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

Question 13: Sometimes when I read God’s words, I feel like I have understood them, but when things actually befall me, I don’t know how to experience them, and I can’t practice the truth. In particular, when the pressure of my duty increases and I also face difficulties in my life like persecution from my husband or my child getting sick, I find it very hard to practice the truth and hold fast to my duty. I also tend to reveal hotheadedness and constrain and hurt those around me. This happens repeatedly, which makes me feel very dejected. I’d like to seek how I can quiet my heart in the face of various pressures and find a path in God’s words to resolve my corrupt dispositions.

Answer: I can’t solve these real difficulties for you; no one can. Others can fellowship on the truth with you, but the key is whether you can practice the truth once you understand it. If you don’t practice the truth, then however much others fellowship with you, it won’t be of any use. So how should this problem be resolved? Pray to God. Remember, no matter how many difficulties you have, just pray to God earnestly, and God will surely hear your prayers. You can pray, “Oh God, please enlighten and illuminate me. I will definitely give up and forsake what I should. If, once I have forsaken and given up what I should, the problem is still not solved, please open up a way for me.” If you can pray like this, and God sees that your heart is turned toward Him and that your heart submits to Him, that is enough. God will do the rest. Do you believe that God will act? (We do.) I have experienced this before. My parents were both nonbelievers. After I came to believe in the Lord, I wanted to forsake my job to preach, but my parents were counting on me to care for them in their old age. If I forsook my job, I wouldn’t be able to support them, and nonbelievers would judge and slander me, saying I wasn’t filial to my parents. What was I to do? I often prayed to God, saying, “Oh God, I want to expend myself for You with my whole heart and being. I want to use the rest of my life to serve You, but I still have to take care of my parents. Please open up a way for me.” After a year or two, something happened and all these difficulties were resolved, so I was able to expend myself for God single-mindedly. Therefore, if you truly have the resolve to expend yourself for God, then you should pray to God. When God sees your sincere heart, He will act. You just need to submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements. Isn’t that right? (It is.) But God doesn’t act in the way people imagine: where you pray today and it’s accomplished tomorrow. That’s impossible. God has His own time for doing things, and you must learn to wait. For now, just do what you can; for what you can’t do, wait for God to act.

Question 14: I have a rather introverted personality, and I don’t dare to express my views in front of a lot of people. When I was in school, I would always stutter when I was asked to speak in class. Now that I have come to believe in God, I want to preach the gospel and testify to God, and I want to fellowship on the truth to support and help my brothers and sisters. But as soon as I see them, I get so nervous that I can’t speak clearly. How can I solve this problem?

Answer: Can you hear any problems in how I speak? (No.) Actually, when I was a child, I would stutter and speak unclearly whenever I was among nonbelievers, but since I came to believe in God, I have no problems at all when I preach or fellowship on the truth. Tell me, what’s going on here? If you want to expend yourself for God and work for God, the Holy Spirit will work and guide you. You just need to train yourself in fellowshipping. When God’s time comes and the Holy Spirit works, all these problems of yours will disappear. So, having an introverted personality, speaking unclearly, or stuttering—none of these are problems. Don’t be constrained by this when you fellowship in gatherings. Once the Holy Spirit works, everything will be fine. With God, nothing is impossible. Do you understand? (Yes.)

Question 15: When brothers and sisters prune me, I feel wronged and angry, and I often want to justify myself. How can I correctly approach pruning so that I can benefit from it?

Answer: This requires seeking the truth. First, think about what kinds of results pruning can achieve. At the very least, it can help you recognize your own shortcomings and defects, recognize where you have done wrong, and what principles you have violated. By accepting pruning, can you not come to understand these things? (Yes.) A person can at least gain benefits in these aspects from being pruned. Without being pruned, would you be able to recognize the things you have done wrong and the areas where you have violated principles? Without recognizing them, you would persist in your mistakes, wouldn’t you? (Yes.) Therefore, being pruned has many benefits and no drawbacks—apart from, at the time, feeling a bit embarrassed, a bit like you cannot hold your head high, and suffering a little and feeling upset in your heart. But these are not major problems. The crucial thing is that our life has benefited. Isn’t that right? (It is.) To put it colloquially, “benefiting” means “getting the better end of the deal.” So, you are getting a great deal when you are pruned, yet you still feel wronged and complain about God. Aren’t you being foolish? That’s complaining even when you’ve got the better end of the deal. Furthermore, you should ponder what God’s real intention is in allowing you to be pruned. Is God trying to eliminate you or reveal you? Or does God look down on you and want to torment you? It’s none of this. God’s real intention is to use pruning, chastening and discipline to enable you to understand the truth, do your duty well, and make progress in your life. God’s real intention is to love and help; that is certain. If you can ponder the matter in this way, you will understand God’s intention. Then will you still be negative? (No.) Then, look at what results being pruned a few times has achieved. Aren’t you doing your duty a bit better than before? Aren’t you a bit more responsible? Aren’t you able to grasp some principles? Aren’t your words and actions more steady than before, a bit more low-key than before? Aren’t you a bit more mature than before—not so rash and reckless, not so arrogant and self-righteous? Then is this not a change in your life disposition? (It is.) Are these not all results achieved by pruning? Therefore, the more you are pruned, the more benefits you will gain. Once you understand God’s intention, you will say, “Being pruned is God’s love for me. Being pruned is a good thing. I must thank and praise God, and I must also thank my brothers and sisters for their pointers and help.” You see, doesn’t this solve the problem? Isn’t that right? (It is.)

Question 16: An actual problem I face in the process of doing my duty is that I always pursue perfection. Sometimes I have some ideas, but I’m always afraid of not acting perfectly or of failing, so I don’t dare to act. This ends up delaying progress. How can I overcome this problem and do my duty well?

Answer: The idea of pursuing perfection sounds right, but is it a workable practice? It’s not. Who can achieve perfection? No one can. This is an unrealistic perspective behind your pursuit. God doesn’t require people to pursue being perfect, either. So what kind of person does God require people to be? Look at Job, whom God approved of. What kind of person was he? God says: “Job feared God and shunned evil, and was a perfect person” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Excursus One: What the Truth Is). The ones God approves of are those who fear God and shun evil, who can seek the truth and act according to principles. Such people are perfect in God’s eyes. Is the “perfection” you pursue the same concept as being a “perfect person”? They’re not the same concept. So, is it better for us to be a “perfect person,” or a person who has achieved “perfection”? (To be a perfect person.) The idea of pursuing perfection is unrealistic. We should just pursue the truth, and reach the point where we can act according to the truth principles and do the duty of a created being well. This is what’s most realistic, and this is what accords with God’s intentions. Don’t pursue things that are unrealistic. Look at me. What is my standard for everything I do and every question I answer? I just look at the results achieved by doing it in this way or by fellowshipping in this way. If everyone says the results are pretty good, then that’s enough. I measure how I’m doing in my duty by the results I achieve, not by whether I am doing it perfectly. Which of these two standards is more realistic? (Measuring it by the results is more realistic.) In doing your duty, it’s enough to be able to act according to principles and devote all your heart and strength to achieving results. Don’t always pursue perfection; that’s not realistic. Do you understand? (Yes.)

Question 17: I’m often very passive in my duty. I don’t see myself as a member of God’s family, so I don’t proactively fulfill my duty as I should. I only do a little more when I’m supervised or urged, or I do a little better when I’m motivated by seeing others actively doing their duties. When I’m not urged or motivated, my performance is poor, and as a result, my duty is often ineffective. How can I truly see myself as a member of God’s family and proactively consider God’s intentions in my duty, without needing others to urge me?

Answer: If you don’t see yourself as a member of God’s family, then what do you see yourself as? A nonbeliever? If you see yourself as a nonbeliever, how can you be proactive in your duty? Almighty God says: “God wishes to save you and turn you into members of His family, yet you do not accept it. You, then, are outside of His house; you are nonbelievers. Whoever does not accept the least bit of the truth can only be handled as a nonbeliever would” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. To Perform One’s Duty Well, One Must at Least Be Possessed of a Conscience and Reason). If you see yourself as a nonbeliever, then it’s impossible for you to be proactive in your duty. If you want to see yourself as a member of God’s family and treat the work of God’s house as your own, what should you do? You must quickly accept and practice the truth. Once you understand the truth, you’ll feel, “The church is my home, and I have a responsibility that I should fulfill in all of its work. If I fail to do my part, then I am unworthy of being called one of God’s chosen people.” This is what you will say once you understand the truth. Therefore, if you want to see yourself as a member of God’s family, you must quickly accept and equip yourself with the truth. The more truth you understand, the more you’ll feel like a member of God’s family. Once you understand enough truth to be able to bear witness to God, you will say, “I belong to God.” At that point, will you still be able to treat the work of God’s house as someone else’s business? You will feel that all the work of God’s house concerns you personally, and that you have a direct responsibility for it. You will then no longer be perfunctory in your duty. You won’t need others to constantly supervise and prompt you, and you will, of your own accord, come to be considerate of God’s intentions and find ways to do your duty well. So, if you want to consider yourself a member of God’s family, there is only one path: You must accept and equip yourself with more of the truth, come to know God, become of one heart and mind with God, and become considerate of God’s intentions in all things. You will then naturally become a member of God’s family. Once you become a member of God’s family, you will be able to treat the work of God’s family as your own. You may even come to see the work of God’s family as more important than anything else, and you’ll make it your top priority in everything you do. You must remember that personal gains and losses are unimportant, and that what matters is being mindful of God’s will. People who follow God live by this maxim. If you are truly a member of God’s family, you will say, “It doesn’t matter if my flesh suffers a little. The work of God’s house cannot suffer losses.” These are the words of a member of God’s family.

Question 18: I sometimes lack a sense of burden in my duty, and some of the work doesn’t get done. When my brothers and sisters ask about my progress, I want to be open and tell the truth, but I find it difficult to do so. I constantly find myself making excuses or even lying to save face. How can I solve this problem?

Answer: This problem is similar in nature to the ones we’ve fellowshipped on before. The main issue is that your stature is too small. Once you understand the truth and your stature has grown, these things will no longer be a problem. Isn’t that right? (It is.) Once you understand the truth, will you still try to argue your way out when you’ve done something wrong? (No.) Once you understand the truth, will you still shirk responsibility when you haven’t done your work well? (No.) Therefore, once you understand the truth, these problems will no longer arise. These problems are all easy to solve.

Question 19: When I first found God, the work of the Holy Spirit was very evident, and I felt that everything was easy. But through my years of faith, pursuing the truth has begun to feel more and more strenuous, and I feel that it requires much more effort than before. I’d like to know what is going on with this state of mine. What should I do to maintain the same state I had when I first found God?

Answer: When people first find God, they don’t know what it means to believe in God, nor have they embarked on the path of pursuing the truth, so the Holy Spirit works to give them faith. After the Holy Spirit has given you faith, if you don’t walk the path of pursuing the truth, the Holy Spirit will stop working on you in this way. When the Holy Spirit works on you, you have faith and enthusiasm. When the Holy Spirit does not work on you, you lose faith, your enthusiasm fades, and you even feel as if you’ve become like a pool of stagnant water. This is the Holy Spirit leading you to walk the path of pursuing the truth, but you didn’t set foot on this path. So, the state you’re in is your own problem. It’s as if after your parents raised you, you went out into the world, you didn’t work hard, you didn’t walk the right path, and you refused to do proper work. In the end, you’d be unable to earn a living and you’d have no way forward in life. Who would there be for you to blame then? You’d only have yourself to blame, and it would have nothing to do with your parents. Is this not correct? (It is.) Therefore, you must pursue the truth now. It won’t do not to. You say that pursuing the truth is becoming more and more strenuous, but what do you mean by “strenuous”? Is it that you lack comprehension, or is it that you find it strenuous to accept and practice the truth? What exactly is the reason? In reality, some truths are easy to practice. They can be put into practice without much suffering or paying much of a price. For example, it is easy to be honest. You don’t have to forsake your job or leave your family; as long as you’re willing, you can be honest. So, if you still find it strenuous to practice these truths that don’t call for you to pay much of a price, it shows that you don’t truly love the truth. When people are unwilling to do something, they find it strenuous, but when someone loves to do something, they are willing to do it even if it means suffering and paying a price, and they don’t find it strenuous. Is this not correct? (It is.) This depends on what a person loves in their heart, and it also involves their attitude toward the truth. When people first begin to pursue the truth, their corrupt dispositions are very severe and they don’t know themselves at all. That’s why they find it strenuous to accept and practice the truth. But for someone who loves the truth, these things are not strenuous. They are able to pay a price to practice the truth. Even if they lose their fleshly benefits, they don’t feel pain, and instead, they feel ease and joy in such situations. Isn’t that how it is? (It is.) Does this not involve one’s mindset? (It does.) A person who loves the truth has a normal mindset. The more they accept the truth, the more they understand it, and the more they practice it, the more joy, happiness, peace, and delight they feel. If a person who loves the truth doesn’t practice it or violates it, their conscience feels accused, and their heart feels reproached and tormented. This is when they are in the most pain. Therefore, a person who loves the truth feels peace, joy, and comfort when they practice it, but when they violate the truth, their heart is tormented and pained. So, tell me, why is it that a person who loves the truth is pained when they don’t practice it, while a person who doesn’t love the truth is pained when they try to do so? Why are the feelings of these two types of people so completely different? What causes this? (They walk different paths.) So, if a person constantly finds it strenuous to practice the truth, it means they don’t love the truth. If a person who loves the truth tells a lie, they feel remorse and hate themselves, so much so that they want to slap themselves. You see, they’ll even slap themselves for telling a lie. And if they cause harm to someone, they feel compelled to quickly compensate the person they have harmed for their loss, otherwise they won’t be able to sleep. They know they can’t do things that leave them indebted to others. This is the function of the conscience. Therefore, if you love the truth, you will be able to strive toward the truth. Once you understand the truth and it begins to take effect in your heart, will it still be difficult to practice it? (No.) No truth will ever be difficult for you to put into practice then.

Question 20: When I first started doing my duty, I was very proactive. I liked to talk boastfully to show off my understanding of God’s words, and I was very arrogant in my words and actions. I was then pruned by my brothers and sisters. After this experience, I felt that I was nothing, and I became negative and passive. I rarely spoke, whether in gatherings or work discussions, because I was always afraid of saying the wrong thing and being pruned again. I’ve been in this state for the past two years, and I was eventually dismissed from my duty as a leader. How can I solve this problem?

Answer: Tell me, in a person’s life experience, is encountering such a failure and setback a good thing or a bad thing? (A good thing.) Why do you say it’s a good thing? (It can help a person know themselves.) So what changes can this experience bring about? (It can teach them to be low-key and not so conceited.) They will definitely reflect on themselves, thinking, “I used to love talking boastfully and showing off. I didn’t know myself and thought I was pretty good, but then I was disciplined by God. My brothers and sisters pruned and reproached me, and only then did I see that I didn’t have the truth, and that what I said was all empty theories and words and doctrines. This pruning came from God! This was God’s love! Later, God’s house removed me from my duty as a leader, and this was also God’s love. My behavior and disposition made me unsuited to be a leader. God’s house dismissed me to make me reflect and repent, to give me a chance to turn around. I should conduct myself in a well-behaved manner, keep a low profile, and diligently equip myself with the truth. I should do whatever duty I can and submit to God’s arrangements, and I should stop pursuing leadership positions. For me to do so would not only harm God’s chosen people, but it would also do me no good.” You see, although such a person feels weak, they feel that God’s love has come upon them. Tell me, can a person see such a result by reflecting on and knowing themselves after encountering failure and setbacks? (Yes.) They most certainly can. If they go through a further period of experience and come to understand some truths, then when they fellowship in gatherings, what they say will have a practical understanding of the truth and principles of practice. They will also say appropriate things in a way that benefits others and is helpful to the work. In that case, tell me, will the brothers and sisters of the church elect them as a leader again? (Yes.) Since they have repented, doesn’t that mean they have come back to life and had a turnaround? Therefore, although they become negative and weak when they go through such a tormenting process, such events bring about turnarounds in their life experience. Just like a person who is extremely arrogant and fears no one, not even the highest authority. Such a person often gets into fights, and one day they are arrested after committing a crime and put in prison for three years. Tell me, will these three years in prison be a good thing or a bad thing for them? (It will be a good thing.) Why do you say that? These three years will definitely benefit them. If they hadn’t been arrested and imprisoned for those three years, given their disposition, who knows what kind of catastrophe they would have caused? They might have even lost their life. Is this not correct? (It is.) So, encountering a few failures and setbacks is a good thing. A person with life experience knows how to handle these things correctly. No matter what failures or setbacks we encounter, or what kind of pruning we face, these are all immeasurably wonderful things and greatly beneficial to our lives. You must not complain about God. Although you may feel some torment and pain in your heart at that time, and you may lose face, such situations are greatly beneficial to your life. This is the kind of discipline we need. This is the suffering we need to endure. Is this the right way to accept this from God? (It is.) Then if the person who asked the question can accept it this way, will they still complain when they endure this suffering? (No.) If they no longer complain, then this suffering will bring a turnaround in their life, it will become a treasure in their life, and it will lay a solid foundation for their future service to God. Is this not correct? (It is.) Then tell me, since people have corrupt dispositions, should they not endure this suffering? (They should.) Is this suffering great? (No.) Then if God has you endure suffering even greater than this, are you willing to accept it? (Yes.) Having that attitude is what matters. In short, no matter what happens, people must not complain about God. What God does is so good, and God’s heart is the very best. People should not always misunderstand God.

Have all the questions been answered? (Yes.) Then let’s end today’s gathering here. Goodbye! (Goodbye, brother!)