Today we will continue fellowshipping on the responsibilities of leaders and workers and on the various manifestations of false leaders. At the last gathering, we fellowshipped on item six of the responsibilities of leaders and workers. What is the main content of this item? (Item six is “Promote and cultivate all manner of qualified talent so that all who pursue the truth can have the opportunity to train and enter the truth reality as soon as possible.”) Last time, we mainly fellowshipped on the principles of God’s house for promoting and cultivating people, and why God’s house promotes and cultivates people. We also dissected the problems that exist with false leaders when it comes to promoting and cultivating different kinds of talented people. So what are the main manifestations of false leaders within these two items? Why do we say they are false leaders? There are mainly two aspects. One aspect is that false leaders do not understand the principles for promoting, cultivating, and using different kinds of people, nor do they seek these principles. They don’t know what aspects of caliber are important for people to possess or what criteria are important to meet in order to be a leader or worker. Consequently, they use people indiscriminately based on their own notions and imaginings. Another serious issue is that after promoting, cultivating, and using these people, they don’t follow up or check on their work, nor do they find out how well they are doing, or whether they are doing real work, or if they are able to fulfill their responsibilities, or what their character is like, or whether the duties these people are doing are suited to them, and they don’t pay attention to whether the people they promote, cultivate, and use are up to standard and in line with the principles—they never check up on these things. False leaders think that it’s just a case of promoting people, arranging work for them, and nothing more, and that their responsibilities are then fulfilled. This is how false leaders do their work, and this is also their attitude and viewpoint while they work. So can these two main manifestations of false leaders prove that they do not and cannot fulfill their responsibilities when it comes to promoting, cultivating, and using people? (Yes.) False leaders do not check up on work or observe different kinds of people, and much less do they get meticulous when it comes to the truth and principles, comparing the manifestations and states of different kinds of people against the truths they understand and the principles required by God’s house; they also cannot discern whether the humanity and strengths of different kinds of people accord with the required principles of God’s house for using people. For these reasons, they are especially muddled and sloppy when it comes to promoting and using people and arranging work for them, and all they do is go through the motions and do superficial work based on their notions and imaginings. This being the case, if false leaders are asked to use different kinds of people sensibly and aptly based on their humanity and strengths, can they manage this? (No, they can’t.) Let us put aside for now what the caliber of false leaders is like. Just looking at their attitude toward work and their ways and methods for doing work, and the fact that they don’t do any real work at all, but only handle general affairs and do a bit of superficial work that puts them in the limelight, and the fact that they don’t do the work of providing people with the truth at all, and don’t know how to use the truth to resolve problems—all this is enough to prove that false leaders cannot do the real work of the church. Just based on the fact that false leaders do not do real work, or engage deeply with the brothers and sisters to resolve real problems, and instead act all superior and issue orders, it can be confirmed that they are incapable of performing all aspects of the church work well in order to promote and cultivate people for God’s house.

Item Seven: Allocate and Make Use of Different Types of People Sensibly, Based on Their Humanity and Strengths, Such that Each Is Put to Their Best Use (Part One)

Making Use of Different Types of People Sensibly Based on Their Humanity

What is your understanding of how to arrange and use different kinds of people? (God’s house has different required standards for the various kinds of people who are promoted and cultivated, and people should be promoted and used according to the principles and standards of God’s house for promoting people. If some people are fit to be leaders and workers, then they should be cultivated as leaders, workers, and supervisors; if some people possess professional strengths in a certain field, then the duty they do should be arranged according to their professional strengths, so that they are allocated and made use of sensibly.) Does anyone have anything to add? (Another thing is measuring people based on their humanity. If someone’s humanity is relatively good, and they love the truth, and they have comprehension ability, then they are a candidate for promotion and cultivation. If their humanity is average, but they have strengths and can do a duty in God’s house and render service, then this type of person can also be assigned to an appropriate duty based on their strengths, so that they are put to best use. If they are a person with rather bad humanity and may cause disruptions and disturbances, then having them do a duty would be more trouble than it’s worth, so it’s not appropriate to arrange for them to do a duty.) If people are differentiated based on their humanity, then as long as they are not evil ones, do not cause disruptions or disturbances, and are able to do a duty, then they accord with the principles of God’s house for making use of people. Another type who cannot be used, besides evil people and evil spirits, are those who are of inadequate intelligence, that is, those who accomplish nothing, who are unable to get anything done, incapable of learning a profession, unable to handle simple general affairs, who can’t even manage to perform physical labor—people who are of inadequate intelligence and humanity cannot be made use of. Which people fall into this category of having inadequate intelligence? Those who don’t understand human language, who lack pure comprehension, who always misunderstand things, get things wrong, and give irrelevant responses to questions, and who are of the same sort as blockheads or mentally disabled people—these are all people who have inadequate intelligence. Then there are extremely absurd people who comprehend all kinds of things differently from normal people—they also have a problem of intelligence. Does inadequate intelligence include being incapable of learning anything? (Yes, it does.) So does being incapable of learning how to write articles count as having inadequate intelligence? (No, it doesn’t.) People of this sort don’t count. Take learning how to sing and dance, learning computer skills, or learning a foreign language, for instance; being incapable of learning these things doesn’t count as being of inadequate intelligence. So, the inability to learn what kind of things indicates inadequate intelligence? For example, some people have a bit of knowledge, but are incapable of learning how to organize their language when chatting with others. So can people of this kind fellowship on the truth, pray, and communicate with others normally when they believe in God? (No, they can’t.) When they have an idea in their minds or when they are in a state, and they want to open up and talk to people about it and seek the path to a solution, they ponder for days on end, and don’t know where to start or how to express themselves. As soon as they speak, they become confused and talk in a muddled way, their mouths seemingly refuse to do what they’re told and their thoughts are all over the place. For example, you tell them, “Today the weather is nice and the sun is shining,” and they will reply, “Yesterday it rained and there was a car accident on that road.” They are not on the same page as those they converse with. Is this kind of person of inadequate intelligence? (Yes, they are.) For instance, if they have a headache and you ask them what’s wrong, they will say that their heart feels a bit uncomfortable. This response is irrelevant to the question, is it not? (Yes, it is.) This is being too lacking in intelligence. There are so many people like this. Can you give an example? (Some people always go off-topic when answering questions, they simply can’t understand what other people are asking them.) Often going off-topic while talking—this is inadequate intelligence. Then there are people who fail to distinguish between insiders and outsiders when they’re talking, and sometimes sell themselves out when they speak, without even realizing it—this, too, is inadequate intelligence. For example, some brothers and sisters live with nonbelieving family members, who ask them, “What does your God tell you to do?” They reply: “The God we believe in is so good. He teaches us to be honest people, and that we are not allowed to lie to anyone, and must speak honestly to everybody.” Superficially, it sounds like they are testifying to the work God does, glorifying God, and making their listeners have a good impression of believers and trust them, but is this really the case? What will nonbelievers say when they hear this? They will say, “Since your God has asked you to be honest people, then tell us truthfully: How much money does your church have? Who gives the most offerings? Who is the leader of your church? How many gathering places do you have?” Those brothers and sisters would be taken aback by that, would they not? Are people like this not dim-witted? Why do they talk to devils and nonbelievers about being an honest person? In actual fact they aren’t necessarily that honest before God. So are they not selling themselves out by getting so serious about it with nonbelievers? Is this not digging a hole and setting a trap for themselves? Are they not blockheads? When opening up your heart or speaking honestly to someone, you must take into account who you’re talking to—if it’s a devil or a Satan, can you tell them what’s really going on? So when it comes to people like this, it is necessary to practice being “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”—this is God’s teaching to humankind. Blockheads don’t know to do this. They only know to stick to the regulations, and say things like, “We believers are so honest, we don’t cheat anyone. Look at you nonbelievers, you are full of lies, whereas we all speak honestly.” And after they have spoken honestly, people have the leverage to use against them. Is this not them failing to distinguish between insiders and outsiders? Is it not being a few cards short of a full deck? They understand some doctrines but don’t know how to apply them. They shout some slogans and then they feel they are really spiritual, and think that they understand the truth and possess the truth reality, and they show off everywhere, but in the end, Satans and devils take advantage of this and use it against them. This is inadequate intelligence.

We just talked about several kinds of people who are of inadequate intelligence. One kind is those who don’t understand human language, and who fail to understand and grasp the crux and key points of other people’s words; another kind is blockheads, who are unable to accomplish anything, and who cannot grasp the principles or key points no matter how they do it; a further kind is those who have extremely bigoted and absurd views on everything. Yet another kind is those who are incapable of learning anything, and who are even incapable of learning how to speak or chat, or how to express their thoughts and opinions clearly so that others can understand them; although they are somewhat literate, they can’t organize their language in their heads, or speak clearly, nor can they express correct views, or accomplish anything. These are all people of inadequate intelligence. No matter what crafts or skills they learn, they are constantly unable to grasp the principles and rules. Even if they do a craft or skill well on occasion, it is by chance; they don’t know how they did it well. The next time that they fail to do it well, they don’t know why this is the case either. They are incapable of learning anything or becoming proficient in it. If they are asked to learn a craft or a technical skill, no matter how long they spend learning it, they will only grasp the theory. They have listened to sermons for so many years but haven’t understood the truth. If they are asked to take these words and these specific statements that God’s house often fellowships on, and turn them into a principle and a path of practice, they will be incapable of doing so even if they work themselves to death, and regardless of how they are taught. This confirms that these people have inadequate intelligence. Some people achieve exactly the same results from doing something at the age of 50 or 60 as they did at 30, without having made any progress at all. They haven’t successfully learned a single thing in their lifetime. They haven’t idled away their time, they are very attentive and make an effort, but they haven’t succeeded in learning anything; this shows that they have inadequate intelligence. Based on what we have fellowshipped, the scope of what’s considered inadequate intelligence has become broader, has it not? Would you yourselves count as being of inadequate intelligence? (Yes.) A little bit, to a greater or lesser degree. Why do I say that? Most people have listened to sermons for five years, but they still don’t understand what the truth is, or what God’s intentions are; and some people have listened to sermons for 10 years, or even 20 or 30 years and still don’t understand what the truth reality is and what words and doctrines are, their mouths are filled with doctrines, and they spout them excellently—this is a problem with their intelligence. Leaving aside comprehension of the truth for now, let’s just say that people display the following manifestations toward some external things and common-sense matters in human life: No matter how many years they have been doing something for, their situation, state, and perception remain the same as when they first started learning it, and no matter how they are guided, taught, or how they practice, they still don’t make any progress. This is inadequate intelligence.

Selecting and making use of people based on whether or not they have humanity is in line with principles; so tell Me, should we cultivate and make use of people who have poor humanity, inadequate intelligence, or the work of evil spirits? That absolutely would not do. Apart from these several kinds of people who do not conform to the principles of God’s house for using people, most other people can be used sensibly based on their humanity. For those who are of average humanity, which can’t be called either bad or good, they can just be ordinary team members. For those who have fairly good humanity, who are fairly rational and possessed of conscience, who love positive things, who are particularly upstanding, have a sense of justice, and are able to defend the interests of God’s house, the emphasis can be placed on cultivating and using these people. As for whether to cultivate and use them as leaders or team leaders, or to do some important work, this depends on their caliber and strengths. This is weighing how to use different kinds of people based on their humanity.

Making Use of Different Types of People Sensibly Based on Their Strengths

Let’s talk further about how to use different kinds of people based on their strengths. In addition to caliber, some people also have some professional skills that they excel at. What is meant by the word “strengths”? (Having a skill in a specialized field, such as being able to compose music, play a musical instrument, or paint pictures.) Understanding music theory, art, and also dance and writing—these are all strengths. Acting and directing are strengths to do with film production, translation is a linguistic strength, and video production and special effects are also strengths within specific fields. When we talk about strengths, we are referring to professional skills that relate to the central work of the church. Some people already have a basic level of proficiency, and some people study these things after coming to God’s house. If a person has basic proficiency but their humanity isn’t up to standard, and they are one of those with inadequate intelligence, an evil person, or an evil spirit, then they cannot be used. If the person’s humanity is up to standard and they possess a strength that God’s house has need of, then they can be promoted, cultivated, and made use of, assigned to a team that befits their strengths, or which is related to the professional skills they hold, and set to work right away. Some people do not yet possess a professional strength, but are willing to learn, and catch on really quickly. If their humanity is up to standard, then God’s house can cultivate them and create the conditions for them to learn, and such people can also be made use of. In summary, the assignment of duties is based on people’s caliber and strengths, and as far as possible, people with different strengths should be arranged to work within their own field of expertise, so that they can bring these strengths to bear. If their strengths are not needed by God’s house any more, they can be arranged to do whatever they are capable of doing, based on their caliber and humanity; this is called using people sensibly. If God’s house still has a need for their strengths, they should be allowed to continue doing their duty in this field, and cannot be transferred arbitrarily, unless there are too many people working in this profession, in which case the number of people should be reduced according to the situation by reassigning those who are least competent in their profession to other duties; this is using people sensibly.

There is a certain type of person who doesn’t have any special skills—they can write articles a bit, they can hold a tune when they sing, and learn how to do anything, but they are not the best at these things. What are they best at? They have a bit of caliber, they are relatively possessed of a sense of justice, and they have a bit of an eye for how to judge and make use of people. Beyond that, they most notably possess organizational skills. If you give such a person a task or a job, they can organize people to do it. At the same time, they possess work capability; that is, if you give them a job, they have the ability to do it well and finish it. They have a plan in mind, with steps and a structure. They know how to use people, how to allocate time, and whom to use for this task. If a problem appears, they know how to discuss the solution with everyone. They know how to balance and resolve all these things. A person like this not only possesses work capability, they also speak relatively well. Their words are clear and orderly, and they do not confuse people. When they’ve assigned work, everyone understands clearly and knows what each person should be doing; no one is idle and there are no oversights in the work. Their explanation of the details of the work is also relatively clear and orderly, and for especially complicated issues, they offer analyses, fellowship, and list the details so that everyone understands the issues, knows how to do the work, and knows how to proceed. Beyond that, they can also fellowship on what ways of acting may be flawed, what methods of working will impact efficiency, what people should pay attention to in the course of their work, and so on. That is, they think more than others before they begin to work—they think in more detail, more realistically, and more comprehensively than others. In one respect, they have a brain, and in another, they are eloquent. Having a brain means they do things in an organized fashion, with steps and according to a plan, and with great clarity. Being eloquent means that they can use language to express, clearly and understandably, the thoughts, plans, and calculations in their mind, and that they know how to speak simply and concisely, so that their listeners are not confused. They express themselves in language that is particularly clear, accurate, truthful, and fitting. This is what it means to be eloquent. People like this are eloquent, they possess work capability, organizational skills, and on top of that, they have a sense of responsibility, and are relatively possessed of a sense of justice. They are not people pleasers or peacekeepers. When they see evil people causing disruptions and disturbances to the church work, or blockheads and scummy people who don’t attend to their proper affairs and act in a slippery way, they get angry, feel displeased, and they can promptly resolve and handle these problems, and protect the work and interests of God’s house. Having a sense of responsibility and a sense of justice—aren’t these manifestations the prominent characteristics of this sort of person’s humanity? (Yes.) People like this may not be good at socializing, or may not be very adept in any particular professional skill, but if they possess the characteristics I just described, they can be cultivated as leaders and workers. These characteristics are also their strengths, that is, they are eloquent, possess work capability, organizational skills, and are relatively possessed of a sense of justice. Having a sense of justice is crucial. Do evil people and antichrists have a sense of justice? (No, they don’t.) Antichrists have a wicked nature; it’s impossible for them to have a sense of justice. Another crucial thing is that this kind of person has spiritual understanding and the ability to comprehend the truth; this has to do with their caliber. The strengths of this kind of person refer to those humanity characteristics and talents that I mentioned just now, plus the three standards of having the ability to comprehend the truth, bearing a burden for the church, and possessing work capability. Such people can be cultivated as leaders; there is no problem with that. In addition to having a brain and caliber, a leader must have the ability to comprehend the truth, and have organizational skills and work capability in their job, as well as eloquence. Some people have very good caliber, they possess spiritual understanding, but when it comes time to fellowship at gatherings, they make a total mess of what they are trying to say, they completely lack the ability to organize their language, and what they say is completely devoid of logic. Can such people be cultivated as leaders? (No, they can’t.) Some people just about manage to talk to very small numbers of people; they can fellowship about some states, opinions, and comprehension of the truth, and they can support, provide for, and help others, but around more people they do not dare to speak up, and feel scared, and may even become nervous to the point of tears. Can such people be cultivated? For the kind of person who is of fairly weak and timid humanity, and who is prone to stage fright, if they possess the humanity, strengths, and comprehension ability to be a leader, they can be cultivated to become a team leader or a church leader. First just cultivate and train them; after they have experienced for a period of time, they will gain insight and thereby become a little more courageous, and will no longer be afraid of speaking or get stage fright. In summary, when it comes to those who have the humanity characteristics and strengths that we just fellowshipped about, they can be cultivated to become leaders so long as their humanity is up to standard. As we said last time, in order for someone to be cultivated as a leader, they don’t necessarily have to understand all truths, be able to submit to God, have a God-fearing heart, and so on. It isn’t absolutely necessary to meet these criteria. If someone possesses a certain caliber, has spiritual understanding, and is able to accept the truth, then they can be promoted and cultivated. Is this not using people sensibly? (Yes.) The most crucial criterion is whether someone’s humanity is up to standard or not.

Some people, having listened to what I have said, feel that they already meet the criteria for being a leader and should be promoted. This is a misunderstanding on their part, is it not? Is being a leader such a simple matter? They think, “I am really methodical, I have organizational skills, and I’m eloquent, in that I can explain even the most complex matters clearly, so why doesn’t God’s house promote me? Why don’t the brothers and sisters choose me to be a leader? How come the senior leaders fail to spot that I am talented?” Don’t worry. If you really do meet the criteria for being a leader or a worker, then sooner or later, you will be promoted and allowed to train yourself. What matters now is that you must train yourself a great deal in practicing the truth and handling affairs according to principles, and proactively help others, and solve real problems for God’s chosen people. When God’s chosen people see that you have good caliber and can solve real problems, they will recommend you and elect you. If you don’t take the initiative to do a bit of real work, and just wait for the day when you are suddenly elected as a leader or promoted as an exception by the Above, that is never going to happen. You must do some real work so that everyone can see it; once everyone has seen your strengths for themselves and feels that you are someone who should be promoted, cultivated, and used, they will naturally recommend you and elect you. If you feel right now that you are fit to be a leader, but no one has elected you, and God’s house hasn’t promoted you, why is that? One thing is for sure: You are not yet recognized in the eyes of the brothers and sisters. Maybe it’s your humanity, maybe it’s your pursuit, or maybe it’s your strengths or caliber. If the brothers and sisters don’t recognize or approve of one of these aspects, they won’t elect you or recommend you. So you have to keep working hard, keep on pursuing and training yourself, and when you genuinely understand the truth and can handle matters according to the principles, people will naturally recommend you and elect you; it’s a case of things taking their natural course when the conditions are right. There is no need to constantly look forward to being a leader or think about it all the time; this is an extravagant desire. You should have an ordinary heart, be someone who pursues the truth, be considerate of God’s intentions, and learn to be submissive and patient. You cannot blindly pursue being a leader; that is an ambition, and it is not the right path. You should not have this ambition and desire all the time. Even if you really do have caliber, you must wait until you enter the truth reality before you can be up to the task of serving as a leader or worker. If you do not understand the truth and do not know how to practice the truth, then even if you are selected to be a leader or a worker, you will not be able to do any real work and will have to be dismissed and eliminated, which is something that happens often. If you think yourself fit to be a leader, possessed of the talent, caliber, and humanity for leadership, yet God’s house has not promoted you and the brothers and sisters have not elected you, how should you treat the matter? There is a path of practice here that you can follow. You must thoroughly know yourself. Look to see if what it boils down to is that you have a problem with your humanity, or that the revelation of some aspect of your corrupt disposition repulses people; or whether it is that you do not possess the truth reality and are unconvincing to others, or that the performance of your duty is not up to standard. You must reflect on all these things and see where it is, exactly, that you fall short. After you have reflected for a while and found where your problem is, you must promptly seek the truth to resolve it, and enter the truth reality, and strive to achieve a change and to grow, so that when those around you see it, they will say, “These days, he’s been much better than before. He works solidly and takes his profession seriously, and he’s especially focused on the truth principles. He doesn’t do things impetuously or perfunctorily, and he’s more conscientious and responsible about his work. He used to like talking big now and then, and constantly flaunted himself, but now he’s much more low-key and no longer overbearing. Even if he is able to do a few things, he doesn’t boast about it, and when he’s finished something, he repeatedly reflects on it, for fear of doing something wrong. He acts much more cautiously than before, and with a God-fearing heart—and most of all, he can fellowship about the truth to resolve a few problems. Indeed, he’s grown.” Those around you who have interacted with you for a while find that you have undergone obvious change and growth; in your human life, self-conduct and handling of matters, and in your attitude toward your work, and in your treatment of the truth principles alike, you exert more effort than before, and are rigorous in your speech and acts. The brothers and sisters see all this and take it to heart. Perhaps, then, you will be able to run as a candidate in the next election, and you will have a hope to be elected as a leader. If you can truly do some important duty, you will gain God’s blessing. If you truly have a burden and have such a sense of responsibility, and wish to carry a load, then hurry up and train yourself. Focus on practicing the truth and come to act with principles. Once you have life experience and can write articles of testimony, you will truly have grown. And if you can bear witness for God, then you can certainly gain the work of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is working on you, it means that God looks on you with favor, and with the Holy Spirit guiding you, your opportunity will soon arise. You may have a burden now, but your stature is insufficient and your life experience too shallow, so even if you were to become a leader, you would be liable to tumble. You must pursue life entry, resolve your extravagant desires first, willingly be a follower, and come to submit to God truly, with no words of complaints for whatever He orchestrates or arranges. When you are possessed of this stature, your opportunity will come. That you wish to take on a heavy load, that you have this burden, is a good thing. It shows that you have a proactive heart that seeks to make progress and that you want to be considerate of God’s intentions and follow God’s will. This is not an ambition, but a true burden; it is the responsibility of those who pursue the truth and the object of their pursuit. You have no selfish motives and are not out for your own sake, but to bear witness for God and satisfy Him—this is what is most blessed by God, and He will make suitable arrangements for you. For now, you just concern yourself with pursuing life entry, fulfill your duty properly first, and then write a few experiential testimony articles to bear witness to God. If your testimonies are true and practical, people who read them will admire you and like you, and be willing to engage with you and recommend you, and so your opportunity will come. Therefore, you absolutely must equip yourself with the truth before the opportunity comes. First have practical experience, and then you will naturally have true testimony; the results of your duty will get better and better, by which time, you will not be able to hide even if you wanted to, and the brothers and sisters around you will recommend you. It is because people who have the truth reality are needed not only by God’s house, but also by God’s chosen people; everyone likes to engage with people who have the truth reality, and everyone likes to associate with friends who have the truth reality. If you experience to this degree, and everyone sees that you have true testimony and acknowledges that you have the truth reality, you will not be able to avoid becoming a leader even if you wanted to, and the brothers and sisters will insist on electing you. Is that not the case? When the prodigal son turns back and returns to God, God is pleased, happy, and comforted in His heart. As a person with the truth reality, how could you not be used by God? That would be an impossibility. God’s intention is to gain more people who can bear witness for Him; it is to perfect all who love Him, and to make a group of people who are of one heart and mind with Him as early as possible. Therefore, in God’s house, all who pursue the truth have great prospects, and the prospects of those who love God sincerely are without limit. Everyone should understand God’s intention. It is indeed a positive thing to have this burden, and it is something those with a conscience and reason should possess, but not everyone will necessarily be able to take on a heavy load. Where does this discrepancy come from? Whatever your strengths or capabilities, and however high your IQ may be, what is crucial is your pursuit and the path you walk. If your humanity is up to standard and you have a certain caliber, but you are not someone who pursues the truth, and you merely have good humanity and some sense of burden, can you do the work of a church leader well? Do you guarantee that you can solve problems using the truth? If you cannot guarantee it, then you are still incompetent in your work. Even if you were elected or assigned to be a leader, you would still be incapable of doing the work, so what point would that serve? Although it would satisfy your vanity, it would harm the brothers and sisters and delay the church’s work. If you meet the criteria to be a leader or a worker, and you are someone who pursues the truth, and you also have some experiential testimonies, then you will definitely be able to do a good job as a leader, because you have experiential testimonies, you are someone who understands the truth, and can shoulder the heavy burden of being a church leader. That your humanity is up to standard and you also have certain strengths are just basic criteria for being promoted, cultivated, and used by God’s house, but whether you can do a good job as a leader depends on whether you have real experience and the truth reality—this is what matters most. Some people are correct people and pursue the truth, but they have believed for just three to five years and have no real experience. Can such people do the work of a church leader well? I’m afraid they won’t be competent in the work. Where do they fall short? They lack practical experience and haven’t yet come to understand the truth. Even if they can speak many words and doctrines, it is still beyond them to solve problems using the truth. Therefore, they are still not competent in the work of a leader and need to continue training themselves in order to achieve understanding of the truth and entry into the truth reality. For instance, if a person is of up-to-standard humanity and fairly honest, and seldom lies and cheats, and does their duty without causing disruption or disturbance, but is poor at pursuing the truth, can such a person be cultivated to be a leader or a worker? This would be very difficult. Would a person who meets the criteria for being promoted, cultivated, and used, but who does not pursue the truth, be capable of becoming someone who pursues the truth if they were promoted to be a leader or a worker? Would they be able to start pursuing the truth? Would they be able to enter into the truth reality after working as a leader or a worker for a period of time? That would be an impossibility. No matter what criteria a person meets, as long as they are not someone who pursues the truth, they absolutely cannot be elected or promoted as a leader or a worker. If a person is possessed of humanity and caliber that are up to standard, and is also able to accept the truth and undergo some changes, then they can be promoted, cultivated, and used, and as a result, they will then get the opportunity to train themselves, enter into the truth reality, and embark on the path to salvation and perfection. Therefore, no matter who God’s house promotes to be a leader, worker, or supervisor, the purpose is not to satisfy your personal desires and ambitions, nor to fulfill your ideals, but to enable you to embark on the path of salvation and become a perfected person.

As for those who are not quite of sufficient intelligence, they also have aspirations to do their duty well and want to defend the interests of God’s house, but they lack wisdom, don’t know how to act according to the principles, and cannot see through any matter. At some point in time, they encounter temptation and fall into it, and as a result, they sell out the interests of the church, sell out the brothers and sisters, and bring harm to the work of God’s house. How should we deal with and treat this kind of people who are blockheads and who are of inadequate intelligence? When it comes to such blockheads who lack spiritual understanding and are of inadequate intelligence, every last one of them should be dismissed and reassigned, and not one can be used. If such people are used, they could bring trouble to the work of God’s house at any time—there are so many lessons like this. Nowadays, there are many people who outwardly have some human likeness, but they cannot fellowship any truth reality. They have believed in God for many years and yet they remain in this state. The root of this problem should be seen clearly; this is a problem of exceedingly poor caliber and a lack of spiritual understanding. Such people will not change no matter how many years they believe in God, and have made no significant progress despite all the sermons they have listened to. They can only be put to one side, to render service in whatever meager way they are able to. Is this a good way of dealing with them or not? (It is good.) Some people with inadequate intelligence and no strength cannot understand God’s words at all even after reading them for several years, and fail to understand sermons despite having listened to them for several years. Is it still useful to issue books of God’s words to such people? (No, it isn’t.) Books of God’s words should not be issued to people with inadequate intelligence, because doing so is futile and tantamount to a waste, and any that has been issued to them should be collected back immediately. This is not to deprive them of the right to read God’s words, but because their intelligence falls short. Even if such people live the church life, they cannot understand the truth, let alone do a duty. Such people are the same as trash, are they not? You ought to know how to handle trash. Some people appear quite guileless on the outside, but their intelligence is so abysmal that they can’t even do any physical chores properly, and they make a hash of everything they do. If they are asked to do a chore, they will certainly damage something, so people like this cannot be used. If you ask them to pick up a bucket of water, they will knock over a bottle of oil. If you ask them to wash a bowl, they will break a plate. If you ask them to cook, they will either cook too much or too little, or it will be too salty or too bland. They do put their heart into it, but they can’t do anything well and don’t even do a good job of performing physical labor. Can such people be used? (No.) So if they can’t be used, what should they be asked to do? Does it mean that they aren’t allowed to believe in God and that God’s house doesn’t want them? No, it doesn’t. Just don’t let them do a duty. If they don’t properly do things that are within the scope of normal human life—including everyday common-sense things and routine matters of daily life—or they are incapable of doing these things, then they are not fit to do a duty in God’s house.

Although some people are not possessed of good humanity or any special talents, let alone can they be cultivated to be leaders, they can still do some physical chores. For instance, feeding chickens and ducks, feeding pigs, and tending sheep are jobs that they can do well. If you give them a simple job, they can do it well as long as they put their heart into it, and thus such people can do a duty in God’s house. Though it is a single, simple chore, they can put their heart into it and fulfill a responsibility, and they can also make demands on themselves according to God’s words and the truth principles. No matter whether the chore is big or small, or the work is important or unimportant, when all is said and done, they can do the single job assigned to them well. Not only can they feed the chickens well so that they lay eggs normally, but they can also protect the chickens from being carried away by wolves. If they hear a wolf howling, they will immediately tell their supervisor, striving to avoid any mishaps in the performance of the job and task entrusted to them by God’s house. If they work like this then they are relatively dedicated, and this counts as being able to fulfill their responsibility and do a job well. With what remains—their personal life, and how they conduct themselves and deal with things—they fall somewhat short; for instance, they don’t know how to interact and chat with others, or how to fellowship on their state with others, and are sometimes petulant. Is this considered a problem? Is it okay not to use them because of these issues? (No, it isn’t.) Some people have poor personal hygiene; they don’t wash their hair for at least ten days and they generally smell bad. Others make loud noises eating and drinking while those around them are resting, and are loud at other times too, such as when walking, closing doors, and talking—they are uneducated and have no manners. How should such people be treated? Everyone must be understanding, help and support them with a loving heart, fellowship with them about what normal humanity is, and allow them to change little by little. Since you’re all together, you have to learn to rub along. Such people can be used as long as they are able to do their job properly, and undertake the job, and don’t do anything that causes disruption and disturbance. Some people are clever, have good caliber, and work diligently, and they can fulfill their responsibilities and do well in the jobs assigned to them, so they can be cultivated and used. But some people are of such exceedingly poor caliber that they can’t even do single jobs well; they can just about cope with feeding chickens, but if they also have to feed ducks and geese, they will get overwhelmed and won’t know how to do it. It’s not that they don’t want to do it well, but their caliber is too poor. Their brain has its limitations, they only know how to do one task, and if they are given one more to do, they’re out of their depth. They don’t know how to plan, so they just mess things up. Such people are only fit for doing one job at a time. Don’t give them multiple jobs, because they will be incapable of undertaking them. Don’t think that if they can do one chore well, they can surely do two or three chores; this isn’t necessarily the case, and it depends on their caliber. Let them try doing two chores first. If they have good caliber and can undertake it, then you can arrange for them this way. If they can’t simultaneously do two chores well, and mess up, it means it is beyond their caliber, so you must take away their second chore immediately. This is because through observation and probation, you have discovered that they are only fit for doing one job at a time, rather than doing multiple complex jobs, and that they don’t have the caliber for this. Some people are relatively clever and of relatively good caliber, and if you give them several jobs to do, they can do them well. For example, if you ask them to cook meals, feed the chicks, and manage the vegetable garden, they are able to prepare the meals on time every day while managing the vegetable garden in their spare moments, promptly watering and weeding the garden, and feeding the chicks on time. Some people may say, “Since they have this caliber, let them also take over the church’s work and be a church leader.” Would that be okay? Although they are capable of undertaking some physical tasks and everyday chores, when it comes to being a church leader, that requires a separate appraisal; it’s not something that can be measured based on their doing these simple, external chores. That’s because being a church leader isn’t a physical chore, it must be measured by the principles of leadership. However, if this person possesses the caliber and talent to be a church leader, and their humanity is fairly good, it would be inappropriate for you to assign them to do external chores; that is called using people inappropriately. At most, church leaders can do one more part-time chore that relates to everyday life, and concern themselves with it a bit more whenever they are not busy—this will not tire them out. When it comes to trivial, routine matters and these physical tasks, people can do as many of them as they are able. Is there anyone who can take on all of them? Is there anyone with such caliber? (No.) It may be that their caliber and ability are sufficient, but there is one thing that they won’t have enough of, and that’s energy. People are mortal, their energy is limited, and the number of jobs they can undertake is also limited. People with high energy may be able to work up to 12 hours a day, whereas people with average energy can normally work for eight hours, and people with low energy can work for just four or five hours. Therefore, whether you use a person to do physical chores, church leadership work, or work that involves professional skills, you must consider what they are most suited to, and after assigning them the most suitable work, if they can’t do it, assign them something else. If you don’t assign them work according to what they are most suited to doing, this is a mistake in the way you use people. For those people who cannot be prioritized for promotion, cultivation, and use, even if they are asked to do physical chores, they must be assigned to these chores based on their caliber and abilities. If, at the same time as doing their one appointed job well, they are still able to do other jobs, then they can be asked to do a few other physical chores on a part-time basis, as long as it doesn’t impact their main job. Some people are physically strong and can do three chores one after the other; after finishing one chore, they still have energy to spare, and they are free most of the time. But false leaders are blind and don’t know how to allocate work, and haven’t realized that this is a problem, so they only assign those people to do one chore, which is a mistake.

I was talking just now about people with inadequate intelligence who have no special skills and are only capable of physical exertion. There are also people who have some ailment and are incapable even of physical exertion, and who get a headache, stomachache, or backache whenever they do anything that is the slightest bit physical. What should be done about assigning duties to people of this kind, if they are suited to doing a duty? One must look at various aspects, such as their state of health and also their humanity and caliber, to ascertain what duties they are fit to do in God’s house. If their health is so bad that they can’t do any chores, and have to take a break after working for a while, and also need someone to attend to them, if they can’t do a duty properly on their own and must be paired up with someone who can look after them, then that’s not worth it at all. Such people are not fit to do a duty, so let them go home and recuperate. Whatever you do, don’t use anyone who is so seriously ill that a gust of wind will likely blow them down. If their health is not too poor and it’s just that they suffer from stomachache if they eat the wrong thing, or they get a headache if they use their brain too much, so they can only manage to work three or four hours less than a normal person, or do half of the work of a normal person, then such people can still be used as long as they meet the other criteria. Unless they bring it up themselves and say, “My health is too poor to put up with this hardship. I want to go home to recuperate. When I recover, I’ll come back and do my duty,” then agree to that without delay and do not try to counsel them on their way of thinking; it won’t have any effect even if you do it. There’s a saying that goes, “Something done grudgingly will not produce satisfactory results”; everyone’s faith, aspirations, and pursuits are different. Some people may say: “Isn’t it merely that they sometimes feel a little out of sorts and a bit low on energy? People might feel out of sorts if they eat the wrong things, but after a couple of days they will be fine; is there any need for them to go home and recuperate? Won’t their headache and dizziness go away after a good night’s sleep? Can they not work normally then? Is it such a big deal?” It may not be a big deal to you, but some people are different from others in terms of the degree to which they cherish their flesh, and some people indeed have health troubles. In such cases, if they put in a request to return home to rest and recuperate, the church should quickly agree, not make demands on them, not make things hard for them, and especially not try to counsel them on their way of thinking. Some false leaders constantly work on such people, by saying: “Look at the extent that God’s work has reached now. Disasters are getting bigger and bigger, the four blood moons have appeared, and now the pandemic is so widespread that nonbelievers have no way of surviving! You are in God’s house, doing your duties and enjoying God’s grace—you won’t be exposed to danger and you can also gain truth and life—what a great blessing that is! This minor trouble you have is nothing. You have to overcome it and pray to God. God will definitely heal you. Just read God’s words, learn a few more hymns, and your ailment will naturally get better if you keep your mind off it. Don’t God’s words say, ‘To dwell in sickness is to be sick’? You are dwelling in sickness right now. If you keep thinking about being sick, then the sickness will become serious. If you don’t think about it, then your ailment will disappear, won’t it? That way, you will grow in faith and you won’t want to go home to rest. You going home to rest is called coveting the comforts of the flesh.” Don’t try to counsel them on their way of thinking, it’s foolish to do that. They can’t even persevere through a little temporary discomfort and just want to go home to rest, and can’t even get over a minor difficulty, which proves that they aren’t doing their duty sincerely. In all actuality, this kind of people have no intention of doing their duty in the long run, they don’t do it with any sincerity, are unwilling to pay a price, and now they have finally found an opportunity and an excuse to make a complete getaway. In their heart, they are rejoicing that they are so smart and that this illness has come at just the right time. So whatever you do, don’t urge them to stay. They will hate anyone who tries to urge them to stay, and they will curse anyone who tries to counsel them on their way of thinking. Don’t you understand this? Of course, some people really are ill, and have been for a long time, and are afraid that if they persist any longer, their life will be in danger. They don’t want to bring any trouble to God’s house, or impact on other people’s performance of their duty. They feel that once their health fails them, they will have to rely on the brothers and sisters to take care of them, and they feel bad about making God’s house take care of them, so they wisely take the initiative to ask for leave. How should this situation be dealt with? Likewise, by letting them go home and rest without further ado. God’s house isn’t afraid of trouble, it just doesn’t want to force things on people against their will. In addition, people all have some personal and real difficulties. People living in the flesh all get sick, and illnesses of the flesh are a problem that exists in reality—we respect the facts. Some people genuinely are unable to do their duties due to being in seriously ill health, and if they need God’s house to provide them with conveniences, or they need the brothers and sisters to provide remedies or offer some treatment suggestions, God’s house will be happy to provide these things. If they don’t want to inconvenience God’s house and they have the money, means, and wherewithal to go and get their illness treated, that’s fine too. In summary, if it’s because their health doesn’t allow them to continue doing their duties in God’s house or to continue being cultivated by God’s house, then they can justifiably put in a request, and God’s house will immediately agree to it. No one should counsel them on their way of thinking, or impose demands, as that would be inappropriate and devoid of rationality. These are the arrangements that are made for this kind of people.

How to Treat a Few Special Kinds of People

I. How to Treat People Who Do Not Attend to Their Proper Work

Some people have passable humanity, they have strengths and a bright mind, they speak normally, they are usually very optimistic, and they are very proactive in doing their duty, but they have one flaw, which is that they are very sentimental. While following God and doing their duty in the church, they constantly miss their family and relatives, or they constantly think about eating nice food back in their hometown, and not being able to eat it pains them, which in turn affects their performance of their duty. There is another kind of person, who likes to live alone in one place, with their own private space. When they are with the brothers and sisters, they feel that the pace of work is too fast and that they have no private living space. They constantly feel under pressure, and always feel restrained and uncomfortable living with the brothers and sisters. They always want to do whatever they please and be free to indulge themselves. They don’t want to do their duty together with everyone else, and they constantly think about returning home. They always find doing their duty in God’s house unpleasant. Although the brothers and sisters are easy to get along with and no one bullies them in God’s house, they struggle somewhat to stick to the work and rest schedule—after everyone gets up in the morning, they want to sleep in, but they feel embarrassed to do so, and when everyone else is already resting at night, they don’t want to go to bed and always want to do something that interests them. Sometimes there’s something in particular that they really want to eat, but it’s not available in the canteen, and they are too embarrassed to request it. Sometimes they want to go for a stroll, but no one else asks to do this, so they don’t dare to indulge themselves. They are always careful and cautious, and afraid of being laughed at, looked down upon, or called childish. If they don’t do their duty well, they sometimes end up being pruned. They feel like every day they’re on tenterhooks, like they’re treading on thin ice, and they are quite unhappy. They think, “I remember that when I was at home, I was the little baby of the family, free and unrestrained, like a little angel. How happy I was! I am doing my duty in God’s house now, how come the traces of my former self have vanished? I can no longer do whatever I want, like I used to do,” and so they do not want to live this kind of life. But they dare not mention this to their leader, and they constantly pass on these thoughts to the people around them, they are always homesick, and secretly cry in bed at night. What should be done about this kind of people? Anyone who is aware of the matter should report it without delay, the leader should immediately ascertain whether the report is true or not, and if it is, that person can be allowed to return home. They are enjoying the food, drink, and hospitality of God’s house, but they are still unwilling to do their duty and always in a mood, feeling aggrieved and unhappy, so send them on their way as soon as possible. People of this sort don’t have these moods temporarily, and then resolve them by thinking things over—that’s not their situation. Some people’s subjective will is to steadfastly do their duty, and although they miss home, they know what sort of problem this is, and they are able to seek the truth and resolve it. In the case of these people, there is no need to let them go or worry about them. The situation we are talking about is when people in their 30s still act like children, without ever growing up, and always remain unstable. They only do whatever they are asked to do, and when they have nothing to do, they think about having fun and chatting about irrelevant topics, and never want to attend to their proper work. Nonbelievers talk about being established at the age of 30. Being established means attending to one’s proper work, being able to take on a job and provide for oneself, knowing to attend to one’s proper business, spending less time having fun, and not delaying one’s proper work. What does “acting like children” mean? It means being incapable of undertaking any proper work, always wanting to let their mind wander, and constantly wanting to go for a stroll, wander about, goof around, eat snacks, watch dramas, chat about irrelevant things, play games, and trawl the internet for strange occurrences and unusual stories. It means never being inclined to attend gatherings, always wanting to sleep whenever gatherings are held, wanting to sleep as soon as they feel drowsy, and wanting to eat as soon as they feel hungry, being willful and not attending to their proper work. People like this cannot be said to have bad humanity, it’s just that they never grow up and always remain immature. They are like this at the age of 30, and they are still like this at 40; they are incapable of changing. If they request to leave and no longer want to do their duty, how should this be handled? God’s house doesn’t urge them to stay. You should respond to them right away—let them leave immediately and return among the nonbelievers, and tell them absolutely not to say that they believe in God. Can people who don’t attend to their proper work obtain the truth? If you expect them to mature in terms of their humanity and come to attend to their proper work through doing a duty in God’s house, to be capable of shouldering an important item of work, and to then understand and practice the truth and live out human likeness, you absolutely should not count on it. You will find people like this in any group. Nonbelievers have a nickname for this sort of people: “big kids.” Such people can reach the age of 60 without ever having attended to their proper work. They talk and handle things improperly, they are always laughing, joking, and bouncing around, they don’t do anything in a serious manner, and they are particularly intent on having fun. God’s house cannot make use of such people.

Do you think these “big kids” are bad? Are they evil people? (No.) Some of them aren’t evil people, they are quite simple, and not bad. Some of them are quite kind-hearted and willing to help others. But they all have one flaw—they are willful, fun-loving, and don’t attend to their proper work. For example, say that after a woman gets married, she doesn’t learn to do any housework. She cooks meals only when she is happy, but not when she is unhappy—she has to be coaxed all the time. If someone wants her to do something, they have to negotiate it with her, and she has to be watched over. She always likes to dress up nicely so that she can go out shopping, buying clothes and cosmetics, and getting beauty treatments done. When she returns home, she doesn’t do a single chore, and just wants to play cards and mahjong. If you ask her how much a pound of cabbage costs, she doesn’t know; if you ask her what she’s going to eat tomorrow, she doesn’t know that either; and if you ask her to cook something up, she makes a hash of it. So, what is she most proficient at? She is most proficient at things like knowing which restaurant serves the best food, which store stocks the most fashionable clothes, and which store sells affordable and effective cosmetics, but she doesn’t understand or learn other things like how to pass her days, or the skills that are required in normal human life. Does she not learn these things because she is of insufficient caliber? No, that’s not it. Judging from the things she is proficient in, she has caliber, but she doesn’t attend to her proper work. As long as she has money to spend, she will go out to eat in restaurants and buy makeup and clothes. If there’s a shortage of pots and pans at home and she’s asked to buy some, she will say, “There’s delicious food for sale outside, what do I need to buy all that for?” If the vacuum cleaner at home is broken, and she’s asked to buy one less item of clothing in order to save money to buy a new one, she will say, “When I’m earning money in the future, I’ll just hire a housekeeper to clean the house, so there’s no need to buy a vacuum cleaner.” Usually, if she’s not playing games or mahjong, then she’s buying trendy clothes, and she never cleans the house. This is not attending to one’s proper work, isn’t it? Then there are some men who, as soon as they make some money, buy a car with it or gamble it away. If something is broken at home, they don’t repair it. They don’t pass their days in a proper way. In their home, their refrigerator doesn’t work, and neither does their washing machine, the drains are blocked, and the roof leaks when it rains, and they don’t repair these things for a very long time. What do you think of such men? They don’t attend to their proper work. Be they men or women, God’s house cannot use the types of people who are overly willful and don’t attend to their proper work.

Some people don’t attend to their proper work as parents, and they fail to take proper care of their children. As a result, their children end up being scalded by boiling water or suffering some knocks and scrapes; some children end up breaking their noses, others burn their bottoms on the stove, and others scald their throats after drinking boiling water. People of this sort aren’t attentive in anything they do, and they are incapable of doing anything properly. They don’t attend to their proper work, they fool around, they are willful and fun-loving, and they are incapable of shouldering the responsibilities that a person should bear. As parents, they are unable to fulfill their responsibilities and they are inattentive. So, can such people shoulder the responsibilities that normal people should bear when doing a duty in God’s house? No, absolutely not. People who don’t attend to their proper work cannot be used. If they say they don’t want to do their duty anymore and ask to return home, then just let them go right away. No one should push or urge them to stay, because this is a problem to do with their nature, it’s not an occasional, fleeting manifestation. These people were full of delusions when they came into God’s house to do their duty; they thought that doing a duty and following God would be like coming to the Garden of Eden, like being in the good land of Canaan. The life they imagined was wonderful, with lovely things to eat and drink all day long, liberty and no restraints, and no work to be done at all. They wanted to live a carefree life of leisure, but it turned out to be completely different from what they imagined. These people have experienced enough, and they feel that it is boring and dull here, and want to leave, so let them go without delay, God’s house does not urge these people to stay. God’s house does not push people, and you shouldn’t do this either; this is practicing the truth and acting in accordance with the principles. You must do things that are in line with the truth principles, you must be a person who understands God’s intentions, a wise person—don’t be a muddleheaded person, or an indiscriminate people pleaser. Handle the kind of people who don’t attend to their proper work in this way—can this be considered unloving or not giving people the chance to repent? (No, it can’t.) God is fair to everyone, and God’s house has the right to promote, cultivate, and use you. If you are unwilling to do your duty, and you ask to leave the church, that is your free choice, so the church should agree to your request, it absolutely will not force you. This is in keeping with morality, in keeping with humanity, and of course, it is especially in keeping with the truth principles. This is a very appropriate course of action! If anyone does their duty for a period of time, and finds it tiring and difficult, and isn’t happy to do it anymore, and consequently wants to give up their duty and stop believing in God, I will give you a definite response to this today, which is that God’s house will agree to this, and it will never force you to stay, or make things difficult for you. There is no dilemma to this, and you do not need to feel like you’re in a quandary, or that you have lost face. Much less is it an issue for God’s house, and God’s house does not place any demands on you either. What’s more, if you want to leave, then God’s house will not condemn you or stand in your way, because this is the path you have chosen, and God’s house can only meet your demands. Is this an appropriate course of action? (Yes.)

I have just listed several situations in which people don’t attend to their proper work. God’s house will not push these people; if they are unwilling to do their duty or have some personal difficulties and request to no longer do a duty, then God’s house will agree. It will not use them anymore, and it won’t let them do a duty. This is how such people are handled, and it is a completely appropriate course of action.

II. How to Treat Judases

There are some people who are extremely fainthearted, and whenever they hear that a brother or sister has been arrested, they are extremely afraid of being arrested themselves. It is clear that if they do get arrested, there is a danger of them selling out the church. How should such people be handled? Are these people fit to do some important duties? (No, they aren’t.) Some people may say, “Who can guarantee that they themselves won’t become a Judas?” No one can guarantee that they themselves would never become a Judas if they were to be tortured. So, why doesn’t God’s house use cowardly people who could become Judases? Because people who are obviously cowardly could get arrested and sell out the church at any time; if such people are used to do an important duty, it is extremely likely that things will go wrong. This is a principle that must be understood when selecting and using people in the perilous environment of mainland China. There is a special circumstance here, which is that some people have been subjected to severe, prolonged torture that put their lives in danger, and ultimately, they really couldn’t bear it anymore, so they became Judases out of weakness and sold out the church by exposing some insignificant things. No one can see through to such people, and these people can still be used. But then there are people who have already prepared a way out for themselves before getting arrested. They have thought long and hard about how to secure their immediate release after being arrested without having to undergo any torture—firstly, avoiding torture, secondly, avoiding being sentenced, and thirdly, avoiding going to prison. This is how they think. They don’t have the resolve that they would rather suffer or be imprisoned than become a Judas. They might sell out the church without even being tortured, so could it be said that they are already Judases before they get arrested and imprisoned? (Yes.) These are the real Judases. Does the church dare to make use of this kind of people? (No, it doesn’t.) If they can be spotted, they absolutely must not be cultivated and used. How do these people usually manifest themselves? They are extremely fainthearted. As soon as something goes wrong, they shirk their responsibilities at the earliest opportunity, and whenever they encounter the slightest bit of risk, they abandon their duty and take off. Every time they hear that the environment has become dangerous, they find a safe place to hide; no one can find them, and they don’t keep in contact with anyone. Laying low is a job they do exceptionally well. They don’t care about whatever difficulties the church’s work is experiencing, and they are capable of putting aside any manner of critical work; they regard their own safety as more important than anything else. Moreover, in the face of danger, they will get others to stick their necks out and take risks whenever something comes up, while they protect themselves. No matter how much danger they expose others to, they feel that it is worthwhile and proper to do this for the sake of their own safety. Also, when faced with danger, they don’t hurriedly come before God to pray, nor do they hurriedly arrange for the transfer of brothers and sisters or church property that may be in danger. Instead, they first think hard about how to escape, how to hide, and how to extricate themselves from the danger. They even have their exit plan worked out—who to sell out first if they do get arrested, how to avoid being tortured, how to avoid being sentenced to prison, and how to avoid adversity. Whenever they encounter some kind of adversity, they are scared to death and don’t possess a single ounce of faith. Aren’t people of this kind dangerous? If they are asked to undertake perilous work, they grumble about it endlessly, they become frightened and constantly think about running away, and are unwilling to undertake it. People of this sort already show signs of being Judases even before they are arrested. Once they do get arrested, it’s one hundred percent certain that they will sell out the church. In doing their duty in God’s house, they are really proactive in everything that puts them in the limelight without exposing them to risk; but when it comes to taking risks, they back off, and if you ask them to do something risky, they won’t do it, they just won’t take responsibility. Once they hear of danger somewhere, for instance, that the great red dragon is conducting arrests, or that some believers have been caught, they stop attending gatherings, they cease contact with the brothers and sisters, and no one can find them. They re-emerge once the rumors have subsided and everything’s fine. Are people of this kind reliable? Can they do a duty in God’s house? (No.) Why can’t they? They don’t even have the resolve or aspiration to not become Judases; they are just cowards, wimps, and good-for-nothings. People of this sort have one obvious characteristic, which is that no matter what strengths and abilities they possess, if God’s house makes use of them, they will never devote themselves wholeheartedly to defending the interests of God’s house. Is it that they don’t defend the interests of God’s house because they are incapable of doing so? No, that’s not the case; even if they have this ability, they won’t defend the interests of God’s house. They are typical Judases. Whenever they need to have dealings with nonbelievers in the course of doing their duty, they maintain harmonious relations with them and see to it that the nonbelievers maintain a high regard, respect and appreciation for them. What, then, is the price by which they obtain all this? It is that of selling out the interests of God’s house in exchange for their personal glory and interests. This kind of person is especially cowardly even before getting arrested, and after being arrested they are one hundred percent certain to become a traitor. God’s house absolutely cannot use people like this—these Judases—and it must eliminate them as soon as possible.

As for the sort of people who are Judases, although outwardly they don’t appear to be evil ones, they are actually people of extremely lowly integrity and diabolical character. No matter how much they listen to sermons or read God’s words, they just cannot understand the truth, and neither do they feel that harming the interests of God’s house is the most shameful, wicked, and vicious thing. They are willing to step up when it comes to things that get them noticed, but when it comes to things that are risky, or tricky to deal with, they let others take on them and tackle them. What manner of people are they? Are they not people of extremely lowly integrity? Some people purchase things for God’s house, and in doing so, they ought to take into account the interests of God’s house, and be fair and reasonable. However, the kind of people who are Judases not only fail to defend the interests of God’s house, but on the contrary, they help nonbelievers at the expense of God’s house, and satisfy the demands of nonbelievers at every opportunity, and would rather the interests of God’s house be harmed if it helps them to curry favor with nonbelievers. This is called biting the hand that feeds you, and it is lacking in virtue! Is this not having despicable humanity? This is not much better than Judas selling out the Lord and his friends. Whatever God’s house entrusts them to do, they don’t consider the interests of God’s house. When asked to purchase something, they never shop around and compare the prices, quality and after-sales service of multiple suppliers, and then carefully weigh up the options and carry out the proper checks, so that they avoid getting cheated, save God’s house a bit of money, and protect the interests of God’s house from being harmed—they never do that. If a brother or sister suggests that it would be best to shop around, they say, “There’s no need to shop around; the supplier says that their stuff is the best.” When the brother or sister asks them, “So can you negotiate a price with them?” they reply, “Why negotiate a price? They’ve already told me what the price is, and if I start haggling with them, that would surely be embarrassing, and it would seem like we had no money. God’s house is wealthy, isn’t it?” No matter how much something costs or what the quality is like, as long as they deem it suitable, they will get someone to purchase it straight away, and will criticize, reprimand and even condemn anyone who delays in making the purchase. No one dares to say “no” to their faces, and no one dares to put forward any opinions. Whether they are doing a major deal or running a small errand for God’s house, what are their principles? “God’s house just needs to pay the money, and whether or not the interests of God’s house are harmed has nothing to do with me. This is just how I get things done; I have to establish good relations with nonbelievers. Whatever the nonbelievers say is right, and I will go along with it. I won’t handle matters according to the requirements of God’s house. If you want to use me, then do so; if you don’t want to use me, then don’t—it’s up to you. This is just how I am!” Is this not a devilish nature? Such people are nonbelievers and disbelievers. Can they be used to handle affairs for God’s house? This kind of person has some education, strengths, and some outward abilities, and is good at talking, and can handle some business. But no matter what affairs they handle for God’s house, they inevitably do it recklessly and willfully, causing harm to the interests of God’s house. They also persistently deceive God’s house and conceal the true state of affairs, and once they have messed things up, God’s house has to arrange for someone to clean up their mess. This is a typical example of colluding with outsiders to sell out the interests of God’s house. How is this different from Judas selling out the Lord and his friends? When people of this kind are used to do a duty, not only do they fail to render service to God’s house, but they turn out to be wastrels and bringers of bad luck. They aren’t even qualified to be service-doers; they are degenerates, pure and simple! Such people are exactly lackeys of Satan and offspring of the great red dragon, and once they are revealed, they should be cleared out and eliminated right away. As a believer in God and a member of God’s house, they can’t even fulfill their responsibility to defend the interests of God’s house, do they still have conscience and reason? They are even worse than a guard dog!

The sort of people who are Judases don’t have the word “Judas” plastered across their foreheads, but their conduct and actions are of exactly the same nature as those of Judas, and you should never make use of this kind of people. What do I mean by “never make use of”? It means that they must never, ever be trusted with important matters. If it’s a trivial matter that doesn’t have implications for the interests of God’s house, it’s okay to make use of them temporarily, but this type of person definitely doesn’t conform to the principles of God’s house for using people, because they are born Judases, and they are innately bad. In short, these people are dangerous characters and absolutely must not be used. The longer you use this kind of people, the more uneasy you will feel, and the more repercussions it will have in the future. Therefore, if you already see clearly that they are the kind of people who are Judases, then you absolutely shouldn’t make use of them—all of this is true. Is it proper to act this way toward them? Some people may say: “It’s unloving to act this way toward them. They haven’t sold anyone out; how can they be Judases?” Do you need to wait for them to sell someone out? How did Judas manifest himself? Were there any signs that he was about to sell out the Lord? (Yes, he stole money from the Lord Jesus’ money bag.) People who constantly sell out the interests of God’s house have the same nature as Judas, who stole money from the money bag. Once people like this are arrested, they will sell out, and give up everything they know to Satan, without holding anything back. This kind of person has the essence of Judas. Their essence has already been clearly revealed and exposed; if you use them nevertheless, are you not asking for trouble? Is this not intentionally harming God’s house? Some people openly say, “If anyone prunes me, or if anyone does anything that harms my interests or ruins the good thing I’ve got going here, they’ll get what’s coming to them!” It is especially the case that this kind of person has the essence of Judas; it is all too obvious. They themselves tell others that they are Judas, so this kind of person definitely cannot be made use of.

III. How to Treat Friends of the Church

There is another kind of people who cannot be considered as either good or bad, and who are believers in name only. If you ask them to do something occasionally, they can do it, but they won’t proactively do their duty if you don’t arrange it for them. Whenever they are free they attend gatherings, but in their own private time, it’s not known whether they eat and drink God’s words, learn hymns, or pray. However, they are relatively friendly toward God’s house and the church. What does relatively friendly mean? It means that if the brothers and sisters ask them to do something, they will agree to it; for the sake of being fellow believers, they can help get a few things done, within the extent of their abilities. However, if they are asked to expend great effort or to pay some sort of price, they absolutely will not do it. If a brother or sister is in some difficulty and needs them to lend a hand, such as by occasionally helping to look after the house, cook a meal, or occasionally helping out with a few minor chores—or the person knows a foreign language and can help the brothers and sisters to read letters—they are able to lend a hand with this sort of thing and are relatively friendly. They usually get along pretty well with others and don’t keep scores with people, but they don’t attend gatherings regularly and don’t ask to do a duty, let alone undertake any important or even dangerous work. If you ask them to do a dangerous task, they will definitely turn you down, saying, “I believe in god for the sake of seeking peace, so how could I do dangerous tasks? Wouldn’t that be seeking trouble for myself? I absolutely cannot do it!” But if the brothers and sisters or the church ask them to do something minor, they can help and make a token effort, just like a friend. This form of exerting oneself and helping cannot be called doing a duty, nor can it be called acting in accordance with the truth principles, and much less can it be called practicing the truth; it is just a case of them having a favorable impression of believers in God and being fairly friendly toward them, and being able to lend a helping hand if someone needs assistance. What is the name for this kind of people? God’s house calls them friends of the church. How should the kind of people who are friends of the church be treated? If they possess caliber and some strengths and can help the church to handle some external matters, then they also count as service-doers and are friends of the church. It is because people of this kind don’t count as believers in God, and God’s house does not recognize them. And if they are not recognized by God’s house, can God recognize them as believers? (No.) Therefore, never, ever ask this kind of people to join the ranks of those who perform a duty full-time. There are those who say: “Some people, when they first start believing, have little faith and just want to be friends of the church. They don’t understand many things about believing in God, so how can they be willing to do a duty? How can they be willing to wholeheartedly expend themselves?” We are not talking about people who have believed in God for three to five months or up to a year, but people who have nominally believed in God for over three years, or even for five or ten years. No matter how much people like this acknowledge with their mouths that God is the only true God and that The Church of Almighty God is the true church, it does not prove that they are true believers. Based on the various manifestations of this kind of people and their mode of faith, we call them friends of the church. Don’t treat them as brothers or sisters—they are not brothers or sisters. Don’t let such people join the full-time duty church, and don’t let them join the ranks of those who perform a duty full-time; God’s house does not make use of such people. Some may say: “Are You prejudiced against this kind of people? Although they may appear lukewarm on the outside, they are actually very fervent on the inside.” It would be impossible for sincere believers to have believed in God for five or ten years and still be lukewarm; the behavior of this kind of people already fully reveals that they are disbelievers, people on the outside of God’s words, and nonbelievers. If you still call them brothers and sisters, and still say they are being treated unfairly, then that is your notion and your feelings talking.

How should we treat the kind of people who are friends of the church? They are warm-hearted and willing to help with handling a small number of matters. If there is a need for them, you can give them an opportunity to handle a small number of matters. If they can do something, let them do it. As for things that they can’t do well, and might even mess up, definitely don’t leave such tasks to them, so as to avoid creating trouble—you cannot let yourself feel compelled by their good intentions. They don’t understand the truth, and neither do they understand the principles. If there are external matters that they can handle, let them go ahead. But never let them handle major matters that have a bearing on the church’s work—in such a case, their good intentions and enthusiastic help should be rejected. When you encounter this kind of person, just superficially have dealings with them, but leave it at that; don’t get serious with them. Why shouldn’t you get serious with them? Because they are just friends of the church, and they are not the brothers or sisters at all. Do such people conform to the principles of God’s house for using people? (No, they don’t.) Therefore, if this kind of person doesn’t attend gatherings, listen to sermons, or do a duty, there is no need to invite them. If they don’t eat and drink God’s words or pray, if they don’t seek the truth principles whenever things befall them, and if they are unwilling to engage with the brothers and sisters, there is no need to support or help them. Five words—don’t pay attention to them. Don’t get serious with the kinds of people who are friends of the church and disbelievers, and don’t pay attention to them. There’s no need to be concerned for them, and no need to ask after them. Why not ask after them? What’s the point of asking after people who have nothing to do with us? It’s superfluous, is it not? Do you want to pay attention to these kinds of people? Maybe you like being a busybody and want to be concerned, and wonder, “How are they getting on right now? Are they married or not? Are they doing okay? What work are they doing now?” No matter how they are, it has nothing to do with you. What’s the point of concerning yourself with that? Don’t pay them any attention, and don’t pass comments on them either. Some people like to pass comments, such as: “You see? They don’t believe in God properly, they live a dispiriting and draining existence every day, and they look so tired and exhausted all the time,” or “You see? They don’t believe in God properly, so they don’t have peace, and something bad happened in their family again.” All this is nonsense, and it’s unnecessary. How they live their life and how they walk their path are none of your business. Don’t even mention them; you are not on the same path as them. You sincerely expend yourself for God and do your duty full-time, you just want to pursue to gain the truth and achieve salvation, and no matter what God says, you want to do your best to satisfy Him; those people don’t have these things in their hearts. When you see evil trends, you feel revolted and disgusted by them, and you feel that there is no happiness living in this world, and you can only find happiness by believing in God; whereas they are the exact opposite to you: This proves that they are not on the same path as you. The principle of God’s house for handling this kind of person is that if they are willing to help, God’s house can give them an opportunity as long as there are no potential repercussions. If God’s house has no use for them at all and they are still willing to help, then it’s best to decline politely—don’t create trouble for yourself. Believers fellowship on the truth every day and accept being pruned, but can still do things in a perfunctory way, so can friends of the church handle matters properly without any compensation in return? (No, they can’t.) Tell Me, is this thinking worse of people? Is this viewing people in an overly negative light? (No, it isn’t.) This is speaking based on fact, speaking based on people’s essence. Don’t be ignorant, don’t be stupid, and don’t do anything foolish. Believers still have to go through prunings, judgments and chastisements, severe disciplining, chastening, and exposure before the performance of their duty can conform little by little to God’s intention. A friend of the church or a nonbeliever doesn’t accept any truth at all, and all they think about is their own interests, so what good can come from them handling affairs for God’s house or for the brothers and sisters? It’s totally out of the question. It’s just appropriate to pay no attention to this kind of people, isn’t it? (Yes.) What does that mean, “pay no attention to them”? It means that God’s house doesn’t regard them as believers. They can believe in God however they like, but the work and affairs of God’s house have nothing whatsoever to do with them. They are willing to help, but we must weigh things up and gauge whether they are suited to doing it, and if they aren’t suited to it, we cannot give them this opportunity. Tell Me, is acting this way in line with the principles? Do we have the right to treat such people like this? Very much so!

IV. How to Treat People Who Have Been Dismissed

There is another kind of people, namely those who have been dismissed. How should we treat them? Whether these people are dismissed because they are incapable of doing real work and are classed as false leaders, or because they follow the path of antichrists and are classed as the kind of people who are antichrists, it is necessary to reasonably allocate these people to other work, and make reasonable arrangements for them. If they are antichrists who have done many evil things, then of course they should be expelled; if they haven’t done many evil things, but have the essence of an antichrist and are determined to be an antichrist, then as long as they can still render service in some small way without causing disruption or disturbance, they don’t need to be expelled—let them keep rendering service and give them a chance to repent. In the case of false leaders who have been dismissed, reassign them to different work based on their strengths and the duties they are suited to doing, but they are no longer allowed to serve as church leaders; in the case of leaders and workers who have been dismissed because their caliber is exceedingly poor and they are incapable of doing any work, also reassign them to different work based on their strengths and the duties they are suited to doing, but they can no longer be promoted as a leader or worker. Why can’t they? They have already been tried out. They were revealed, and it is already clear to see that such people’s caliber and work capability make them unfit to be leaders. If they are unfit to be leaders, are they unable to do other duties? Not necessarily. Their poor caliber makes them unfit to be leaders, but they can do other duties. After such people are dismissed, they can do whatever they are suited to doing. They shouldn’t be stripped of the right to do a duty; they can still be used again once their stature has grown in the future. Some are dismissed because they are young and don’t have any experience of life, and also lack work experience, so they are incapable of undertaking the work and are ultimately dismissed. In dismissing this kind of people, there is some leeway. If their humanity is up to standard and their caliber is sufficient, they can be used after being demoted, or they can be put to other work suitable for them. Once their understanding of the truth is clear, and they have a bit of exposure to and experience of the church’s work, such people can still be promoted and cultivated again based on their caliber. If their humanity is up to standard but their caliber is exceedingly poor, then there is no value whatsoever in cultivating them, and they absolutely cannot be cultivated or retained.

Among those who have been dismissed, there are two kinds of people who absolutely cannot be promoted and cultivated again. One is antichrists, and the other is those whose caliber is too low. Then there are some people who are not considered antichrists, but are only of poor humanity, selfish and deceitful, and some of these people are lazy, crave fleshly comfort and are unable to endure hardship. Even if such people are of exceedingly good caliber, they cannot be promoted again. If they possess a bit of caliber, then let them do whatever they are able to do, as long as suitable arrangements are made for that; in short, don’t promote them to be a leader or worker. Beyond having caliber and work capability, leaders and workers need to understand the truth, have a burden for the church, be able to work hard and bear suffering, and they must be diligent and not lazy. On top of this, they must be relatively honest and upright. You absolutely cannot select people who are deceitful. Those who are too crooked and deceitful always scheme against the brothers and sisters, their higher-ups, and the house of God. They spend their days thinking only devious thoughts. When dealing with someone like this, you must always guess at what they are truly thinking, you must keep inquiring as to what exactly they have been doing recently, and you must always keep an eye on them. Putting them to use is too exhausting and too worrisome. If this kind of person is promoted to do duties, even if they understand a little doctrine, they will not practice it, and they will expect benefits and advantages for every bit of work they do. Using such people is too worrisome and too much trouble, so such people cannot be promoted. Therefore, when it comes to antichrists, those of excessively poor caliber, those of bad humanity, those who are lazy, covet fleshly comfort and cannot bear hardship, and those who are extremely crooked and deceitful—once these kinds of people have been revealed and dismissed after being put to use, do not promote them a second time; do not put them to incorrect use again after they have been seen through. Some may say, “This person was previously defined as an antichrist. We’ve noticed that they have been performing well for a while now, they are able to interact normally with the brothers and sisters and no longer constrain others. Can they be promoted?” Don’t be in such a hurry—once they are promoted and acquire status, their antichrist nature will be exposed. Others may say: “This person’s caliber was exceedingly poor before; when they were asked to supervise the work of two people, they didn’t know how to allocate tasks, and if two things happened at the same time, they didn’t know how to make reasonable arrangements. Now that they are a bit older, they will be better at these things, won’t they?” Does this claim hold water? (No, it doesn’t.) When two things occur at the same time, that person gets confused and doesn’t know how to deal with them. They can’t see through anyone or anything. Their caliber is so poor that they have no work capability or comprehension ability. Such a person absolutely cannot be promoted as a leader again. This is not a matter of age. People with poor caliber will still have poor caliber when they are eighty years old. It’s not like people imagine, that as someone gets older and gains more experience, they can understand everything—that’s not how it is. They will just have some experience of life, but experience of life does not equate to caliber. No matter how many things one experiences or how many lessons one learns, it doesn’t mean that their caliber will improve.

If someone’s humanity is too selfish, too deceitful, and too wicked, and they are full of crafty schemes, and only think about themselves, can this kind of person change? They were dismissed for these reasons; now ten years have passed and they have listened to many sermons—is their humanity no longer selfish, crooked and deceitful? Let Me tell you: This kind of person will not change, they will be the same thing another 20 years down the line. Therefore, if you meet them again in 20 years’ time and ask them whether they are still as selfish and deceitful, they will even admit it themselves. Why won’t people of poor humanity change? Can they change? Supposing they could change, what would have to be the basis and conditions for that to happen? They must be able to accept the truth. People of poor humanity do not accept the truth, and inwardly they despise, loathe, deride, and are hostile to positive things—they just cannot change. So no matter how many years have passed by, don’t promote them, because they are incapable of changing. It is possible that in 20 years’ time, they will have learned to be even more slippery, and even better at saying nice-sounding things and things that deceive others. But if you associate with these people and observe their actions, you will discover one fact, which is that they haven’t changed at all. You reckon that after so many years have passed and they have listened to so many sermons and performed duties in God’s house for so long, they should have changed—you are wrong! They won’t change. Why? They have listened to so many sermons and read so many of God’s words, but they don’t accept or practice a single sentence, so they haven’t changed one bit, it’s impossible for them to change. Once such people are revealed and dismissed, they cannot be made use of again, and if you do make use of them, you are harming God’s house and the brothers and sisters. If you aren’t sure, just observe how they act, and see whose interests they defend when faced with things that bring their own interests into conflict with the interests of God’s house; they absolutely won’t sacrifice their own interests and go all out to defend the interests of God’s house. Looking at it from this regard, they are not trustworthy, and they don’t deserve to be promoted and used by God’s house. That is why such people are destined not to be used. Can people who don’t accept the truth still change? It’s not possible, and it’s a fool’s dream!

As for people who are lazy, covet fleshly comfort, and are unable to put up with even the slightest hardship, they are even less capable of changing. During their time as a leader, they don’t suffer any hardships, they don’t endure even the hardships that ordinary brothers and sisters are able to endure. In doing their duty they only go through the motions—holding gatherings and preaching some doctrines, then going off to bed to take good care of themselves. If, at night, they go to bed even a bit late, they will still be fast asleep in the morning when the brothers and sisters are getting up. They aren’t willing to be even a little bit tired or a little bit busy, or to endure even a little bit of hardship. They don’t pay any price and don’t do any real work. Wherever they go, as soon as they see nice food and drink, they get so happy that they forget about everything else, and they don’t go anywhere, but just stay there eating, drinking and enjoying themselves, and not doing any work whatsoever. They don’t listen when they get pruned by the Above, nor do they accept reminders and exposure from the brothers and sisters. They choose to live life in the most comfortable way possible, without paying any price, and without fulfilling their responsibilities or doing their duty, and so they become good for nothing. Are such people capable of changing? People of this kind are too lazy, covet fleshly comfort; they cannot change. This is what they are like now and this is how they will be in the future. Some people may say: “That person has changed, they have been putting a lot of effort into their work for a while now.” Don’t be in such a hurry. If you promote them as a leader, they will relapse into old ways—that’s just how they are. They're just like a gambler, who, when running out of money, will keep on gambling even if they have to borrow money, sell their house, or even sell their wife and children. If they aren’t gambling lately, it might be because the casino has closed down and there’s no place to gamble, or because all their gambling buddies have been caught and there’s no one for them to gamble with anymore, or because they’ve sold all the things they can sell and have no money left to gamble. Once they have money in their hands, they will start gambling again and won’t be able to quit—that’s just how they are. Likewise, those who are lazy and covet fleshly comfort are also incapable of changing. Once they gain some status, they will immediately resume their original form, and their true colors will be exposed. When they have no status, no one thinks highly of them and no one waits on them, and if they do nothing, then they should be cleared out, because the church doesn’t support idle people, so they have no choice but to reluctantly do some things. They do things differently from others. Others do things proactively, whereas they do them passively. Although outwardly there is no difference, in essence there is a difference. When others have status, they do what they are supposed to do and are able to fulfill their responsibilities; once these people have status, they seize the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of their status and don’t do any work, and their lazy and comfort-craving nature essence is thereby exposed. Therefore, people of this kind will not change under any circumstances, and once they are revealed and dismissed, such people should never be promoted and used again—this is the principle.

When it comes to people with different situations, these are the principles for promoting and making use of them. The minimum standard is that they are able to exert effort and render service in God’s house without causing a disturbance; in which case, they can do a duty in God’s house. If they cannot even meet this minimum standard, then no matter what their humanity and strengths are like, they aren’t fit to do a duty, and people of this kind should be eliminated from the ranks of those who do duties. If a person’s humanity is malicious and equates to that of an antichrist, then once it is confirmed that they are an antichrist, God’s house will never make use of them, nor promote or cultivate them. Some people may say: “Is it okay to let them render service?” It depends on the situation. If their rendering service may have a negative impact and bring adverse consequences to God’s house, then God’s house will not even give them an opportunity to render service. If they know that they themselves are an evil person or antichrist who has been expelled, but they are willing to render service, and will do things however the church arranges for them to do, and can render service in a well-behaved manner without harming any interests of God’s house, then in that case they can be retained. If they cannot even manage to render service properly, and their service does more harm than good, then they won’t even have the opportunity to render it, and even if they do render service, God’s house still will not make use of them, because they aren’t even eligible or meet the criteria for rendering service. So people of this kind should not come back—let them go wherever they want. Some people may say, “If God’s house doesn’t put me to use, then I’ll preach the gospel myself, and I’ll hand the people I gain through preaching the gospel over to God’s house.” Would that be okay? (Yes.) Some may say, “You wouldn't use that person even to render service, so on what basis should they give You the people they gain by preaching the gospel? On what basis should they preach the gospel for You?” God’s house doesn’t make use of them due to various aspects. One is that they don’t conform to the principles of God’s house for using people. Another is that God’s house doesn’t dare to use people of this kind, because once they are put to use, there will be no end of trouble. So how should we explain this matter of them being willing to preach the gospel? What they bear witness to in preaching the gospel is God, and it is because of God’s words and God’s work that they are able to gain people. Although these people have been gained through that person’s preaching of the gospel, this in no way counts as being to their credit. At best, it is just fulfilling their responsibilities as a person. Regardless of whether you are an antichrist or an evil person, or whether you have been cleared out or expelled, fulfilling your responsibilities as a person is something you ought to do. Why do I say that it’s something you ought to do? You have received such a great supply of truths from God, and this is also God’s painstaking efforts. God’s house has watered you and provided for you for so many years, but does God demand anything from you? No. All the various books distributed by God’s house are free, no one has to spend a single penny. Likewise, God’s true way of eternal life and the words of life that He bestows upon people are free, and the sermons and fellowships of God’s house are all free for people to listen to. Therefore, whether you are an ordinary person or a member of a special group, you have received so many truths from God for free, that surely it’s only right you should preach God’s words and God’s gospel to people and bring people into the presence of God, is it not? God has bestowed all truths unto humankind; who can afford to repay such great love? God’s grace, God’s words, and God’s life are priceless, and no human being can afford to repay them! Is the life of man that precious? Can it be worth as much as the truth? Therefore, no one can afford to repay God’s love and grace, and that includes those who have been cleared out, expelled, and eliminated by the church—they are no exception. As long as you have some conscience, reason, and humanity, then no matter how God’s house treats you, you should fulfill your obligation to spread God’s words and bear witness to His work. This is people’s unshirkable responsibility. Therefore, no matter how many people you preach God’s words and spread the gospel to, or how many people you gain, this is nothing to compliment you on. God has expressed so many truths and yet you don’t listen to them or accept them. Surely rendering a little service and preaching the gospel to others is what you ought to be doing, isn’t it? Given that you have come this far today, shouldn’t you repent? Shouldn’t you look for opportunities to repay God’s love? You really should! God’s house has administrative decrees, and clearing people out, expelling them, and eliminating them are things that are done according to the administrative decrees and according to God’s requirements—doing these things is correct. Some people may say, “It’s somewhat embarrassing to accept into the church people gained by the gospel preaching of those who have been cleared out or expelled.” In actual fact, this is the duty that people should do, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. People are all created beings. Even if you have been cleared out or expelled, condemned as an evil person or an antichrist, or you are a target for being eliminated, are you not still a created being? Once you are cleared out, isn’t God still your God? Are the words God has spoken to you and the things God has provided you with erased in one fell swoop? Do they stop existing? They do still exist, it’s just that you haven’t cherished them. All converted people, no matter who converted them, are created beings and should submit themselves before the Creator. Therefore, if these people who have been cleared out or expelled are willing to preach the gospel, we will not restrict them; but no matter how they preach, the principles of God’s house for using people and the administrative decrees of God’s house are inalterable, and this will never, ever change.

Among these several kinds of people who have been dismissed, the majority are unlikely to truly repent and must not be made use of again. There is only room to promote and use those who were dismissed or had their duties altered because they lacked work experience and were thus unable to do their work temporarily. People of this kind are of sufficient caliber and there are no major problems with their humanity, they just have some minor shortcomings, vices, or bad habits inherited from their family—none of these things are a big problem. If God’s house needs them, they can be promoted and used again at the right time; this is reasonable, because they are not evil people and they won’t become antichrists. Their caliber is sufficient, it’s just that they hadn’t been doing work for long and had no experience, so they weren’t competent to do the work, which is not a serious problem. If they were dismissed for these reasons, then they have room to develop in the future and they can change. As long as someone has work capability, possesses caliber, and their humanity is up to standard, then during the period in which they experience God’s work and do their duty, people of this kind will gradually change, their humanity will change, they will grow in their life entry, there will be some corresponding changes in their disposition, and there will be some progress in their understanding of the truth. Depending on the environment, the duties they do, and their personal aspirations, they will change and grow to varying degrees, so it can be said that people of this kind are to be promoted and used. These are generally the principles for once again promoting and using the several kinds of people who have previously been dismissed.

Item seven of the responsibilities of leaders and workers is “Allocate and make use of different types of people sensibly, based on their humanity and strengths, such that each is put to their best use.” In our fellowship just now, the meaning of putting people to their best use was already clearly explained. As long as there is the slightest value in cultivating someone, and provided that their humanity is up to standard, then God’s house will give them opportunities. As long as someone pursues the truth and loves positive things, then God will not give up on them or eliminate them so readily. As long as your humanity and caliber meet the standards that I fellowshipped on just now, God’s house will definitely have a place for you to do a duty, and will definitely make use of you sensibly, and give you sufficient room to bring your ability to bear. In short, if you have strengths and expertise in a certain profession that are needed for the church’s work, then God’s house will definitely let you do a suitable duty. However, if you have no aspirations or will and don’t want to strive upward, then just do whatever you can, do some duty that is within your ability to do, and nothing more. If you have aspirations, and you say, “I want to understand and gain more truths, and embark on the path to salvation as soon as possible, and enter the truth reality. I am willing to be considerate of God’s burden, willing to bear a heavy burden in God’s house, suffer more hardship than others, exert more of myself and forsake more than others,” and if you are suitable in all respects, but still no one recommends you, then you can also put yourself forward. Is that not reasonable? In summary, these are all the principles of God’s house for using all kinds of people, the goal being nothing more than to enable people to enter into the truth reality. What are the manifestations of entering into the truth reality? They are understanding the truth, understanding the truth principles when doing all the various items of work, and being able to practice the corresponding truths when interacting with all kinds of people, events, and things in daily life, rather than being confused and at a loss whenever anything befalls you—this is the goal. This being the goal that has been set, you should pursue toward it!

Here ends our fellowship on item seven of the responsibilities of leaders and workers. Some people may say, “You haven’t finished fellowshipping yet, You haven’t exposed false leaders with regard to this item.” I would reply that there is no need to expose them. In one sense, false leaders are of poor caliber and are incapable of doing real work; in another sense, they are devoid of conscience and reason, carry no burden, don’t put their heart into their work at all, and cannot even do some simple things well. Whenever they encounter a complex problem, or a problem that relates to truth principles, they cannot distinguish it at all, and even less can they see through to the essence of the problem. So, there is no need to expose them. Even if they were exposed, they wouldn’t accept it, and it would be a waste of words. What’s more, speaking of the things they have done would be nauseating and make people all angry inside. Assigning such important work to these false leaders was a mistake in using people. Being incapable of doing their work already makes them feel good for nothing, and if you expose them and dissect them, they will feel even more anguished. So let these false leaders hold themselves up for comparison and examine their own problems as much as they can. If they can discover their problems, see whether they can make improvements in the future; if they can’t discover them, then they need to keep on examining, and they can also ask the people around them to help them analyze and sort it out. If others have fellowshipped with them and they have put their heart into it but still can’t discover their own problems, and still don’t know how to recognize it or how to solve it, then they truly are false leaders and should be eliminated.

March 6, 2021