Fellowship From the Brother Above – January 15, 2026 (Part Five)

Question 4: Most brothers and sisters do not know how to discern what is the truth reality and what is words and doctrines. During elections, they tend to elect people who can spout words and doctrines but lack the truth reality as leaders and deacons. Even though we have fellowshipped on the principles of elections, this has not achieved results. How should this situation be handled?

Answer: This situation should be handled in the same way as parents educate their children. Children lack discernment in many matters, so parents must teach them patiently and guide them hand in hand. Now that the brothers and sisters do not know how to discern people, you should generally fellowship more on the truth about discerning people, teaching them how to discern words and doctrines from the truth reality. After you fellowship with them a few times, people will understand some of the truth in this regard and will have some discernment when it comes to elections. If you generally fellowship very little on this, and only fellowship a little at the last minute when the election comes, can people understand the truth in this regard? (No.) Therefore, such problems cannot be solved by last-minute fellowship alone; there must be more fellowship on this generally. So how do you discern whether someone is spouting words and doctrines or speaking the truth reality? First, you must be clear about what the truth reality is. The truth reality refers to people having a true and practical understanding of God’s words. So what is a practical understanding? Tell me, if people’s understanding of God’s words can have some new light, is this understanding practical? (Yes.) If people reflect on themselves regarding a matter and have an understanding of their revelations of corruption, is this understanding practical? (Yes.) If people grasp God’s intentions in the things that come upon them, and accurately grasp what God’s requirements are and what God wants them to do, is this understanding practical? (Yes.) If people have a true understanding of God in the things that come upon them, understand what kind of people God loves and what kind of people He hates, and understand that God’s disposition is holy and righteous, is this understanding practical? (Yes.) If people know in what ways they fail and stumble, understand what the root cause of these transgressions is, and find answers to these key questions, seeing their true stature, is this understanding practical? (Yes.) These are all examples of practical understanding. Having the truth reality means having a practical, experiential understanding of these aspects.

So how do you discern words and doctrines? Words and doctrines are the slogans, doctrines, empty words, and big talk that we often hear—words that sound good but are not practical. For example, some people say, “I am willing to submit to God, and I resolve to submit to all of God’s orchestrations and arrangements,” but when things come upon them, they show no practical manifestations of submitting to God. In that case, what they said is slogans, big talk, and empty words. For another example, some people say, “I finally know myself. I see that I am a devil and a Satan. I hate myself so much!” They say they are a devil and a Satan, but what are the specific manifestations of this? What did they say and what did they do that proves that they are a devil and a Satan? Why do they hate themselves so much? If they have not stated these facts clearly, then it is hollow when they say they are a devil and a Satan. What does “hollow” mean? It means that there is no factual basis for what they say. They say they are a devil and a Satan, but why are they a devil and a Satan? What have they done that proves they are a devil and a Satan? They have not stated this fact, so does this statement not seem hollow? (Yes.) If you say, “I resolve to be a person who submits to God,” then what are your manifestations of submitting to God? What facts prove that you submit to God? You say, “I resolve to be a person who loves God,” but how do you love God? What facts prove that you love God? If you have no factual basis for any of this, then the words you say are all hollow. Therefore, words and doctrines are empty words and slogans, which don’t state the facts of the matter and don’t state any factual basis or practical manifestations. If you ask someone, “Have you gained any understanding of your revelations of corruption recently?” and they say, “Yes, I have realized that I am a devil and a Satan,” is this statement practical? (No. There is no factual basis.) Words without a factual basis are empty words—they are words and doctrines. You must state a factual basis when you say things. If you can state a factual basis, it proves that what you say is practical. If you only speak empty words and doctrines without a factual basis, then what you say is not practical; it is pretense and deception. Religious people often say, “I am a person who loves the Lord. My heart loves the Lord most.” Tell me—are these empty words or practical words? (Empty words.) These words are empty and cannot be believed. If a person constantly speaks empty words, talks big, and spouts words and doctrines, what is the problem? It shows that this person is misleading people. They have no truth reality, and instead are full of empty words and big talk. Such people are controlled by an arrogant disposition, their heads have been turned by fame, gain, and status, and they speak without any reason at all. This is what it means to lack normal humanity. So is such a person trustworthy? (No.) You cannot elect such people as leaders or workers. They are full of big talk and empty words, and are just swindlers.

Do you know how people with normal humanity—that is, people with conscience and reason—speak? (They speak from the heart and speak practically.) For one thing, they speak from the heart, saying what they think and not speaking against their conscience. Words spoken against one’s conscience are all lies, all schemes and plots, and nobody should speak a single word like this. For another, they speak based on facts, speaking practical words and not saying empty words or talking big. There is another principle here, which is to speak with wisdom. However, speaking with wisdom does not mean lying or engaging in deception, but rather speaking in a way that does not give people anything to use against you, and not saying what should not be said. Sometimes, how simple and open you should be depends on the person you are speaking to. You must see if they are a right person. If they are not a right person, and one day they betray God, they could condemn you and seize upon something to use against you. Therefore, you must also speak with wisdom. Some people are very enthusiastic when God bestows grace upon them and the Holy Spirit enlightens and leads them. Their whole heart is turned toward God and they say all kinds of nice-sounding words to praise God. However, once God tries them and deprives them of something, they fly into a rage and immediately say words that betray and condemn God. The same person can say diametrically opposed words at different times. So are they a good person or a bad person? (A bad person.) If you only hear them say words praising God and do not hear them say words of rebellion against God, you might think, “This person has the work of the Holy Spirit. God bestows grace upon them, and they can thank and praise God so much. How could they be a bad person? They must be a good person.” Is this judgment correct? (No.) Therefore, people are unreliable before they have truly gained the truth. They praise God loudly today, but they will complain bitterly and condemn God tomorrow. Their disposition is unstable and fickle, and they lack normal humanity! The Pharisees were such people. They did not accept the truth at all. When God’s actions didn’t conform to their notions, they would just judge and condemn Him. Therefore, you must guard against people like the Pharisees. Do not think that someone is absolutely a good person just because they show good behavior for a time, can thank and praise God for a time, or have a little of the work of the Holy Spirit for a time. This is not necessarily the case. Some of these people may be good people who can walk the path of pursuing the truth, but for others, we must see what path they walk in the future; they may not necessarily be able to embark on the correct path. What do you think of viewing things in this way? (It is objective.) Having had so many years of experience in the Chinese church and seen so many of these things, people have come to understand them. When it comes to some people, do not look at how nicely they speak, nor at how they solemnly vow to do their duty well. When things really come upon them, they do not stand on God’s side. If you ask them to do something practical for God, they do not do it properly and are only perfunctory. These people are all laborers; not a single one of them is any good! What is more serious is their attitude toward offerings. When brothers and sisters buy something for God, it has to pass through their hands. They open it to take a look first, and then secretly intercept God’s offering and eat it. If you ask them to keep some items safe for God, they just put them aside and do not look after them, and over time, the items all spoil. Tell me, what kind of people are these? These are out-and-out devils and Satans! They look like humans on the outside and speak nice-sounding words, but they do not do a single human thing. In fact, they are just completely lacking in conscience. Tell me, if someone has believed in God for many years but does not practice the truth at all, is consistently perfunctory in doing their duty, and only says nice-sounding words to deceive and mislead people, are they not a devil and a Satan in human skin? (They are.) Therefore, no matter who someone is, do not simply listen to them say they want to submit to God and love God. Instead, look at how they do things for God and how they receive God. From these aspects, it will be very clear whether they truly love God and submit to Him. Many people’s nature is fully revealed within a few days of contact with God. They deceive God and act perfunctorily toward God at every turn. They are all devils and Satans. It can be said that among corrupt mankind, there are too few good people and too many bad people. Therefore, when God’s work ends, those who can accept the truth will be in the minority, and those who consistently do not practice the truth will be in the majority. God’s people are the minority, while devils, Satans, and laborers make up the majority. Most people are full of enthusiasm when they first start believing in God, but in the end, they are not like that. Instead, they become as cold as ice and even fly into a rage and complain. If you do not believe it, just wait and see. Many people start out saying, “We must strive hard to gain the blessings of the kingdom of heaven!” They all raise their hands above their heads and shout slogans at the top of their lungs. But one day, when a great trial truly comes upon them, and they contract an epidemic disease or get a serious illness and are about to die, they start to complain, “I have expended myself so much for God, so why does God not save me? Why does God not heal me?” You see, as soon as the trial of death comes upon people, their true colors are revealed. Of course, there are also a few individuals who can submit to God and stand firm in their testimony during trials. They say, “Oh God, I have enjoyed too much of Your grace in my life, but I often lived in my corrupt disposition and did not do my duty properly. I am so indebted to You. Me getting this illness now is Your righteousness. Even if I die in the end, I will not complain about You. My life and death are in Your hands, and I am willing to submit to Your arrangements. Even if You send me to hell, I will thank and praise You. I have no complaints, because I have not lived this life in vain.” This person realizes that they are a son of hell, so they can say words like “I will thank and praise God even if I go to hell.” Not long after they say these words, their illness is quickly healed—God healed them. Why is this? Because they stood firm in their testimony. The words they said are a testimony themselves, which can be equated with Job’s testimony. God saves such people. In the end, everyone must experience the trial of death. This is the time when the results of people’s belief in God are tested. We will see who can be loyal to the end when facing death, and submit to God without complaint. At that time, whether a person has gained the truth, and whether they are a human or a devil, will be fully revealed.