Fellowship From the Brother Above – November 17, 2025 (Part One)

We just heard a hymn of God’s words, “God Wishes Mankind Will Pursue the Truth and Survive.” These words express God’s intention. God’s ultimate intention for His chosen people is that they will pursue the truth and survive. So how should we understand this statement? In a literal sense, it means that God wishes people can pursue the truth and survive, but what is the deeper meaning? Perhaps some people do not quite understand. They always have a question in their hearts: “We have great faith in God, and we are willing to suffer and pay a price. Is this not pursuing the truth? Why are we still required to pursue the truth? Why does God always emphasize that we must pursue the truth?” Does anyone think this way? I am afraid there are many who do. So why must you pursue the truth? This is related to God’s aim of saving mankind, and it also has a direct relationship with your outcome and destination. What does your outcome and destination refer to? It is where your soul will ultimately end up, and to whom it will ultimately belong—whether it will belong to God and enter the kingdom of heaven, or to Satan and go to hell. This is your outcome and destination. People who believe in God all hope to enter the kingdom of heaven. So how should you pursue in order to enter the kingdom of heaven? What conditions must be met to enter the kingdom of heaven? This relates to God’s wish that people will pursue the truth. The statement “God Wishes Mankind Will Pursue the Truth and Survive” means that if people want to survive disasters and enter the kingdom of heaven, they must pursue the truth and gain the truth. If they do not gain the truth and do not have the truth reality, they cannot survive. Then, some people say, “Why can’t we survive without the truth reality? Is having faith in God alone not enough to meet His requirements?” This is a matter that many of God’s chosen people cannot see clearly. They do not understand what the conditions for entering the kingdom of heaven are. God requires that people possess the truth reality to enter the kingdom of heaven; this is a necessary condition for a person to enter the kingdom of heaven. So how should we measure whether a person actually has the truth reality? On what aspects should we base this measurement? Some people say, “I can preach many doctrines, and I can give endless sermons in gatherings. Do I really still not have the truth reality?” Others say, “I have believed in God for many years, and I have forsaken my family and career to do my duty all this time, expending myself and working enthusiastically for God. Does this not prove that I have gained the truth and entered the truth reality?” Can these things prove that a person has the truth reality? (No.) These are not accurate bases. Then what is the most accurate way to measure whether a person has the truth reality? First, we must look at whether this person is an up-to-standard created being. So on what basis does God determine that a person is an up-to-standard created being? What is the basis for being up to standard? Primarily, it is whether their performance of their duty is up to standard. Is this basis for measurement not the most practical and accurate? (It is.) Then tell me, to do one’s duty in a way that is up to standard, how many truths must a person understand, and what truth realities must they possess? How much knowledge of God and of themselves must they have? Has their life disposition changed? Can a person whose disposition has not changed do their duty in a way that is up to standard? (No. If a person’s disposition has not changed, then they will act by their natural satanic nature, and they are prone to violating the truth principles, rebelling against God, and resisting God.) Some people say, “I was born with good humanity. I am naturally obedient and submissive. I can do my duty in a way that is up to standard just by relying on my own humanity.” Is this statement correct? (No.) Why is it incorrect? In the religious world, all those who can understand a bit of the Bible and can preach feel that their humanity is the best. They all feel that they love the Lord, that they submit to the Lord, and that they are people who follow God’s will. So tell me, are they qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven? (No. They have not accepted God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days, and they are still full of corrupt dispositions. In addition, they have no knowledge of God, so when they encounter things that do not align with their own desires, they are capable of rebelling against and resisting God at any time.) That is correct. But religious people cannot recognize these things. They think that by toiling and working, they are following God’s will and doing their duty devotedly, and are thus qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven. The Lord Jesus once said: “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out devils, and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22–23). Why did the Lord say that these people who prophesied and worked in His name were workers of iniquity? The main reason is that although they believed in and followed the Lord, they had not experienced God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days. They had no true knowledge of God, nor did they have knowledge of their own corrupt dispositions. People who have not experienced judgment and chastisement can never achieve a true change in their life disposition. If a person’s life disposition has not changed, then no matter how much they toil and work, they are acting by their corrupt dispositions, which runs counter to God’s requirements, and they cannot do their duty in a way that is up to standard. So how does God view those whose life disposition has not changed? Almighty God has said, “To have an unchanged disposition is to be in enmity to God” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God). God’s words are the truth, so people whose disposition has not changed are people who resist God. This is beyond doubt. In addition, people who do not know God are people who resist God, and people whose performance of their duty is not up to standard are also people who resist God; they are all people who do not truly submit to God. Words of this kind have all been spoken by God before, and God’s words are the truth. What God’s words expose is absolutely never wrong. No matter how you comprehend them, if you cannot fully accept God’s words, you are not someone who truly understands the truth.

Tell me, can it be said that people whose performance of their duty is not up to standard are those who do not have the truth reality? (Yes.) People whose performance of their duty is not up to standard are all those who do not know God, and they are all full of corrupt dispositions. All those whose performance of their duty is not up to standard cannot act according to the truth principles, and they always run amok as they will. Such people do not have the truth reality. People without the truth reality are always unable to see things clearly. For example, some people say, “Why can’t I solve any problems in my duty? Why do I have so many difficulties? When preaching the gospel, why can’t I answer the questions others raise? When religious people say something intended to make things difficult, why don’t I know how to respond?” There are also leaders and workers who say, “Why can’t I solve the problems and difficulties of the brothers and sisters?” If you cannot solve any of the problems and difficulties encountered in your duty, what does this show? It shows that you do not understand the truth, or that your understanding of the truth is too shallow. When you encounter things, you cannot see through to the essence of the problem, so no matter how you fellowship, you cannot get to the key point, and the problem cannot be thoroughly resolved. Perhaps you have said a lot, but you cannot achieve very good results. This shows that your understanding of the truth is not clear. You only have some perceptual knowledge of God’s words, but you have not yet achieved true experiential knowledge. So, no matter how you fellowship, your fellowship is not clear. Some people say, “I used to be a teacher and I am eloquent, but why can’t I explain anything that involves the truth clearly?” Is this not also because you are not clear about the truth? If you understand the truth and have some truth reality, then you will be able to see the issues involving the truth clearly and thoroughly resolve them. Now, many new believers have a burst of enthusiasm when they first start doing their duties, and they all have the confidence that they must do their duties well. But once it comes to preaching the gospel or living the church life where fellowshipping on the truth is required, they have nothing to say. They say, “Actually, I’m pretty eloquent. But because I can’t see things clearly, I don’t know which problems should be solved, and I don’t know which aspects of the truth are involved in solving which problems. I don’t know where to start or what to say.” This is also because they do not understand the truth! But some people say, “That’s not right. I can speak endlessly when fellowshipping on God’s words in gatherings. Why can’t I solve problems when they arise?” What is the problem here? (They only understand words and doctrines, but have not yet understood the reality of the truth, so they cannot see things clearly when actual matters arise.) You are right. They only understand the truth in terms of doctrine, and can speak some words and doctrines, but when actual problems arise, they still cannot see them clearly and do not know how to apply the truth to solve them. This shows that they still do not understand the truth. Now there are quite a few people who can understand God’s words when reading them, but why can’t they see things clearly when they happen? Why can’t they solve the problems encountered in their duty? Why can’t they discern when they reveal corrupt dispositions? Why, in their duty, can they only follow regulations, but not act according to principles? What is going on here? This is all because they do not understand the truth. So tell me, is pursuing the truth important and crucial? (It is important and crucial.) Some people say, “I have believed in Almighty God for three to five years and understand quite a few truths. Do I still need to continue pursuing the truth?” Are they correct in asking this? (No.) You say you understand quite a few truths, but can you solve actual problems when they arise? If you cannot even solve actual problems, where exactly is your truth reality? God has said: “People can only enter onto the right track of belief in God if they bring God into their real lives, and into their normal human lives” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Practice (2)). What does it mean to bring God’s words into real life? First, it means that in real life, you must view people and things according to God’s words. Second, it means that no matter what problems or difficulties you discover in real life, you must solve them according to God’s words. This “real life” includes doing your duty, which means that all problems encountered in doing your duty must be resolved by practicing God’s words and using the truth. Tell me, what truth realities must a person possess to solve all difficulties and problems in doing their duty? This is very crucial. If I do not fellowship clearly on this matter, many people will keep saying, “We already understand the truth, so why are we still constantly asked to pursue the truth?” You say you understand the truth, but have you brought God’s words into real life? Have you brought them into the real experience of doing your duty? You say you understand the truth, but why is your performance of your duty still not up to standard? Does your performance not being up to standard prove that you have practiced God’s words? Does it prove that you have acted according to the truth principles? (It does not.) Then do you have the truth reality? (No.) Without the truth reality, people cannot see that they are doing their duty in a way that does not meet God’s requirements and is still quite far from them. They do not know that they can still reveal corruption in many things, and they are even unaware when they lie, deceive, and engage in deceit. They are unaware that when cooperating with their brothers and sisters, they often have prejudices against them, and that they cannot cooperate harmoniously with them; they don’t feel that this is a revelation of corruption. Then, if people are always engaging in deception and deceit, always unable to cooperate harmoniously with others, always seizing on others’ shortcomings to exclude and suppress them, or always wanting to have the final say and acting arbitrarily, are these not corrupt dispositions? (Yes.) People live in these corrupt dispositions all because they lack the truth reality. If you have knowledge of these corrupt dispositions, then when you reveal corruption again, you will be aware of it, and you will be able to seek the truth to resolve your corrupt dispositions. So have your corrupt dispositions been resolved now? (No.) Your corrupt dispositions have not yet been resolved, and you cannot even manage to be an honest person, so do you meet the conditions for entering the kingdom of heaven? (No.) If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, the first thing you must achieve is being an honest person. To what extent must you be honest? You must achieve absolute honesty in your speech, meaning that no matter how much you speak, there is not a single lie, not a single false statement, and not a single statement that does not accord with the facts. So can you meet this standard now? (Not yet.) This is the problem. If lies can still be found in your mouth, then you do not meet the standard of being an honest person. Is a person who often lies a deceitful person? (Yes.) Then are they an upright person? Are they a person who submits to God? (No.) You see, lying involves so many problems, and we can see that the problem of lying is very serious. If there are too many lies in your mouth, then you are very troublesome. First, your disposition is quite deceitful; second, there is a problem with your character, which at least shows that you are untrustworthy and unreliable, and people dare not entrust you with things; third, you are absolutely not a person who submits to God. Therefore, it is hard to say whether you can be saved. Is this accurate? (It is.) So how does a person who often lies view the matter of lying? They think that telling a few lies is no big deal, that it is a small problem that does not relate to whether their humanity is good or bad, doesn’t relate to whether they submit to God, and relates even less to whether they can be saved. Is this view of theirs correct? (No.) What does the Book of Revelation say about the overcomers? “These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no lie; they are without blemish” (Revelation 14:4–5). What does “in their mouth was found no lie” mean? It means that no lies can be found in those people’s mouths. Only such people are those approved of by God, the first fruits, the overcomers. If you say you are an honest person, but people can find lies in your mouth, and you tell quite a few of them, and they are of a serious nature, then you are a crooked and deceitful person, a person who is most rebellious and has the least submission to God, a person who is most deceptive and misleading, and a person with the worst character. If everyone characterizes you in this way, are you not in trouble? The Lord Jesus said: “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. … When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). The devil has been lying from the beginning, and anyone who often lies is a devil in God’s eyes. If you directly say that a person is a devil, people always feel that this statement is unrealistic and inaccurate, and they always have doubts in their hearts, saying, “How can a person be a devil?” Let’s explain this issue. If a person’s nature essence is the same as the devil’s, is this person not a devil? (Yes.) Therefore, if a person is always telling lies, they have the devil’s nature: They are a devil. Then is a person who has heard many of God’s words but does not accept the truth at all a devil? Is a person who speaks and acts without the slightest conscience or reason a devil? Is a person who is capable of doing any evil thing a devil? These people are all devils. Do you still have any doubts about this? (No doubts.) Then, if a person is truly a devil, can they still be saved by believing in God? It is impossible for a devil’s disposition to change even after believing in God for ten or twenty years, and they will definitely be eliminated in the end. On what basis is it determined whether a person is ultimately eliminated? The basis is whether they can accept and practice the truth, and whether their disposition has changed. If a person has believed in God for more than ten years but does not accept pruning at all, does not practice God’s words, and their disposition has not changed in the slightest, then they are a devil and should be eliminated. God’s house does not want such people.

Recently, I discovered that there are some Chinese people who have believed in God for more than ten years yet do not practice the truth at all, act without any principles, and even run amok. Such people are just causing disruptions and disturbances when doing their duties. I have dismissed all these people and no longer allow them to lead God’s chosen people around the world, much less interfere in the affairs of the churches around the world. Because the actions of these people bring shame to God and disrupt and disturb God’s work, they must be dismissed! So do God’s chosen people around the world have discernment regarding these Chinese people? Some people may not have discernment yet. As long as a Chinese person leads their church, they submit no matter what this Chinese person says. Is this true submission to God? (No.) Why do you not practice submission in accordance with God’s words and the truth principles? What is the principle of submitting to God? It is to submit to whatever accords with the truth no matter who says it, and refuse to submit to anything that does not. If you do not grasp this truth principle, and you listen to and submit to whatever the Chinese people leading the church say, is this not muddled submission? What is the difference between this and religious believers blindly submitting to pastors and elders? There is no difference. Many believers in religion did not accept God’s work of the last days because they listened to the words of pastors and elders, failing to welcome the Lord and losing their opportunity to be saved. So, if you blindly submit to people now, will you not also be misled and ruined? (Yes.) So how exactly should you practice submission to God? You should practice like this: “I will not accept or submit to any words that do not accord with the truth. Even if they are spoken by the Chinese person leading me, I cannot listen to or accept them. I will only listen to words that accord with the truth. Even if a three-year-old child speaks words that accord with the truth, I will accept and submit.” Can you grasp this principle when practicing submission? If your submission is without principle and not based on God’s words, then it is not true submission to God. Then let me ask you now, God’s chosen people around the world, why do you blindly submit to Chinese people? If what some Chinese people say is correct and you submit, that is fine; that is correct. But why do you still submit when what some Chinese people say is incorrect? This is a problem. So, if an antichrist appears in the church, will you actually be able to discern them? If evil people and disbelievers appear, will you be able to discern them? If you cannot discern them, and say, “Regardless of whether they are an antichrist, an evil person, or a disbeliever, as long as they are a leader or a worker, I will obey, accept, and submit to what they say,” are you a person who truly submits to God? If such a person serves as a leader or a worker, can they solve the problem if, in the church, antichrists and evil people cause disturbances and heresies and fallacies run rampant? (No.) Their principle for doing things is, “I listen to whatever anyone says, and I must especially submit to what the leaders and workers say. I won’t offend anyone.” Is this not a people pleaser? Is such a person’s performance of their duty up to standard? (No.) Then do they have the truth reality? (No.) Are people without the truth reality qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom where Christ reigns, the kingdom where the truth of God’s words reigns. Only those who have gained the truth can enter the kingdom of heaven; those who have not gained the truth cannot. God determines a person’s outcome based on whether they have the truth, and whether a person can enter the kingdom of heaven is also determined based on whether they have the truth. Once you have gained the truth, entered the truth reality, and can discern false leaders, antichrists, and evil people, you will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who have not gained the truth act without any principles or discernment. They always blindly submit to others. As long as it is a leader or a worker speaking, they accept and submit regardless of whether their words accord with the truth. If a good person leads them, they follow the good person, and if a bad person leads them, they can still follow the bad person. Such people are too muddleheaded; they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. So why can’t they enter the kingdom of heaven? (Because they have not gained the truth, they will be misled when antichrists and evil people appear in the church to mislead people, so they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.) That’s right. People who have not gained the truth can still be misled by Satan and can still follow Satan and betray God. Such people are not truly following or submitting to God. God does not approve of them, and in the end, when God’s work is finished, such people will be condemned for not having gained the truth, and it will be absolutely impossible for them to enter the kingdom of heaven. Just as the Lord Jesus said: “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out devils, and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22–23). You see, God condemns these people as workers of iniquity. Why is that? How can they, who are able to prophesy, work, and perform many wonderful works in the Lord’s name, still be condemned by God as workers of iniquity? It is because they have not gained the truth, and their life disposition has not changed; they are still the same old Satans, completely unchanged. Therefore, God condemns them as workers of iniquity, and they are not qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven. In the last days, Almighty God has appeared and worked, expressing many truths. What is the significance of God expressing these truths? It is to use these truths to judge, cleanse, and save people, because these truths are the reality of the kingdom of heaven. If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, you must understand these truths and enter into reality. If you do not possess the truth reality, you are not qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, God is not expressing so many truths in the last days merely for people to listen to. The significance of God expressing these truths is too profound. God wants people to enter into these truths, and He wants to work these truths into people to become their life reality, thereby cleansing, saving, and perfecting them. If you gain these truths, you will be able to enter God’s kingdom. If you do not gain these truths, then God’s kingdom will have nothing to do with you. Therefore, all these truths expressed by God are the reality of the kingdom of heaven, and they are the truth realities that God’s people of the kingdom of heaven must possess. Do you still have any doubts about this? (No doubts.)