Fellowship From the Brother Above – July 1, 2025 (Part Eight)

Question 10: I see that some brothers and sisters are very passive in their duty and are always perfunctory. After fellowshipping on the truth with them, there isn’t much improvement, and I don’t have the courage to prune them. How should I resolve my fear of offending people? And how can I fellowship in a way that makes their attitude toward their duty more positive?

Answer: In this situation, you just have to do your best—do everything you can—to handle the matter well. If you’ve already done your best and still can’t achieve any good results, you can consult those with more experience and see how they’d do it. Perhaps someone will say, “I’ve experienced and handled this kind of situation often.” Once they explain it to you, you’ll have a path forward. See how good that is? No matter what difficulties you encounter, don’t be negative and don’t give up. You have to know that this is God testing us. God uses every single thing that befalls us to test and train us, to have us do things wisely according to the truth principles. This is an opportunity for us to train ourselves; this is the training of the kingdom. If you want to enter into the truth reality, you must train yourself this way. When you lack truth principles and act without wisdom, experiencing a few failures is a good thing. These failures are the best teaching materials, helping you learn how to do things better and act wisely. So when these things happen, don’t give up even if you don’t have a way forward right now. While praying, first try the methods you think are suitable. If, after trying them, you find they’re not suitable, pray again and look for a suitable method. After experiencing it in this way a few times, you’ll have a way forward in your work, and your results will get better and better. You have to experience things this way in any work you do. If you give up at the first sign of difficulty, that’s unacceptable. Giving up shows that you have rebelled against God in the process of accepting His test. It also shows you have no submission to God, you have no resolve to pursue the truth, and you lack perseverance and an indomitable spirit. In that case, it won’t be easy for you to be made perfect! All difficulties you encounter in your duty are lessons God has set up for you. If you don’t learn your lessons from them, you are rebelling against God. If you seek the truth and learn your lessons, then you can gain the truth, grasp principles, and also grow in wisdom. Your stature will grow continuously, and you will do your work better and better. This is how people must experience things in their faith in God. I have experienced things this way over my many years of belief. You have to experience all sorts of things, interact with all sorts of people, and handle all sorts of problems. Every day, there are many things to do and many lessons to learn. After experiencing things for many years, I’ve gained experience, principles, and wisdom. Do you understand? (Yes.) Does this question require a more detailed explanation? (No.)

Question 11: As the gospel of the kingdom spreads, the gospel preachers have to interact with more potential gospel recipients, and the amount of time they spend on their duty gradually increases. Some gospel preachers feel more and more under pressure and want to switch to an easier duty. How should we fellowship with them to help them understand the importance and significance of paying a price in their duty?

Answer: Tell me, under what circumstances is a person’s loyalty to God revealed? (When they encounter difficulties, and when tribulations befall them.) It’s when they’re under pressure, when they encounter complex problems that are hard to solve—this is what truly reveals people. If someone is loyal to God, they won’t shrink back no matter what environment they encounter. They’ll be able to pray to God, rely on God, and stand firm in their testimony. Such a person will be made perfect by God. If someone gets disheartened and loses hope at the slightest difficulty or setback, stops trying to improve, and becomes weak and retreats into their shell like a tortoise, can they bear testimony for God? (No.) Can such a person meet the standard required to be an overcomer? (No.) People who are truly loyal to God press on in the face of difficulties—they don’t retreat! Those who press on in the face of difficulties are those who won’t buckle even if the weight of a mountain is on their shoulders. No matter how many difficulties come their way, they can’t be crushed. They’re there, holding things up, propping things up. That’s what a pillar is. What does God mean by “pillars in the temple”? It refers to those who, in the face of all kinds of tribulations and difficulties, when the workload involved in spreading the gospel gets heavier and heavier, don’t bow down, don’t shrink back, but are still there, propping things up. These people are the pillars in the temple. With them there, the temple won’t collapse. With them there, the work of the church won’t fall apart. These people are the overcomers God wants to make. Look at the churches around the world. Wherever the church’s work is progressing well, there are a few pillars propping it up. Isn’t that how it is? (It is.) Look at the Church in the Philippines now; the work there is going quite well, and the gospel is spreading well, too. There are definitely some pillars propping things up there. The gospel work in the Churches in Mexico, Brazil, the UK, and Indonesia is also going well. There are definitely some pillars in those churches, too. In every country, any church where the gospel work is spreading well has a few pillars propping it up from within. And what are these pillars in God’s eyes? They are overcomers. The work is so difficult now, yet those few people are always there, propping things up. No matter how hard it gets, they don’t become negative. No matter how harsh the external environment is, they don’t shrink back. No matter how nonbelievers and the religious world condemn God’s work, or how their families persecute them, they don’t shrink back. They persist in doing the church’s work. Such people are called the pillars in the temple. And what is God’s promise to these pillars? Remember this: Once a person becomes a pillar, they have God’s protection and God’s blessings. No one can snatch them from God’s hand. And can anyone take away the promises and blessings God has bestowed on them? Can anyone cancel them? No one can take them away, and no one can cancel them! Isn’t that how it is? (It is.) So, the fact that the work of the churches in various places can be carried out shows that there are a few pillars in each church. Those pillars are the ones most blessed and most approved of by God. In the words of nonbelievers, these pillars have made great contributions to and exerted great efforts in the local church’s work. Without these few people paying a price, the work of the churches in those countries couldn’t be carried out. It’s these few people, working together as one, who have spread the gospel work in that area and energized the church life there. As a result, the brothers and sisters are all doing their duty with great enthusiasm, and those who have recently joined the churches have come to understand many truths after attending gatherings for just a year or two, and most of them won’t leave; they’re all willing to do a duty. Any church that can achieve such results does so because of the role played by a few pillars. So, are you willing to become the pillars in your church? (We are.) Those who serve as pillars are precious in God’s eyes. No one can take them away. It’s impossible for anyone to succeed in persecuting them or having them killed. With God’s protection, they cannot die. Their blessings are ordained by God, and no one can take them away. So, you should talk to those who always feel under great pressure in their duty about the significance of becoming an overcomer, of becoming a pillar in the temple. A person with resolve will hear this and say straight away, “Okay, I will strive to be an overcomer, to be a pillar in the temple. I will not buckle even if there is the weight of a mountain on my shoulders. No matter how great the difficulties, I will bear them!” Someone was part of a church that was raided by the great red dragon. Many leaders and workers were arrested, and they were arrested, too. The police asked, “Who is the leader? Who arranged and presided over this gathering?” They said, “I am the leader. I arranged this gathering. It has nothing to do with them. Just sentence me. Let them all go.” In fact, they weren’t the leader, but they took all the responsibility. Tell me, isn’t this person impressive? (They are.) To be a pillar in the temple, this is how you have to be—fearing nothing. No matter how busy the work is, they are there holding things up. No matter how great the difficulties, they are there holding things up. These people are those who want God fervently, and who are most blessed and approved of by God. What kind of person is God least willing to see? Someone who runs away at the first sign of difficulty or pressure. God says a person like this is a good-for-nothing, a waste of space. Today they encounter a difficulty and become negative and slump. Tomorrow they encounter another difficulty and become negative and slump again. If there are difficulties every day, they’ll just stop doing their duty. The moment they encounter danger, they’re the first to run away; they don’t step forward. The moment there’s a heavy burden, they avoid it; they don’t shoulder it. God dislikes and loathes such people. And still they want rewards and crowns? Not a chance! God sees with perfect clarity who the pillars in the church are and who can bear heavy burdens. God sees more clearly than anyone else. We often meet and interact with people, but we can’t see through to their hearts. But God scrutinizes everything! So, you won’t be able to gain God’s approval if you lack a sincere heart, don’t pay a price, are unable to suffer, and are unable to satisfy God. If you can’t be a pillar, you won’t gain God’s approval.

There used to be many churches in mainland China; they had been established all over the country. Later, there were some mass arrests. Some churches disbanded, while in others, God’s chosen people continued to hold gatherings and carry out church work even after the arrests. What’s going on here? Why were some churches able to carry on their work normally? It’s because in those churches, there were pillars and overcomers propping things up. And what about the churches that disbanded? In those churches, there were no pillars, no overcomers—only good-for-nothings. When the arrests came, they all deserted. These people are done for; they won’t receive God’s blessings. So, it is absolutely crucial for people to be able to bear witness for God. Some people want to receive God’s blessings but don’t want to bear heavy burdens or be pillars. Can they receive blessings? It’s impossible for you to receive God’s blessings if you don’t have the slightest truth reality. If you want to receive God’s blessings, you must have a sincere heart and bear true testimony. You must let everyone see your actions and recognize you, saying, “The work in this area is being propped up by this person. They’ve always been propping it up—they’ve been propping it up for so many years, and they have never shrunk back.” Such a person is called a pillar. And what is God’s blessing for such people? It is to let them understand more truths, to give them faith and strength, and to make them perfect sooner—that is, to make them into overcomers sooner. This is the greatest blessing. Now, every church has leaders and deacons, but are there many who can become pillars? (Not many.) Some people are very happy at first when they become leaders or workers. They think, “I have status now. I’m a leader, so everyone has to look up to me.” But as soon as they start working, they discover, “Wow, this work isn’t easy. Preaching the gospel isn’t easy, watering the church isn’t easy either—none of it is easy.” They become negative and start thinking how nice it would be if doing church work were as easy as pie. Is anything so simple? Doing church work is the most difficult thing; it’s as difficult as it is for nonbelievers to run a business. When you run a business, you have to consider whether your products are up to standard, whether they will sell well, and whether they will be profitable. If your products are up to standard and sell well, your business can survive. If they’re not up to standard and don’t sell well, your business will go under. The key to a business’s survival is having skilled technical staff who can produce high-quality products that will be popular in the market. So, running a business well is a difficult thing—it’s extremely difficult! And getting a business to make money is even more difficult. You can’t do it without real ability. It’s the same with doing church work. If you want to do church work well, you need to have the truth. Without the truth, you can’t even get the gospel to spread. Look at how many Christian churches have become desolate. Why is that? Because the work of the Age of Grace is outdated. The Holy Spirit is no longer working in the people of the Age of Grace. God has done a new stage of work, which is the work of judgment in the last days. The work of the Holy Spirit has long since shifted to the group of people who have accepted His work of the last days. Therefore, it is inevitable that the churches of the Age of Grace will fall. But now you follow Almighty God, expending yourself for God and doing church work. If you haven’t gotten the church work off the ground and haven’t testified to God, then your church is not one blessed by God—isn’t that right? If a church cannot get any of its work off the ground, if there’s no one who can write experiential testimony articles, no one who can sing a hymn to praise God, and no one who can preach the gospel, then does the Holy Spirit work in this church? What duty can the people in this church still do? If a church has only been around for three to five years, and the brothers and sisters are all new believers who don’t yet understand the truth and have no stature, then it’s understandable if they can’t preach the gospel. But if the brothers and sisters still can’t preach the gospel after three to five years, then there’s a problem. It proves that there are few people in that church who pursue the truth. Most of them probably don’t eat and drink God’s words and don’t understand the truth, and the church leaders and deacons may not be people who pursue the truth either. That’s why the gospel work in that church can’t get off the ground. People who have the truth can spread the gospel and testify to God well. One person who has the truth is worth ten who don’t understand the truth. If they go and preach the gospel, it’s no problem for them to convert dozens or even hundreds of people. Most people with comprehension ability are utterly convinced as soon as they hear them testify. So, if there are people in a church who understand the truth, the church’s work will proceed smoothly and the gospel will spread quickly. The thing to worry about is there not being a single person in the church who pursues the truth. In that case, the work of that church won’t get off the ground even after a decade. That church is problematic. Back in mainland China, I used to merge such churches with others, because in those kinds of churches, there wasn’t a single person who pursued the truth, no one could shoulder the church’s work, and no suitable leaders could be elected. After the merger, people who pursued the truth could be elected as leaders and workers, and the church’s work could be done well. Without the merger, those kinds of churches would be a stagnant pool of water, unable to do any work. Therefore, people can’t do the work if they don’t pursue the truth. So now, if you feel under a lot of pressure in doing your duty, you must rely on eating and drinking God’s words and equipping yourself with the truth to resolve the issue. Someone might say, “I’ve held one or two gatherings, but I haven’t achieved any results!” Tell me, can a newborn baby grow up and start working after just a few days of drinking milk? (No, it can’t.) Life growth requires a process. It’s unrealistic to think you can solve problems through one or two gatherings. If your church is relatively weak, the pressure of preaching the gospel is great, the work can’t get off the ground, and the brothers and sisters don’t know how to fellowship on the truth to resolve the notions of religious people or how to fellowship with nonbelievers, then should you still be preaching the gospel in this situation? (We still should.) No—you shouldn’t. Stop for a few days and let everyone equip themselves with the truth first—how about that? (Good.) Because right now, no one has a way forward, and no one has grasped any principles at all, if you ask them to go preach the gospel, they won’t achieve any results. Stop for a few days right away and let them properly equip themselves with the truth. Also, have them learn from the good experiences of preaching the gospel from other places, and see how others achieved results in preaching to religious people and nonbelievers. Have everyone learn from them, and once they understand it clearly and thoroughly, they can go out and train themselves in preaching the gospel. How does that sound? (Good.) That’s how this problem is solved. Do you understand? (Yes.)

Question 12: Many brothers and sisters are willing to do their duty, but in order to maintain a normal life, they have to work most of the day and don’t have much time or energy to eat and drink God’s words and do their duty. They feel that they have real difficulties that prevent them from doing their duty well, and they don’t realize that in such an environment, they should experience God’s work and make more time to do their duty. How should we fellowship on this issue?

Answer: Are these brothers and sisters having difficulties in their family lives? If their families are in a difficult situation and they don’t have much time to do their duty because they must work to earn money, then don’t force them. However many people in the church are suited to preaching the gospel and doing their duty, that’s how many we’ll use. It doesn’t matter if there are ten, twenty, or thirty—we’ll just use however many there are. As for the others, don’t force them. Say someone has no difficulties in their day-to-day living, but they don’t understand much truth and don’t have much stature so they can’t preach the gospel or do a duty. Would it still be appropriate to insist on requiring them to preach the gospel and do their duty? (No.) So, are these brothers and sisters having difficulties in their lives, or do they lack the truth? (They lack the truth.) If they lack the truth, then they must first be equipped with the truth. We should fellowship more with them on God’s words concerning doing duty, fellowship on why God asks people to preach the gospel and bear witness for Him, and what the significance is of God’s requirement for people to do their duty. Once we have fellowshipped thoroughly on this aspect of the truth and they understand the significance of doing their duty, they will take the initiative to say, “God doesn’t ask people to do their duty to get them to do a job for Him. He does it so that we can gain the truth and enter into the truth reality; so that we can preach the gospel to those who love the truth and thus they may have the opportunity to attain salvation. This is God’s commission, and it’s a major matter! We’re not people who have only believed for a few days and don’t understand anything. We already understand God’s intentions and His requirements. If we don’t do our duty, that’s rebelling against God, it’s heinous treachery!” Once they can recognize this, tell me, will they be willing to do their duty? (They will.) At this point, they won’t be doing their duty out of compulsion, but from the heart, willingly and gladly. It’s just like when a person reaches adulthood—from their heart, they will want to find a job because they have to live independently and support a family; they can no longer leech off their parents. When they have this burden, they have the strength to work. Isn’t that how it is? (It is.) It’s the same for people being able to preach the gospel and do their duty. They must understand the truth to a certain degree and recognize that, “If I don’t do my duty, I’m not worthy to eat and drink God’s words, and I’m not worthy to be called a believer in God.” At that point, can anyone restrict them from doing their duty? (No one.) Their family can’t restrict them, and neither can the government, because their resolve comes from understanding the truth and God’s intentions. No one can restrict this. You see, with some people who want to offer money, a leader or a worker has to ask them, “Have you prayed about this offering? How many years have you believed in God?” They say, “I’ve believed for three to five years, and my heart will not be at peace if I don’t make an offering. If I don’t make an offering, I’ll be failing God, and I wouldn’t be worthy to be called a human.” If they can say such things, then their offering is sincere—it is made willingly and gladly, and not because they were forced to. When people preach the gospel and do their duty, it must also come from the heart, willingly and gladly—then they will have a burden. If they are unwilling to do a duty, we must never force them. Some people say, “That won’t do. If you don’t require them to do a duty, how long will they have to believe before they do it of their own accord? They might even believe for ten years and still not do a duty.” Is this correct? (It’s not.) If they won’t do a duty of their own accord, would they be willing just because you require it of them? Even if they were willing, could you be sure they are sincere? If they are not sincere, can they achieve results from doing their duty? (No.) Therefore, it isn’t good either to persuade people to do a duty or to require them to. We cannot force people. It’s enough for us to just keep watering people with the truth. How wonderful it will be when they understand the truth, their life has grown, and they can do a duty of their own accord! Then they will never have any regrets, because they will know that what they are doing is in line with the truth and in line with God’s intentions.

There are now so many people in God’s house following Him. After a few years of following God, they come to understand some truths and are able to see many worldly matters clearly. They can also see all kinds of famous and great people clearly. They see clearly that living without the truth is vanity. Careers are vanity, fame is vanity, and having achievements is also vanity; no matter what pleasures you enjoy, it is all vanity. Those who believe in God see these things clearly and say, “I don’t regret forsaking my job, my family, and everything else for God. I feel honored. This is God’s exaltation; He has given me this opportunity.” Once you have gained the truth, you won’t regret anything you do for God. Tell me, what is the most important thing for a person to gain in their lifetime? (The truth.) What about those who become rich tycoons, with immense wealth—do they have regrets when they are on their deathbeds? They do. They say, “What’s the use of earning so much money? It’s all vanity! You can’t take a single cent with you when you die. I’ve toiled my whole life for nothing!” Some people become high officials, holding great power and status and enjoying boundless prestige, but they haven’t gained the truth. When they are on their deathbeds, they also have regrets, saying, “Is there really hell? If there is, then I was wrong to not believe in God and wrong to walk the path of officialdom. Doesn’t that mean I’m doomed to go to hell? If I had known, I wouldn’t have become an official; I would have believed in and followed God.” You see, no matter how much money people have or how high their status is, they all have regrets when they are on their deathbeds if they haven’t gained the truth. Most people only reflect when they are on their deathbeds, wondering if the path they walked in life was the right one, and if the things they did conformed to the truth. If a person lives their whole life for their own fleshly enjoyment and in pursuit of fame and gain, then the things they do in their life are meaningless; it’s all vanity in the end. Tell me, is there any meaning in how many partners someone has or how many times they marry? (None.) The Old Testament records that Solomon took many beautiful Gentile women as his wives; he married one or two beautiful women from every nation. In the end, he summed it up in one sentence: “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). So, is it not vanity for someone to have many partners? (It is.) A person who has had many partners in their life will say on their deathbed, “Having partners is vanity! Why did I spend all my life’s energy on this? This was wrong! How could I have been so foolish and ignorant?” They regret it; they hate themselves! Isn’t that how it is? (It is.) So, what about those who believe in God but don’t pursue the truth? Do they have regrets when they are on their deathbeds? (They do.) And why do they have regrets? (They realize that while they were alive, they didn’t earnestly believe in God or pursue the truth, and they didn’t do more duties to prepare some good deeds. They know they might go to hell when they die and don’t know what punishment they will receive, so they regret not having cherished the time they were alive and not having seized the opportunity to pursue the truth.) That’s right. At that time, they will say, “I’m different from the nonbelievers; it’s excusable that nonbelievers don’t pursue the truth since they haven’t found the true way. But I found the true way. The Creator gave me the opportunity to follow God and to eat and drink His words. God loves people so much, but I just didn’t pursue the truth, didn’t expend myself for God, and didn’t preach the gospel or do my duty. I was so foolish, so stupid! I’m indebted to God!” Such people will be weeping and gnashing their teeth when they die; they won’t be able to swallow their regret. People who believe in God but don’t pursue the truth will be left with lifelong regret, eternal regret! Now, there are some people who believe in God but don’t pursue the truth or do their duty. They say, “I know this is the true way, but my family isn’t well-off. I want to spend all my time on my family life, to make my life a little better and my flesh a little more comfortable.” So what if your life becomes prosperous and your flesh becomes comfortable? Is it not still vanity? Whether you live your life in poverty or in wealth, whether you feast on rich foods or subsist on husks and wild vegetables, it is a lifetime all the same. But those who gain the truth have eternal life, while for those who don’t, it is all vanity. Isn’t that how it is? (It is.) Tell me, if a person subsists on husks and wild vegetables their whole life but gains the truth, will they have comfort in their heart? (They will.) And what about a person who feasts on rich foods their whole life, spending all their time and energy on eating, drinking, and enjoyment, but in the end, doesn’t gain the truth? Will they have regrets? (They will.) Therefore, it doesn’t matter what you eat or enjoy in your life. What’s crucial is how many things we have done for God and how much we have offered up for Him. If we eat and drink many of God’s words but still cannot expend ourselves for Him, then that really lets Him down. Once you understand these things, would you still be unwilling to do a duty? Would you still become negative and retreat when you encounter difficulties in your duty? (No.) It is absolutely right to expend yourself for God, no matter what you do; you should even be willing to risk your life. That is to say, if you have one life, you must expend it for God; if you had a hundred lives, you should offer them all up for God and expend them for Him. So, if you fall seriously ill one day while expending yourself for God, what should you do? You should pray, “Oh God, I still want to expend myself more for You, and I want to live a few more years for You. It’s a pity my life is about to end. Can You give me a little more time to expend myself for You?” Do you have this resolve? (Yes.) If you truly have this resolve, do you think God might extend your life? (I think He would.) That’s right. If you are truly a person who pursues the truth, God will give you enough time to gain the truth. If you are not a person who pursues the truth, you don’t pursue it no matter how many chances God gives you, and you don’t do any duty at all, then once God sees through you, He will say, “It would be better for this person to be dead than alive. By living, they are just wasting the earth’s resources.” The earth’s resources were all created by God, and God intends for them to be enjoyed by those who can serve a function while they are alive. How could they be enjoyed by someone who is useless? Useless people are unworthy of them! So, is this an acceptable answer to the question? (It is.) Tell me—will fellowshipping these truths thoroughly be beneficial for people’s performance of their duty? (Yes.) Then you should fellowship more on the truth and stop constantly forcing people to do their duty.