Fellowship From the Brother Above – February 2, 2026 (Part Four)

Question 8: Some gospel preachers who have good caliber and gifts play an indispensable role in the gospel work. However, their life entry is relatively poor, and most of them are quite arrogant. When we point out the problems and shortcomings in how they testify, they find it hard to accept. I would like to ask how we can get them to realize their own shortcomings. How can we help them know themselves and gain life entry?

Answer: How could gifted and eloquent gospel preachers not be arrogant? Every last member of corrupt mankind is arrogant. It could be said that even fools are arrogant. Do you believe this statement? (We do.) So in what way are fools arrogant? When they hear someone say they are foolish, they don’t know themselves. They don’t know they are foolish, nor do they feel that they are foolish. Look at how fools are arrogant and self-righteous when they speak. They all like to stand on high to lecture others and like to preach doctrines to people. They never listen to or accept any fellowship and guidance that others try to give them, and they even turn things around and try to lecture others. Tell me, are fools arrogant? (They are.) Is the arrogance of fools a problem with their thinking? (No.) It is a problem within their disposition; it is beyond their control. Tell me, doesn’t everyone feel that they are good-looking? (Yes.) If other people all think someone is good-looking, then it accords with the facts when they say they are good-looking. But if everyone else thinks they are not good-looking, yet they still say they are good-looking, what is the problem here? (They are arrogant and lack reason.) Therefore, if an arrogant person has some gifts, it is normal for them to be a bit arrogant—it’s not a major problem. But some people have nothing and are still quite arrogant. This is arrogance without reason. That is to say, there are several kinds of arrogance. Some arrogance has reason, while some arrogance is completely without reason. Take the CCP, this evil devil, for instance—it has absolutely no reason. It frantically resists and blasphemes God, spreads all kinds of baseless rumors to condemn and smear The Church of Almighty God, and attempts to make people reject God and follow it. This is enough to prove that it is arrogant to the point of being completely devoid of reason. Does it have humanity? (No.) It is simply an evil devil devoid of humanity. Do people devoid of humanity have any boundaries in their actions? (No.) People without humanity have no boundaries whatsoever in their actions. They are capable of doing anything. You must see this matter clearly. If the arrogance of a gospel preacher is normal and rational, can they be cultivated? (They can.) If they can accept the truth, reflect on themselves in all things, and truly know themselves, then they can be cultivated. For example, when they finish testifying, they reflect on themselves, “Did I reveal a corrupt disposition? Oh, I spoke arrogantly, and my state of mind was a bit wrong.” If they reflect on themselves every time they testify, what would you think of them? (That they have reason.) After testifying for a period of time, they will be able to discover that they have quite a few problems. Then they will be able to change, and there can be a change in their life disposition. What kind of person is this? (A person of good caliber; a person who pursues the truth.) They pursue the truth, and such people are worth cultivating. They can preach the gospel and testify now. If their life disposition changes, the Holy Spirit can perfect them into someone who testifies to God, and then they will be able to take on major work. If a gospel preacher pursues the truth, they have the brightest of futures and are the most blessed by God. Conversely, if a gospel preacher does not pursue the truth, then there is no way for them to be made perfect by God, nor can they be used by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, pursuing the truth is crucial. Remember, God doesn’t mind how much corruption you reveal; He is only concerned with whether you reflect on yourself after you reveal it. As long as you reflect on yourself, you can gradually resolve your corruption, no matter how much of it you reveal, and your corrupt dispositions can be cast off. Some people reveal a bit too much corruption, get negative, and pass verdict on themselves, “I am a devil and a Satan. I can’t restrain my corrupt dispositions no matter how hard I try, and I still reveal corruption just the same. I’m beyond saving!” It is foolish for people to have such thoughts. God does not look at how much corruption you reveal; God just looks at whether you accept the truth, whether you reflect on and know yourself, and whether you can practice the truth and cast off your corrupt dispositions. This is God’s intention. Do you understand? (We do.) If a person understands God’s intentions, they will not become negative when they reveal corruption, and they will focus on reflecting on themselves every day. When I first started working and preaching, I reflected on myself after every gathering, “Did I say things that lacked reason? Did I speak any words and doctrines? What didn’t I explain thoroughly, and thus didn’t achieve results? Which words came from the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit? Which words were spoken practically and thoroughly and achieved positive results?” I would reflect on and come to know myself in this way after every gathering. It was precisely through these reflections and understandings that I came to speak more and more practically, say fewer and fewer words and doctrines, say fewer and fewer empty and boastful things, and get better and better results in my work. You see, reflecting and drawing lessons every time I worked yielded such great gains. Therefore, every time a gospel preacher finishes testifying, they must think back, “What corrupt dispositions did I reveal when testifying this time? What things did I say that shouldn’t have been said? Which words were spoken without wisdom? Which problems did I not resolve thoroughly? Which key things related to these problems did I fail to articulate properly? I must turn these things around next time.” The more you reflect and draw lessons in this way, the better the results of your work will be. Ultimately, you will be able to accord with God’s intentions. Tell me, is this way of experiencing good? (It is.)

It is not a major problem if gospel preachers have an arrogant disposition. Why do I say it is not a major problem? Tell me, is it a major problem if a newborn baby cries all the time? You have to draw lessons from experience. You have to find older people who have given birth to and raised many children and ask them. Because they have experienced a lot, they can see this matter clearly, and they have found methods to deal with it. Therefore, you must frequently draw lessons from everything that happens to you. If you don’t, you will be prone to making a mountain out of a molehill. Some leaders and workers, upon seeing someone reveal arrogance, immediately think, “They revealed arrogance, so are they an antichrist? If they are an antichrist, we should dismiss them.” Is it right to do this? (No.) You must be able to discern. Sometimes it is just a normal revelation of corruption. Sometimes, even if someone has an antichrist disposition, we must keep them to render service if they can. Take Paul—was he arrogant? (He was.) The most arrogant person in the entire religious world was Paul. Paul said that for him to live was christ. Throughout the ages, no one else dared to say this, but Paul dared to say it. Tell me—just how arrogant was he? But God still gave him a chance to repent and allowed him to render service for God right up until the day he was martyred. During this period, did God ever stop him from doing his duty? (No.) God allowed him to finish rendering service. You see, God let even someone as arrogant as Paul complete the service he was supposed to render. So, if someone with a severe corrupt disposition can render service but you prevent them from doing so, are you acting in line with God’s intentions? (No.) Therefore, we cannot just outright give up on people as soon as we see that they have problems. If someone has a severe arrogant disposition, we should first guide them to walk the right path. When you have time, fellowship on the truth with them. Talk about how you yourself came to know your arrogant disposition, the ways in which you revealed it in the past, and how you came to know and cast it off afterward. Just talk about your experiential understanding in this way to gradually move them. When they hear you talk about your knowledge of your own arrogance, they will think to themselves, “Even that little manifestation of yours counts as arrogance? I am much more arrogant than you. My arrogant disposition is more severe than yours, so I also need to know myself. I need to pray to God to resolve the problem of my arrogance.” You see, by sharing your experiential testimony, you have moved them—haven’t they also gained some knowledge of themselves? (Yes.) Can people cast off their arrogant dispositions just by relying on themselves? (No.) We must pray and rely on God to resolve them. So how should you pray? You could say, “Oh God, I have an arrogant disposition but I cannot understand it thoroughly. May You enlighten and illuminate me, so that I can have true knowledge of my arrogant disposition.” Or you could also pray and curse yourself, saying, “Oh God, why do I not hate my arrogant disposition that much? Am I not a devil and a Satan—so arrogant that I lack reason? So why can I still not hate it? Oh God, may You enlighten and illuminate me so that I can hate my flesh and hate my arrogance. If I am ever so arrogant that I am this lacking in reason again, may God’s curse come upon me.” Do you dare to pray like this? (Yes.) If you have this resolve, then your arrogant disposition can be resolved. God has exposed that corrupt humans are devils and Satans. What is His basis for saying this? First, corrupt humans often tell lies. The devil has told lies from the beginning, and anyone who consistently tells lies is a devil. Second, corrupt humans often reveal an arrogant disposition. The devil is the most arrogant, and completely lacks reason. It does not worship God—it always wants to be god itself and make people worship it. Therefore, deceitfulness and arrogance are the devil’s nature. So, when you next pray, you could say, “Oh God, I can still tell lies, and I am still so arrogant. I am a devil. May God curse me. If I cannot accept the truth and do not change, then I am not worthy of living. I deserve to die, and I deserve any punishment!” You must hate your corrupt dispositions to this degree. In this way, you will slowly be able to resolve them, and you will become more and more rational. Tell me, all corrupt humans have an arrogant disposition—they are all so arrogant that they lose their reason, and don’t know themselves at all. Even fools are arrogant. So would you say that every member of corrupt mankind is a devil? (Yes.) And corrupt humans all tell lies. Every word they speak contains lies. Not a single word is one hundred percent in line with the facts; everything is adulterated to some extent. Are they not devils? (Yes.) Then what is the difference between corrupt mankind and Satan and devils in the spiritual realm? The difference is that humans are devils and Satans living in the flesh, and are even more deceitful and arrogant than the evil spirits, Satan, and devils in the spiritual realm. Can we say this? (Yes.) Tell me, is corrupt mankind foolish? (Yes.) Then are those corrupt humans who have the most knowledge and status foolish? (They are.) Why can we say that they are foolish? First, they know that the words of Almighty God are the truth but do not accept them—this is foolish. Second, they know that God has expressed the truth but do not search for the true way, and they do not worship or submit to God—this is also foolish. Third, they know that God holds sovereignty over all things and determines people’s outcomes, but they do not accept His salvation—this is also foolish. If a person has these three manifestations, is it valid to say they are foolish? (It is.) Therefore, the intellectuals, the famous, and the great among corrupt mankind are all both foolish and arrogant. Is this statement correct? (It is.) But you must know that it is not a major problem if someone has an arrogant disposition. Being arrogant does not equate to not pursuing the truth; being arrogant does not equate to not being kind-hearted; and being arrogant does not equate to being unable to attain salvation. On the contrary, some arrogant people actually have more resolve and pursue the truth more—they are exactly the people God wants to save and perfect. Let me give an example. I am also a corrupt human, and I also have corrupt dispositions. I used to be quite arrogant as well, but God saved me and perfected me all the same. After experiencing God’s judgment, chastisement and pruning over a long period, I understood some truths, cast off my arrogant disposition somewhat, and began to submit to God somewhat. What does this show? It shows that it is corrupt mankind that God saves. Tell me, who among corrupt mankind is not arrogant? Who among corrupt mankind tells no lies? Are there any such people? (No.) Therefore, if you see a leader or a worker who is quite arrogant, or a gospel preacher who is quite arrogant, you should treat them correctly and absolutely not condemn them. If someone says, “The way I see it, it’s only those who preach the gospel who are quite arrogant—ordinary believers are not that arrogant,” is this correct? (No.) Some people’s arrogance is revealed through their speech; you can hear it as soon as you listen to them. Then, there are many people whose words do not reveal arrogance, but who are especially arrogant and self-righteous in their hearts, refusing to even accept the truth. Would you say such people are even more severely arrogant? (Yes.) There are also people who say they submit to God, but in their hearts, they despise God, look down on God, and are full of notions about God. Would you say such people are even more arrogant? (Yes.) Then how do you discern these different situations? It is not easy to discern them. But regardless, every corrupt human has an arrogant disposition. If you find someone speaking quite arrogantly, this is very normal, so you must treat them correctly. Whatever you do, do not judge, pass verdict on, or even dismiss and eliminate someone just because you see them reveal arrogance; treating people like this is unfair. When I look at people, I don’t look at whether they are arrogant or not. I just look at whether they pursue the truth, whether they have comprehension ability, and whether they have a God-fearing heart. If they pursue the truth, they will inevitably have a God-fearing heart. So what is the relationship between pursuing the truth and having a God-fearing heart? Seeing this matter clearly is quite crucial. Those who pursue the truth can have a God-fearing heart and can cast off their arrogant disposition. But the problem of arrogance cannot be resolved just by getting a simple understanding of it, nor can it be resolved in a few days. You can only achieve results by eating and drinking God’s words and accepting the judgment and cleansing of the truth over a long period. Problems in external behavior can be resolved very quickly, but dispositional problems require several years of experiencing God’s work before a certain level of results can be achieved; it takes at least three to five years to see any changes. Therefore, when you see someone revealing arrogance, do not condemn them. Just lead them to pursue and understand the truth, and their arrogant disposition will be resolved bit by bit. Tell me, is there anyone with caliber who is not arrogant? Even people without caliber are all arrogant—fools are arrogant—let alone people with caliber. How could they not be arrogant? It is perfectly normal for them to have an arrogant disposition. We must treat them correctly, and absolutely not look down on them, disdain them, or pass verdict on them. Tell me, how do I view the work you are doing now? The way I see it, you lack far too much, your understanding of the truth is too shallow, you do things without principles, and the results achieved in your work are too limited. Even though I view you this way, do I look down on you or disdain you? (No.) I treat you correctly. I know I have been exalted and am being used by God, so I see things more clearly than you do. You are not used by the Holy Spirit; at most, you have a bit of the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and illumination, so your stature is much smaller, and you cannot see things clearly when they come upon you. This is a difference in identity, and therefore a difference in stature. That is why I can treat you correctly. So how do I treat you correctly? I do not look at how much corruption someone reveals, or how many problems or shortcomings they have. I just look for people who pursue the truth and who have comprehension ability, and I earnestly cultivate and water them. As for those who do not pursue the truth or lack comprehension ability, there is nothing I can do; even if I wanted to help you, it wouldn’t achieve any results. Therefore, although I see that you lack so much, I do not look down on you or disdain you; instead, I treat you correctly. It’s just like when a child is one or two years old and doesn’t understand things yet—would their parents belittle or look down on them because they are small and don’t understand things? That would never happen; people can treat children correctly. Similarly, when we encounter arrogant people, we must treat them correctly. To treat them correctly means we must help, support, water, and supply them; this is our duty and our responsibility. You shouldn’t look down on, belittle, or exclude people just because they, having just come to believe in God, don’t understand the truth or reveal corruption. This mindset is not right. If you have this mindset, you are not qualified to be a leader or a worker, because you don’t bear a burden or have a sense of responsibility. If you see that others have shortcomings but don’t help them, you don’t deserve to be a leader or a worker.

Now, the disasters are getting more and more severe. God perfects people as they do their duty, so people must do their duty well. By constantly seeking the truth and resolving problems in the course of doing your duty, you can gain true experiential understanding. In this way, you first attain God’s salvation through doing your duty, and then you use your experience to lead and supply others, having them experience things in the same way you did—eating and drinking God’s words and accepting the judgment and cleansing of the truth. In the end, their corrupt dispositions will also gradually change. When a person is ruled by the truth and life within, they can act according to the truth principles, and they can replace their own will and the constraints and controls of satanic philosophies and corrupt dispositions with the truth. People then gradually cast off their corrupt dispositions. When people have the truth, their corrupt dispositions no longer hold sway. When they have the truth, their own will becomes worthless. When they have the truth, satanic philosophies are cast aside. When the truth holds sway and rules within people, are they not free and liberated? (They are.) So why are those who have gained the truth free and liberated? (Because they can see things clearly, overcome their corrupt dispositions, and are no longer bound.) When you see all kinds of things clearly and know how to practice the truth, you can practice the truth in a down-to-earth way. When people practice the truth, what do they feel in their hearts? Peace, joy, fulfillment, and ease. Is this not being free and liberated? (It is.) The truth sets people free and liberates them. When people gain the truth, they live before God. When people live before God and enjoy His presence, and their hearts are filled with joy and peace, they thank and praise God unceasingly, “It is God who has saved me and delivered me from this dark and wicked world, from the dark influence of Satan, and from my corrupt disposition, transforming me into a new person and allowing me to live before God every day. I am so grateful to God!” So what does it mean to live before God? It means to live within the words of God. When you live within the words of God, you are living before God. Look, when you eat and drink God’s words, do you not feel that you are living before God? (We do.) When you sing hymns to praise God, and your heart is moved by God’s words, are you not living before God? (Yes.) When people regularly pray to God, think of God, and ponder the truth to the point of understanding many truths, is this not living before God? (It is.) All of this is living before God. When people live before God, their hearts are occupied by God alone, and not with all the things of the material world. No matter whether you are reading God’s words at the time, as long as your heart is pondering God’s words, thanking and praising God, practicing the truth, and considering spiritual matters in life and the work of the church, you will have a sense of peace and joy in your heart, and you will live before God. This is absolutely the case. Look, there are many people who, no matter what work they are doing with their hands, are pondering God’s words in their hearts, thanking and praising God, and pondering how to act according to the principles and how to fulfill their responsibilities. In the end, after a busy day, not only have they done their duty well, but they have also not neglected their spiritual devotions—eating and drinking God’s words. While doing their duty, their life entry is not affected, and their hearts are constantly thanking and praising God. Are they not people who live before God? (They are.) Then tell me—if someone truly lives before God, could doing their duty delay their life growth? (No.) It could not delay it in the slightest. So, under what circumstances does doing your duty delay your life growth? (When we only focus on exerting effort and doing work but do not seek the truth, we do not live before God, and our life does not grow when we do our duty.) If all the work a person does with their hands is unrelated to God’s words, to the truth, and to God, then their heart is far from God, and they do not live before God. So, can your life grow if you do your duty but cannot live before God? (No.) The life of a person who does their duty but cannot live before God does not grow. The life of a person who does their duty but does not seek the truth does not grow. The life of a person who does their duty but does not know how to act according to the truth principles does not grow. The life of a person who does their duty but does not know how to pray to and rely on God does not grow either. Many people say, “I am busy every day; I do my duty every day. Why has my life not grown?” Can you see what the problem is here? (We can.) They are not doing their duty in a way that is linked to the truth or to God’s words, so how can they grow? Therefore, anyone who says “We are busy doing our duty every day and no one holds gatherings for us, so our lives have not grown” is a service-doer. They do not pray to God when they do their duty, they do not seek the truth when they do their duty, and they only do things that are unrelated to the truth. Are they not service-doers? They have no place for God in their hearts, and they never seek or practice the truth. They are out-and-out service-doers.