Behind the Pursuit of Leadership

June 2, 2025

By Su Wei, China

After I started to believe in God, I saw that church leaders often fellowshipped with brothers and sisters to resolve their states. Some of them had caliber and gifts, and some were able to forsake and expend. I believed that such people were definitely approved of by God and had hope of receiving salvation. In March 2021, I was elected as a leader in the church. I felt great inside, and thought that if I continued my pursuit in this way, I would have a bright future in God’s house and be able to win God’s approval. However, I didn’t expect that I would later be dismissed because my poor caliber meant I couldn’t do real work. This news was like a bolt from the blue, and I couldn’t stop crying. I thought to myself, “Poor caliber is a fatal problem. Doesn’t that mean I won’t have the chance to be a leader in the future?” After more than a month, the church assigned me to be responsible for general affairs work. I felt that when doing my duty in this area, I would just be involved in some general affairs all day long, and it would not be beneficial for my life entry. It would not be like doing the duty of a leader, where you could train to solve various problems, obtain more truths, and have a greater chance of being saved. In particular, I felt really bad when faced with the sister I once worked with and heard her talk about the things that happened at gatherings. I thought being able to do a leader’s duty like her was really great, but I was only able to do general affairs work, which I didn’t like. When I thought of the upper leaders saying that my caliber was poor and I lacked the conditions to be a leader, I felt agony in my heart, and silently cried. I felt like my future was bleak, and my chances of being saved slim. I couldn’t muster any energy in doing my duty, and just worked mechanically, not achieving any results. Later, I realized that my state was incorrect, and I started to ponder, “Why do I feel a sense of loss when I see others being leaders? What exactly am I pursuing in my belief in God?”

One day, I read two passages of God’s words and gained some understanding of my state. Almighty God says: “When an antichrist is dismissed, their first reaction is like they have been struck by lightning, as if the sky has come crashing down, and their world has collapsed. The thing they’d been able to pin their hopes on is gone, as is their chance at living with all the benefits of status, along with the drive that makes them run amok doing bad things. This is what is most unacceptable to them. … When they think that their hopes of being blessed have been destroyed or that they’ve seriously decreased, it’s as if their head is about to explode, it’s like their heart is being pounded with a hammer, and it’s as painful as being cut with a knife. When they are about to lose the blessing of entering the kingdom of heaven they have so longed for day and night, to them it seems like terrible news that has appeared out of nowhere. Not having any status is, to an antichrist, the same as not having any hope of being blessed, and they become like a walking corpse, their body becomes like an empty shell, devoid of a soul, with nothing to guide their life. They have no hope and nothing to look forward to. When an antichrist faces being exposed and dismissed, the first thing that occurs to them is that they have lost any hope of being blessed. So, at this point, would they just give up? Would they be willing to submit? Would they use this chance to relinquish their desire for blessings, let go of status, willingly be a regular follower, and gladly labor for God and do their duty well? (No.) Could this be a turning point for them? Would this turning point make them develop in a good direction and in a positive way, or would it make them develop in a worse direction and in a negative way? Based on an antichrist’s nature essence, it is evident that being dismissed is absolutely not the beginning of them letting go of their desire for blessings, or the beginning of them loving and seeking the truth. Instead, they will work even harder to fight for the opportunity and hope of being blessed; they will cling to any opportunity that can bring them blessings, that can help them to stage a comeback, and enable them to regain their status. That is why, when facing dismissal, aside from being upset, disappointed, and antagonistic, an antichrist will also fight tooth and nail against being dismissed, and will strive to turn the situation around, to change it(The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Twelve: They Want to Withdraw When They Have No Status or No Hope of Gaining Blessings). “People of this sort don’t pursue the truth, yet still they always want to be promoted and given an important role in God’s house. In their hearts, they believe that the more work capability a person has, the more they receive important positions, the more they are promoted and esteemed in God’s house, the greater their chances are of receiving blessings, a crown, and rewards. They believe that if someone lacks work capability, or doesn’t have a particular forte, then they are not qualified to be blessed. They think that a person’s gifts, fortes, abilities, skills, level of education, work capability, and even the so-called strengths and merits within their humanity that are valued out in the world such as their resolve to outdo others and indomitable attitude, can serve as capital for receiving blessings and rewards. What sort of standard is this? Is it a standard that accords with the truth? (No.) It does not accord with the standards of the truth. So, is this not the logic of Satan? Is this not the logic of a wicked age, and of wicked worldly trends? (It is.) Judging from the logic, methods, and criteria that people like this use to assess things, along with their attitude and approach to these things, it would seem as if they had never heard or read God’s words, that they were completely ignorant of them. But, in fact, they are listening to, reading, and pray-reading God’s words every single day. So why doesn’t their perspective ever change? One thing is for sure—no matter how much they listen to or read God’s words, they will never be certain in their hearts that God’s words are the truth, and that they are the criterion for measuring everything; they will not understand or accept this fact from their hearts. That is why, no matter how absurd and prejudiced their outlook may be, they will cling to it forever, and no matter how right God’s words are, they will reject and condemn them. This is the vicious nature of antichrists. As soon as they fail to get an important role, and their desires and ambitions go unfulfilled, their cloven feet are revealed, their vicious nature shows itself, and they want to deny God’s existence. Actually, even before denying God’s existence, they deny that God’s words are the truth(The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Twelve: They Want to Withdraw When They Have No Status or No Hope of Gaining Blessings). God exposes that once antichrists are dismissed, they believe they have no hope of gaining blessings. Not only are they unable to submit and reflect on themselves, they even become negative and resist instead, nursing wild delusions of staging a comeback and regaining status. Antichrists use satanic logic to measure people, events, and things. They believe that the more they are promoted and valued by the house of God, the greater their chance of receiving blessings and a crown. As I pondered God’s words, I realized that my behavior after being dismissed was exactly like that of an antichrist, and my perspective on things was exactly the same as that of an antichrist. I thought about why I cared so much about the status of being a leader. It was because I believed that if I was promoted to be a leader in God’s house, I could train in using the truth to solve problems every day, my life growth would be fast, and I would have a greater opportunity to be saved and gain blessings. Therefore, I envied and admired people who were leaders. When I was elected to be a leader, I felt very happy, and thought that my belief in God had a bright future. During the time I was a leader, I bore all the hard work uncomplainingly and carefully protected my status as a leader, terrified of being revealed and dismissed. When the leaders dismissed me, saying that I had poor caliber and lacked the necessary conditions to be a leader, it was like a bolt from the blue for me. I believed that poor caliber was a fatal problem, and that I might never have the chance to be promoted and valued again in the future, so my heart was in great pain. I felt that my future as a believer in God was bleak and that my hope of receiving blessings was slim. Because I had these mistaken thoughts and ideas, when I was assigned to do general affairs duty, I believed that this duty just meant being busy with external general affairs every day and was not beneficial to me obtaining the truth and being saved. I disliked it from the bottom of my heart, and couldn’t muster any energy in my duty. I realized that what I pursued in my belief in God was status and blessings. I equated status with blessings, and once I lost my status, I felt that I had lost all hope of gaining blessings, and I suffered unbearable pain in my heart. I had been weighing things up from a satanic perspective. In the nonbelieving world, it is the case that the more you are promoted, the more you are admired by others, and the more prospects for development you have. I believed that it was the same in God’s house, and that the more you are promoted to be a leader, the more prospects for development you have, and the greater your opportunity to be saved and gain blessings. This is not at all consistent with God’s words. I was clearly aware that duty is a responsibility that a created being should fulfill. It is a perfectly natural and justified thing. It should not be used as a bargaining chip to obtain blessings or rewards. However, when I was dismissed and assigned to do general affairs duty, I believed that this duty was not beneficial to me gaining blessings in my belief in God so I complained about God and didn’t bear a burden in my duty. I even thought about giving up my duty. I realized that my own nature was just as selfish and self-serving as that of an antichrist. As soon as I couldn’t obtain blessings, I turned away from God and betrayed Him. It was so dangerous!

Later, I read another two passages of God’s words: “Many people don’t know clearly what it means to be saved. Some people believe that if they have believed in God for a long time, then they are likely to be saved. Some people think that if they understand a lot of spiritual doctrines, then they are likely to be saved, or some think that leaders and workers will certainly be saved. These are all human notions and imaginings. The key thing is that people must understand what salvation means. To be saved primarily means to be freed from sin, freed from Satan’s influence, and genuinely turn to God and submit to God. What must you possess to be free from sin and from Satan’s influence? The truth. If people hope to obtain the truth, they must be equipped with many of God’s words, they must be able to experience and practice them, so that they may understand the truth and enter into reality. Only then can they be saved. Whether or not one can be saved has nothing to do with how long they have believed in God, how much knowledge they have, whether they possess gifts or strengths, or how much they suffer. The only thing that has a direct relationship to salvation is whether or not a person can obtain the truth. So today, how many truths have you genuinely understood? And how many of God’s words have become your life? Of all of God’s requirements, into which have you achieved entry? During your years of belief in God, how much have you entered into the reality of God’s word? If you don’t know, or if you have not achieved entry into the reality of any of God’s words, then frankly, you have no hope of salvation. You cannot possibly be saved. It doesn’t matter if you possess a high degree of knowledge, or if you have believed in God for a long time, have a good appearance, can speak well, and have been a leader or worker for several years. If you don’t pursue the truth and do not properly practice and experience God’s words, and you lack real experiential testimony, then there is no hope for you to be saved(The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Treasuring God’s Words Is the Foundation of Belief in God). “Ultimately, whether people can attain salvation is not dependent on what duty they do, but on whether they can understand and gain the truth, and on whether they can, in the end, entirely submit to God, put themselves at the mercy of His orchestration, give no consideration to their future and destiny, and become a qualified created being. God is righteous and holy, and these are the standards He uses to measure all mankind. These standards are immutable, and you must remember this. Inscribe these standards in your mind, and at any time, do not think of finding some other path to pursue some unreal thing. The requirements and standards God has for all who want to attain salvation are forever unchanging. They remain the same no matter who you are(The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). After pondering God’s words, I understood that God measures whether or not a person will be saved not based on what duty they do, how much they suffer, or what gifts or skills they have, but according to whether they can understand the truth, obtain the truth, and submit absolutely to God’s orchestration and arrangements. God has never said that leaders have a greater hope of salvation. The key thing is to look at what path a person walks. Being a leader means you come into contact with many people and encounter many things. If you can focus on pursuing the truth, you will have more opportunities to gain the truth, and can enter into the truth reality as soon as possible and be saved. If you do not pursue the truth, and, like Paul, only provide others with the light of the truth while not accepting it yourself or practicing God’s words, then no matter how many years you do the duty of a leader for, your hope of salvation will still be slim. In addition, doing other duties does not mean that you have a smaller chance of salvation. No matter what duty you do, as long as you focus on pursuing the truth and resolving your corrupt dispositions, view people and things, and conduct yourself and act in accordance with God’s words, and enter into the reality of God’s words, you will have a chance of salvation. Just as God says: “These people who are promoted and cultivated can merely enter into the truth reality earlier because of their caliber and because of their various conditions. However, this early entry does not mean that they are the only ones who can enter into the truth reality. It just means that they can gain a little more earlier, and can enter into the truth reality a little earlier. Those who have not been promoted will lag behind them a little, but this doesn’t mean that they cannot enter the truth reality. Whether someone can enter into the truth reality or not depends on their pursuits(The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers (5)). I thought of the leaders I knew from before. Some of them had some caliber and gifts, and often resolved the states of their brothers and sisters. However, they themselves did not accept the truth and did not practice the truth, and did their duty in reliance on their corrupt dispositions. They disrupted and disturbed the work of the church, stubbornly refused to repent, and were ultimately cleared out. In contrast, some brothers and sisters do inconspicuous duties, but they focus on seeking the truth, practice as much as they understand, do their duties well to the best of their abilities, and protect the work of the church. They can also obtain some truths and gain God’s approval. Whether a person can be approved of by God does not depend on what level of leader they are, but is determined by their attitude toward God, the truth, and their duty; it depends on whether they can walk the path of pursuing the truth. From this I also saw the holiness and righteousness of God’s disposition. Everyone is equal before the truth, and if you don’t pursue the truth, don’t practice the truth, then no matter how great a leader you are, you will ultimately fail to stand firm. When I understood this, my heart brightened. Although my caliber is average, I can understand God’s words, and no matter what duty I do, as long as I focus on seeking the truth and practicing the truth, I have hope of being saved.

Next, I read another two passages of God’s words: “Seeking to actively perform one’s duty as a created being is the path to success; seeking the path of the true love for God is the most correct path; seeking changes in one’s old disposition, and seeking the pure love for God, is the path to success. Such a path to success is the path of the recovery of the original duty as well as the original appearance of a created being. It is the path of recovery, and it is also the aim of all of God’s work from beginning to end. If the pursuit of man is tainted with personal extravagant demands and irrational longings, then the effect that is achieved will not be changes in man’s disposition. This is at odds with the work of recovery. It is undoubtedly not work done by the Holy Spirit, and so this proves that pursuit of this kind is not approved of by God. What significance has a pursuit that is not approved of by God?(The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks). “As a created being, man should seek to fulfill the duty of a created being, and seek to love God without making other choices, for God is worthy of man’s love. Those who seek to love God should not seek any personal benefits or seek that which they personally long for; this is the most correct means of pursuit. If what you seek is the truth, if what you put into practice is the truth, and if what you attain is a change in your disposition, then the path that you tread is the right one. If what you seek is the blessings of the flesh, and what you put into practice is the truth of your own notions, and if there is no change in your disposition, and you are not at all submissive to God in the flesh, and you still live in vagueness, then what you seek will surely take you to hell, for the path that you walk is the path of failure. Whether you will be made perfect or eliminated depends on your own pursuit, which is also to say that success or failure depends on the path that man walks(The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks). After pondering God’s words, I understood that what path you take in believing in God is extremely important. God requires people to fulfill their duty as created beings, and, like Peter, pursue understanding God and loving God. Only in this way can one achieve a change in disposition and submit to all of God’s orchestration and arrangements; one should not work and expend themselves only to obtain blessings and crowns like Paul. Paul’s pursuit was contrary to God’s requirements. He believed to the end, but achieved no change in his disposition, was still full of demands and requests of God, and his nature still resisted and rebelled against God. When I looked at myself in comparison, I saw that I was walking on Paul’s failed path. I had always believed that being a leader would give me many opportunities to train, giving me more hope of being saved. Therefore, I constantly wanted to be a leader. What I pursued in my belief in God was to obtain blessings and a crown, instead of pursuing the truth and changes in my disposition. So, when I was dismissed because of my poor caliber, and I felt that I might never have an opportunity to be a leader again and my hopes of gaining blessings were slim, I became negative and apathetic, and didn’t pay any heed to my duty. I realized that I showed God no sincerity at all. If I continued down this mistaken path, then even if I did obtain the status of a leader, because I didn’t pursue the truth, my life disposition would not change, and I would show no submission at all to God’s orchestration and arrangements, wouldn’t my outcome be exactly the same as Paul’s? When I understood this, I thanked God from the bottom of my heart for setting up such an environment to reveal the mistaken view behind my pursuit. This was saving me! When I understood this, I no longer felt distressed over the fact that my caliber is poor and I lack the conditions necessary to be a leader. I am a created being, and should not pursue blessings or try to bargain with God. Instead, I should fulfill my duty as a created being and strive to love and submit to God. Only this is the right path in life and the way a created being should be. After that, my attitude toward general affairs duty became more proper, and I was able to do my duties in a down-to-earth way. Once my state turned around, my work efficiency also improved a bit.

Afterward, whenever there was a lot of general affairs work, I still felt that this duty mainly involved being busy with external matters, and it would not be beneficial for my life entry. However, I knew that this view was incorrect, and so I sought how to focus on life entry while doing this duty. I read a passage of God’s words: “Do you experience states where, no matter what happens, or what sort of duty you perform, you are able to frequently quiet yourself before God, and to put your heart into contemplating His words, and into seeking the truth, and into considering how you must perform that duty to accord with God’s intentions, and which truths you should possess in order to perform that duty satisfactorily? Are there many times in which you seek the truth in this way? (No.) Putting your heart into your duty and being able to take on responsibility require you to suffer and to pay a price—it is not enough simply to talk about these things. If you do not put your heart into your duty, always wanting to toil instead, then your duty will certainly not be done well. You will simply go through the motions and nothing more, and you will not know whether you have done your duty well or not. If you put your heart into it, you will gradually come to understand the truth; if you do not, then you will not. When you put your heart into performing your duty and pursuing the truth, you will gradually come to understand God’s intentions, to discover your own corruption and deficiencies, and to master all your various states. When your only focus is on exerting effort, and you do not put your heart into reflecting on yourself, you will be unable to discover the true states in your heart and the myriad reactions and the revelations of corruption that you have in different environments. If you do not know what the consequences will be when problems go unresolved, then you’re in a lot of trouble. This is why it’s no good to believe in God in a confused way. You must live before God at all times, in all places; whatever befalls you, you must always seek the truth, and while you do, you must also reflect on yourself and know what problems there are in your state, seeking the truth at once to resolve them. Only thus can you perform your duty well and avoid delaying the work. Not only will you be able to perform your duty well, what’s most important is that you will also have life entry and be able to resolve your corrupt dispositions. Only thus can you enter the truth reality(The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only an Honest Person Can Live Out True Human Likeness). From God’s words, I realized that obtaining the truth and attaining salvation does not depend on what duties we do. Instead, it depends on whether we seek the truth principles in doing our duties, reflect on our own corruption and deficiencies, and seek the truth to resolve our own problems, thereby achieving life entry in doing our duty. If we focus on seeking the truth and practicing God’s words in doing our duties, then we can obtain the truth no matter what duty we do. For example, I am now more involved in general affairs work. If I do everything in a muddled way and do not approach my duty conscientiously, I am liable to bring disruption and disturbance to the work because of the perfunctory attitude caused by my own corrupt disposition. Moreover, doing general affairs duty does not mean living in a vacuum. People, events, and things still come upon me every day, and these also cause me to reveal all manner of active thoughts. If I can focus on the corrupt dispositions, thoughts, and ideas I reveal every day, reflect on and come to know myself, and enter into truth reality, I will be able to learn many lessons and obtain many truths. When I understood this, I felt much more at ease.

Afterward, when doing my duty I focused on examining my thoughts and ideas every day. When I was pruned, I also actively sought the truth and watched experiential testimonies from my brothers and sisters, watching how others reflected on themselves and learned lessons when things came upon them. For example, previously, my brothers and sisters pointed out that I had an arrogant disposition and tended to argue back when things came upon me. I accepted this, reflected on and came to know myself, and found words of God in this aspect to read. I also opened up about my state and sought and discussed how to resolve my problems of hotheadedness and arguing back with my brothers and sisters. I also often make time to write experiential testimony articles, and have gained a clearer and more profound understanding of my satanic corrupt disposition. I feel at peace and secure in my heart when I do my duty in this way. The more I train in this way, the sharper my mind gets. I am more able to discover problems in my duty promptly, and I have God’s leadership and blessing in doing my duty. Thank God!

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