are still living in this world and have to deal with many realistic issues. Therefore, you cannot violate the law, nor can you violate the truth principles. God’s supremacy refers to God’s identity and status; it is not a reason for you to engage in illegal activities or act despotically in society, do whatever you want, and court trouble everywhere. God has never encouraged or required anyone to break the law in doing anything, but rather tells you to follow the law and observe societal rules, that if you break the law and get penalized, you must accept the penalty, and that you shouldn’t cause an issue or court trouble. If you are always courting trouble, always thinking that because you believe in God, you have God backing you, and so you fear nothing, I’m telling you, you’ve got it wrong! God does not back your fearlessness in the face of all things, and God’s house will not pay for your scoundrel-like logic. Don’t ever think that just because there are many people in God’s house and it has great influence, you can do whatever you want. If you think this way, you are wrong. This is Satan’s logic. God’s house has never said such a thing, and neither has God. God’s house does not encourage anyone to act this way. It is true that God’s house has many people, but the number of people—whether many or few—is not to back anyone, embolden anyone, or shield anyone from trouble and smooth things over. God chooses people so they may follow Him and follow His will, so that they can be up to standard as created beings and fulfill the duty of created beings. It is not so that you can go against the world, it is not to have you spout grand-sounding ideas in the world, and it certainly is not for you to teach the world a lesson. Believing in God is not about going against the current; it has nothing to do with going against the current or despising the world. So, don’t misunderstand God’s intentions for people, and don’t misinterpret or misunderstand the significance of believing in God. What is the purpose of God choosing people? (It is for people to follow God, follow God’s will, and do the duty of created beings.) God chooses people in order to gain them, to gain true created beings, to gain humans that truly worship God; it is so that a new humankind will emerge, one that can worship God. The purpose of God choosing people is not for them to go against this world or humankind. Therefore, those who are inclined to court trouble should be kept away from the church and away from places where people do their duty as much as possible, so as to avoid affecting others’ performance of duty.

As for those who are inclined to court trouble, no matter what kind of trouble they court, if it brings trouble to the church and affects the brothers’ and sisters’ performance of duty, leaders and workers should step in and resolve the matter. It absolutely must not go unchecked. They should promptly understand and grasp the situation, clarify the root of the problem, and then come up with a reasonable solution and handle it. Why should it be handled? For one thing, these troubles can affect church work, church life, or the brothers’ and sisters’ performance of duty. For another, whether these individuals who are inclined to court trouble are seen by others as talented or as loafers and scoundrels, as long as they bring trouble, they should be handled in a timely manner. So how should they be handled? It’s not about handling the trouble, but handling the people responsible for bringing it. By cleansing them away from the church, the root of the trouble is resolved, and the issue is thus handled. You must never be lenient just because some people who are inclined to court trouble appear to be capable or gifted in your eyes. If you can be lenient with them, then you are truly a very muddleheaded person and unfit to be a church leader, and the brothers and sisters should remove you from your position. If you don’t safeguard the interests of God’s house and don’t protect the brothers and sisters, but instead protect evil people and troublemakers, even idolizing them beyond all measure, treating them as honored guests and gifted individuals, thinking they are talented people that are hard to come by in the church, using them for major tasks, and even smoothing over their troubles for them—then you are wholly unfit for the role of church leader. You are a muddled person and a false leader, and you should be dismissed and eliminated. If a church leader refuses to listen to advice and insists on protecting some evil person who is inclined to court trouble or using them for major tasks, the brothers and sisters should not only remove the leader but also bundle them together with this person who courts trouble and clear them both out. Don’t you idolize the person who courts trouble? They feel protected by you too, and you get along so well—well then, sorry, but you both need to go. God’s house doesn’t need either of you! If there are people who are inclined to court trouble in a church, and the upper-level leaders are unaware, while the church leader is muddleheaded and lacks discernment, then the brothers and sisters who understand the truth must step in to resolve the issue. For one thing, they should promptly report the matter to the upper-level leaders. Additionally, they must unite with the other brothers and sisters to fellowship and discern the false leader. Once it is confirmed that they are a false leader, they must be dismissed or removed, and a new leader should be elected—someone who can safeguard the interests of God’s house, the work of the church, and church life. Is practicing this way appropriate? (Yes.) Cleanse this church leader and the person who is inclined to court trouble away together. Aren’t they two people who get along well together due to their shared vile qualities, envying and admiring each other? Then fulfill their wish and let them return to the world together—God’s house doesn’t want people like them. If they stay in the church, they will only court and create trouble, causing great harm to the church’s work. They should be cleansed away. Wherever they want to go and however great trouble they want to court is their own business. In any case, it has nothing to do with the church and won’t implicate the church. Won’t that resolve the issue? (Yes.) This solution is quite good. That concludes our fellowship on the twelfth manifestation, regarding people who are inclined to court trouble.

M. Having a Complicated Background

Let’s take a look at the next manifestation: having a complicated background. What types of people do you think have complicated backgrounds? (Some people are involved in both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles, and their social backgrounds are relatively complicated—do they fall into this category?) When we talk about complicated backgrounds, we’re definitely referring to worldly-wise people. What is the typical manner of worldly-wise people? It’s that they sit down, cross their legs, and start talking non-stop; they ramble on about everything under the sun, and are able to prattle for a while about both domestic and international affairs, but not a single word that they say is true—it’s all big talk that’s either made-up or just imagined. Blowhards aren’t necessarily those who have complicated social backgrounds. Blowhards may simply be loafers, and just ordinary folks—wherever they go, they talk big, speaking about lofty, unrealistic things to mislead people and make others think highly of them, and it doesn’t take long before their reputations are ruined. What kinds of people have complicated backgrounds? For example, some people join a political party in society, but after trying for several years, they don’t gain any status. Then, they join another party, and they finally manage to get a position as a minor leader or minor official. They have particularly complicated social connections. No one can say for sure whether the people they associate with are their friends or enemies—not even their own family knows, only they themselves do. Don’t such people have complicated backgrounds? (Yes.) These people have politically complicated backgrounds. Today they support this party, tomorrow they support that one; today they back one person for election, and tomorrow they back someone else. In short, no one knows what they truly think. They don’t tell regular people exactly whom they support, or what their political stance or political goals are exactly; they are particularly secretive about these things, and regular people—even their own families—don’t know these things about them. However, they are especially passionate about politics, and they have some acquaintances and know some people on the political stage; it’s just that for the time being, they haven’t accomplished their ambitions. After this kind of person enters the church, they see that the brothers and sisters are just ordinary people who don’t understand or engage in politics, and in their hearts, they disdain those who truly believe in God. Nevertheless, they always want to exploit the church’s fame in the religious world and in society or to take advantage of the church’s influence to do what they want, to satisfy their overreaching desires or give full play to their political ambitions—that is, they want to hide within the church, and wait for the right opportunity, so that they can use the church community or certain people, events, and things within the church to fulfill their political goals. Can this kind of person be considered to have a complicated background? (Yes.) The thoughts, principles for handling matters, various tactics, and the strategies and methods for speaking used by those engaged in politics are things that ordinary folks cannot see through. In particular, young people or those without social experience cannot see through them at all. For these people with politically complicated backgrounds, those without political savvy are playthings in their hands, and they absolutely look down upon such people. To give an imprecise example, in the animal kingdom, the most cunning creatures are snakes, foxes, and tigers. From their perspective, animals like sheep, rabbits, deer, and dogs are foolish. People with political backgrounds view most brothers and sisters in the same way that cunning animals, such as foxes and snakes, view guileless animals like sheep, deer, and dogs. They can see the brothers and sisters clearly, but the brothers and sisters cannot see through them. So how can we discern people with politically complicated backgrounds? Those who are involved in politics have their hearts set on politics and power. As long as they like power and being involved in politics, sooner or later they will participate in politics; they cannot remain hidden in the church forever. When they do expose themselves, you will understand: “So, it turns out that they believe in God for political purposes! They have a political background and don’t sincerely believe in God. They have another agenda for believing in God!” When those people first enter the church, they hide themselves especially well, attending gatherings and doing their duty normally. But when the moment is ripe, they will try to use the church to do what they want, and their overreaching desires and true faces will naturally be exposed. Only then will the brothers and sisters be able to see that they are disbelievers. When they are exposed, it becomes very easy to discern them. For example, when a wolf is disguised in sheep’s clothing and mixes with the flock, you might not be able to discern whether it’s a wolf or a sheep, but when it starts eating the sheep, you’ll discern it as a wolf. Those who are involved in politics are all disbelievers who have infiltrated the church. When these people try to mislead and draw the brothers and sisters into joining some political party and participating in politics with them, you’ll see that their belief in God is false, and that their true goal is to engage in politics—no matter how complicated their background is, it will have surfaced and been exposed. At this point, people will be able to discern them. This is one type of person who has a complicated background—those with politically complicated backgrounds.

There is another type of person who falls under the category of those who have complicated backgrounds. Some people in society don’t keep to their proper place and live decent lives, but instead like to associate with shady individuals. These individuals include, for example, those who commit forgery and fraud or members of the criminal underworld; those with status, fame, and prestige in society, who are on the surface government officials or businesspeople, but always engage in illegal, criminal activities behind the scenes, colluding with certain officials or members of the criminal underworld to traffic firearms, drugs, or other contraband prohibited by the state; as well as those who have been convicted and imprisoned multiple times and who have done some evil deeds, such as grave robbing, rape, sexual assault, or are even human traffickers or human smugglers. People of this sort who have complicated backgrounds associate with these kinds of individuals, and they moreover have particularly close relationships with them—they call each other “brothers,” and they use one another and do things for each other. On the surface, these people don’t do any obviously evil deeds, and they don’t commit theft, robbery, murder, or arson, but the groups they associate with and the circles they move in are all comprised of these indecent individuals. Isn’t this kind of person also quite frightening? (Yes.) They partner with these individuals to invest in business, and when their partner does something illegal and needs their help, they offer assistance. While they may not be the main culprit, they are an accomplice. You could say that this kind of person frequently skirts the edges of the law. What does it mean to “skirt the edges of the law”? (It means they often engage in activities that could potentially be breaking the law.) That’s one aspect. Additionally, they often exploit legal loopholes, and the things they are involved in are all major matters. If they ever get caught, even as an accomplice, they could be sentenced to 10 or 20 years, or face massive fines. Wouldn’t you say this type of person is troublesome? (Yes.) You’ve never seen them commit an obvious evil deed, and you haven’t seen them kill people, set fires, or cheat or frame anyone, but when those who line their pockets illegally and break the law in both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles engage in unlawful activities to extract huge profits, this kind of person also takes a share of the spoils and gets a piece of the pie. Would you say this kind of person counts as having a complicated background? (Yes.) Would it be a good thing for such people to remain in God’s house? (No.) They associate with both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles, and not only that, they also engage in illegal activities—this is a complicated background. If they associate with some government officials, and they associate and interact with them in a normal manner, that’s acceptable. However, if the people they associate with are negative characters involved in various illegal and criminal activities, then that’s very troublesome, and sooner or later, something will go wrong. This kind of person likes associating with those people; they ride on their coattails too, relying on their influence to make money, get rich, and live a good life. Can they be considered a good person, then? (No.) People often say, “Birds of a feather flock together”—they are able to associate with both members of the criminal underworld and legitimate circles, do you think they are a decent person who keeps to their proper place? (No.) Definitely not. They associate with those individuals, in one respect, because they are perhaps of use to those people—they can handle certain tasks for those they associate with. In another respect, it’s because they like the people they associate with from both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles—those people’s skills, abilities, and influence, and the benefits they bring to them, are all things they need and things they enjoy. So, just what kind of person are they? (They’re not a decent person.) We can only put it this way. They are of the same ilk as those they associate with—they all use each other. In this world, there aren’t many people who can do things for you or completely confide in you and be your friends, but they do exist—there’s no need to associate with those kinds of people. This kind of person associates with them, in one respect, because they get along well together due to their shared vile qualities and are birds of a feather. In another respect, it’s because this person will go to any lengths for the sake of their own interests and their survival in the secular world, and they have no principles at all when it comes to associating with people, nor do they have any principles in anything they do. Nonbelievers even say, “A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it in the right way,” and observe this as a minimum standard. Regardless of whether they can live up to this minimum standard or not, in any case, this counts as a relatively noble philosophy for survival among humankind. However, people of this sort who have complicated backgrounds are, for the sake of their own interests and obtaining profit, unscrupulous and indiscriminate when it comes to associating with people—as long as they can obtain benefits from it, they will associate with anyone. What’s more, they take great pride in being able to associate with those people, and think the methods they themselves use in associating with people are great. So, how should we view this kind of person? They’re involved in both the criminal underworld and legitimate circles—this is a complicated background. This sort of person is so frightening! Is the face they show real? No, they are always wearing a mask. You can never see through them or know what they’re thinking inside. They wear a mask when they associate with you, and even lurk among believers in God. It’s just like a devil blending into a crowd of people, or a fox or wolf slipping into a flock of sheep. Does that make you feel safe? (No.) Why do you say that? It’s based on their cunning, vicious, and wicked nature; they are constantly scheming against you—it’s as if there’s always a pair of shifty, wicked eyes behind you, watching your every move—and they are just waiting for the opportunity to destroy and devour you. Isn’t that terrifying? (Yes.) The feeling this kind of person gives you is never one of safety, because their nature and background always make you feel they are a threat to you. What kind of threat? It’s that with them nearby, you constantly feel that they could scheme against you, toy with you, and set traps for you at any time and place, and that you never know when you might be used or harmed by them, and end up dead by their hands or brought to ruin by them. That’s why such people should absolutely not be kept close. Tell Me, isn’t this how things are? (It is.) For example, will putting a wolf into a flock of sheep protect the sheep or bring ruin to them? (It will bring ruin to them.) According to a wolf’s nature, it will never stay by the sheep’s side and protect their safety, because in its mind, sheep are its food, and whenever or wherever it’s hungry, it will eat them; it has no pity for the sheep and it will not spare them. A wolf does not have the faculties of a dog. If a dog grows up with sheep, it considers the sheep something to protect, and when a wolf comes to attack or eat the sheep, the dog will step forward to fight, taking up the responsibility of protecting the sheep as its bounden duty—dogs simply have this innate quality. But wolves are different; it is an innate quality of wolves to want to eat sheep. When a person of this sort who has a complicated background infiltrates the church, it’s the same as a wolf infiltrating a flock of sheep—when the wolf isn’t hungry, it may not pose a danger to the sheep, but when it does get hungry, the sheep are bound to be the food it eats, and no one can change this fact. This is determined by its nature. To solve the problem of the wolf eating the sheep, you must hurry to identify the wolf. Once you identify who the wolf in sheep’s clothing is, you must get rid of it immediately—do not hesitate, and do not show it any mercy. People of this sort who have complicated backgrounds must be treated cautiously. If you discover that they are doing evil and disturbing the church, you absolutely mustn’t show them any courtesy. You must tell them: “You’re a worldly-wise person and you’re not suited to belief in God. You chose the wrong place by coming to God’s house; this place isn’t right for you. You should pursue your own prospects in society. Believers in God only read God’s words, fellowship on the truth, and do their duty to satisfy God; they don’t engage in plots and schemes or participate in politics. Here, you can’t rise up the ranks or get rich, or live a life that’s superior to that of others. No matter how long you hang around here, it will just be wasted time.” In this way, they will be persuaded to leave, right? (Yes.) Some people with complicated social connections aren’t necessarily evil people, nor have they done great evil, but they don’t accept the truth at all and they truly belong to the category of disbelievers. Trying to get such people to genuinely believe in God and pursue the truth is like trying to turn a wolf into a sheep—it’s impossible. No matter how long a wolf wears sheep’s clothing, it remains a wolf; it will never become a sheep. That’s just how things are. So, people like this believing in God is simply a joke; they’re barking up the wrong tree by believing in God!

There is another type of person who has a complicated background. Although they believe in God, they have close relationships with some of the religious leaders, officials, or people with status from different denominations. They like associating with these people and often attend the religious activities of various denominations; they build connections and friendships with these people, and they use one another and do things for each other. From time to time, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they even disclose certain general affairs work or personnel work internal to the church to these individuals. This is a very troublesome issue. If you merely interact with people in religion or find it impossible to divorce yourself from those religious venues, and you also like participating in various religious festival activities and various religious ceremonies, that is acceptable. However, you should not disclose the church’s work or information about the brothers and sisters in these settings. For example, you should not disclose matters such as a certain person accepting “Eastern Lightning,” what duty they do in The Church of Almighty God, where they live, and whom they usually associate with—if you disclose these things, it shows that you are very immoral. If someone reports this information to the government, the consequences will be unimaginable. If you are very close to people in religion, or have some entwined interests with them or have exchanged favors with them, then at most, this can be considered as you having a complicated background. However, if you secretly do some other things, such as disclosing the work arrangements of God’s house, or disclosing the internal affairs of God’s house or the personal information of the brothers and sisters, then the nature of this becomes one of betrayal, and it is condemned. In particular, some brothers and sisters do not want others to know their situation or to have it disclosed, because they’ve been arrested before or are currently on a wanted list, yet this sort of person with a complicated background views this information as something to exchange for certain benefits or simply views it as unimportant, and they disclose it, causing trouble for those brothers and sisters. If God’s house discovers such matters, it absolutely will not let that person off lightly; such people should be cleansed away immediately. In the social context where people are persecuted for believing in God, it’s difficult for believers to even get the opportunity to do a duty, and each person really treasures it. No one wants potential risks to be brought to their performance of their duty because of others or because of their own foolishness. Therefore, if anyone brings potential risks to the brothers’ and sisters’ performance of their duties or personal safety, or if anyone sets obstacles on others’ path of believing in God, God’s house will not let them off lightly. Once God’s house discovers them, it will clear them out or expel them immediately, it absolutely will not hold back! If they defend themselves, creating justifications and excuses by saying, “It was just a momentary slip of the tongue because I wasn’t paying attention,” you absolutely must not believe this—such excuses do not hold water. Why didn’t they tell people about their own family matters? Why did they instead talk about the brothers’ and sisters’ affairs? They clearly harbor bad intentions. They disclosed church work and information about the brothers and sisters; if this brings trouble to the brothers and sisters, then they should be cursed! Shouldn’t people like this be cursed? (Yes.) In the course of the church spreading its gospel work, it is inevitable that some people like this will join the church. They have no scruples about selling out the church, selling out the brothers and sisters, and even betraying the interests of God’s house. They associate with all sorts of people in private, and their purpose in associating with them is not pure. When interacting with those people, they even shoot their mouths off, telling them all the internal church information they know, leaving nothing unsaid, and this ultimately brings trouble to the brothers and sisters and to the church. The blame for this should rest upon these people who shoot their mouths off. Some of them might say they didn’t do this intentionally, but even if it wasn’t intentional, that doesn’t make it acceptable. If it wasn’t intentional, then why didn’t you harm yourself instead? Why did you exclusively harm others? You have brought trouble to the church and to the brothers and sisters, this is an established fact. Therefore, the blame should rest upon you. If you killed someone and then said, “I didn’t do it intentionally; I never intended to kill them—I had no such thought in my mind,” would the law find you innocent because of that statement? (No.) Even if you were telling the truth, it would be useless. The fact is that you killed someone, and legally, there’s conclusive evidence of this, so you must be declared guilty based on the facts. You committed the crime of murder, so you are a murderer, and no amount of self-justification will help you. Some people frequently bring trouble to the church through their actions, and at times this trouble is significant, not only resulting in the arrest and imprisonment of brothers and sisters, but also seriously impacting the church’s work. God’s house will absolutely not let such people off the hook; it will expel every one that it catches, and it will curse them—God’s house will not hold back at all! If these things had happened in the Age of Law, the evildoers would have been dragged out and beaten to death with rods or stoned to death; that was how such cases had to be handled. Now, since this is not part of the administrative decrees of God’s house, they will be expelled, and the brothers and sisters will collectively curse them. There’s no chance of them receiving blessings or salvation—they must be sent to hell and punished!

There is another type of person with a complicated background; they come to the church with special missions to carry out. Some individuals of this sort are sent by governments, while others are assigned missions by certain religious or social groups. For example, these missions may include monitoring the brothers and sisters, monitoring the church, or prying into the church’s various items of work and its work arrangements from different periods. Regardless of what their mission is, in any case, from our perspective this sort of person has a complicated background. The majority of these people with complicated backgrounds are disbelievers; they are those who do not accept the truth at all. They are different from those with little faith, poor caliber, or lots of notions—those people genuinely believe, whereas there’s a serious problem with these people who have complicated backgrounds. First, let’s consider: What kind of humanity do such people have? (They have bad humanity, they’re wicked, and they are members of Satan’s gang.) So, what kind of people are they? (They are devils.) That’s right, you’ve hit the nail on the head—they are devils who infiltrate the church. They are people who infiltrate the church and live in the shadows while harboring various schemes and purposes. Such people are devils. From the start when these people enter the church they do not harbor good intentions. Regardless of who commissioned them—some may be commissioned by governments or certain groups, while others may not be commissioned by anyone at all and simply wish to infiltrate the church on their own—such people are purely worldly-wise individuals. They associate with a wide range of people, and they have complex interpersonal relationships and social connections—they have complicated backgrounds. “Complicated backgrounds” means that their social connections, interpersonal relationships, and living environments are especially impure and far from simple; they aren’t like ordinary folks who are just trying to earn money and live a good life. The roles these people play in society are those of standouts, leaders, or relatively exceptional figures within various circles and groups—they’re the kinds of people nonbelievers refer to as “capable individuals” or “gurus.” Wherever they are, they are not people who keep to their proper place, and they are not decent people. Whether they seek opportunities to secure personal gain, or power, or control over others within various groups and circles, it is their purpose, and it is the aim of their existence. Regardless of what church they are in, their mindset is like that of a devil, always itching to make a move, wanting to control situations, control people, control money, wield influence, and wield power. These are the manifestations of this kind of person. Therefore, regardless of whether such people have a mission, or whether they are commissioned by the government or any social group, they cannot possibly keep to their proper place after coming to the church. Even if they have no mission, and even if the church or the brothers and sisters are not targets of their exploitation, they are not people who genuinely want to believe in God, and they certainly are not people who believe in the existence of God. Their purpose in joining the church is not pure at all—at the very least, one thing is very realistic to them, which is “riding on the coattails of the church” and waiting for the opportunity to carry out their own agendas. If they fail to achieve their goals and their desires are dashed, they are likely to leave the church at any time. They look for opportunities by waiting for the opportune moment to strike—if there is someone they can exploit or a suitable moment that could allow them to realize their goals, ambitions, or aspirations, they absolutely will not let that person or that moment go. If they continually fail to find an opportunity, they become discouraged and disappointed, and they want to leave the church. Therefore, this sort of person is also a type of dangerous individual within the church, and they must be discerned and kept at a distance. Another more important principle is that if you are unsure about what a person’s background is, or you vaguely sense that their background is very complicated, then, as a leader or worker, you should at least know that this person cannot be assigned to important positions, or be allowed to have status or power, or be allowed to perform any important work within the church. If you cannot see through them, then you can observe them, but you absolutely must not act rashly or prematurely. If you give them status or even make them responsible for an important piece of work before you’ve seen through them, then you are being extremely foolish! The less you can see through them, the less you should entrust them with important work, the more cautious you should be, and the more you should keep a close watch on them and rigorously monitor them. In fact, regardless of whether or not they have a mission, people of this sort who have complicated backgrounds ultimately don’t stay long in the church. This is because, in their hearts, these disbelievers are repelled by matters of faith. Atheists do not believe God exists, and they are uninterested in anything related to God, God’s work, or God’s expression of the truth. They are constantly investigating: “Is there profit to be had in believing in god? Can I make big money and get rich from it? Can I use my schemes and tricks here like I do in the world?” Seeing that God’s house doesn’t promote these things, but instead always talks about being an honest person, and that anyone who is perfunctory or half-hearted in doing their duty often gets pruned, they feel repelled, and they feel unhappy and unfree in God’s house, and they always want to find an opportunity to leave. If someone is truly one of God’s sheep, one of those chosen by God, then they won’t tire of listening to the truths that are frequently discussed in the course of believing in God even if they are discussed for 20 or 30 years; they could listen to them their whole life and still find them fresh. The more they listen, the clearer these truths become to them; the more they listen, the more their hearts are nourished; the more they listen, the more they long for the truth. Even if they were to listen to these words every day, they would be willing to do so. In particular, when they hear experiential testimonies that are helpful to them, they feel as blissful and fulfilled as if they’d enjoyed a great feast—happier than if they’d picked up a piece of gold. As for these disbelievers, these devils—especially these people with complicated backgrounds—the more they hear fellowship on the truth, the more annoyed they feel; the more they listen, the more agitated and repelled they feel inside. When they hear these words, they find them boring, dull, and tedious. If you have them sit and listen to sermons, it feels to them like being put through torture. They say, “How is it that you all enjoy hearing these words so much, as if you’ve eaten a great feast? Why do I feel so repelled when I hear them?” After listening for a long time, they become unable to sit still. If they cannot be a leader, they are unwilling to do their duty or endure hardship, and over time, they find it all pointless; thoughts of giving up their faith begin to surface. This is how disbelievers are revealed. As for these people with complicated backgrounds, if during your observation of them you discover they have dubious origins and complicated backgrounds, then try every possible means to find an opportunity to persuade them to leave. For such people who do not accept the truth at all, it’s necessary to exercise some wisdom. You can tell them, “You want to get rich, and you dream of becoming an official—you would really be losing out if you went your whole life without becoming an official! You should become one, get rich, and pursue the world—that’s where the tangible benefits are. You have a mind for business and you’re cut out for being an official—if you pursue the world you can surely get rich and become one.” When they hear this, they will think they’ve found a kindred spirit and say: “You’re absolutely right! I’ve been feeling like there’s no point in believing in god—what you said really speaks to me. Faith actually only has a psychological effect; it doesn’t really matter if you have it or not. Life is short—just a few decades that pass in the blink of an eye. Always wasting my time around here with people who believe in god hasn’t gotten me anything, and I always feel dissatisfied. Aren’t I just wronging myself by doing this? Going out to make big money is what really matters!” They will agree with what you said. Once they agree, perhaps one day they’ll simply leave on their own because they feel that staying in the church is pointless, and because, on top of that, some things go wrong for them, or they experience some failures and setbacks, and some pruning. Isn’t that great? (Yes. This is a wise approach.) It’s easy to get devils to leave the church: Once you’ve figured out their mindset, if there’s something that they want, then encourage them to pursue it. In this way, you can persuade them to leave. Work with the current to guide them out. This is how to handle this kind of disbeliever.

If such people with complicated backgrounds are found in the church, they should be persuaded to leave or cleared out promptly; do not try to urge them to stay. Why not? For one thing, they serve no good role in the church; for another, they are absolutely not among those chosen by God. Furthermore, even if they remain in the church, in the end, it will still be impossible for them to accept God’s words, God’s work, or God’s chastisement and judgment to attain salvation. If they remain in the church, it will be detrimental to the church’s work, and they may mislead and influence some brothers and sisters of small stature. People in God’s house find them displeasing, and they, in turn, view the brothers and sisters in God’s house with equal displeasure. In their hearts, they always regard God’s house, the church, and the brothers and sisters with hostility. So tell Me, if there’s such an enemy, such an adversary, in the church, would you feel disturbed? (Yes.) Therefore, it’s best to not urge such people to stay. Once they are discovered, immediately persuade them to leave, clear them out, or expel them. How should such people be handled if encountered during the process of preaching the gospel? (Simply stay away from and ignore them.) When you encounter this type of person, you shouldn’t preach the gospel to them. They speak in such an extravagant, baseless way and are quite talkative, but they actually have no talent at all. God’s house does not need people of this sort who have complicated backgrounds; they are not among those chosen by God. Even if they are converted now, sooner or later, they will still need to be cleansed away. Therefore, when those preaching the gospel encounter such people, they should simply give up on them. God’s house neither wants nor welcomes such people. This is the way to handle people with complicated backgrounds, and this is the principle. Of course, in handling this issue, there’s no need to blow things out of proportion; you must understand clearly whether a person falls under the category of people with complicated backgrounds. If their manifestations match those of this type of person, then they should be placed within this group’s ranks. However, if someone only occasionally boasts or talks nonsense and because of their excessive boasting they are mistakenly seen as having a complicated background, but in actuality, their belief in God is genuine and they don’t belong to this category, then this situation requires different treatment to avoid wrongly accusing a good person.

III. Based on the Attitude One Has While Performing Their Duty

We have more or less finished fellowshipping on the criterion of discerning people based on their humanity. There is another criterion—discerning people based on the attitude they have while performing their duties. We have talked quite a lot about this criterion in previous sermons, so it’s not necessary to say anything more about it.

Very well. That concludes our fellowship for today. Goodbye!

July 6, 2024