By Florence, Italy

My mother told me since I was a child that “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings,” and “Keeping silent on the faults of good friends makes for a long and good friendship.” She told me that if I noticed problems with other people, I absolutely must not raise them to their face because this would cause a bad reaction, and that I had to turn a blind eye to everything in order to maintain friendly relations with others. From that time on, I kept my mother’s words in my heart. Whether in school, or among relatives and friends, I never spoke out about other people’s problems when I noticed them.

I remember when I was in middle school, my deskmate told me that others thought she was rather willful and domineering, and were unwilling to spend time with her. She asked me if she really was like that. Actually, I knew she had these problems, and wanted to tell her the truth, but then I thought, “If I tell her the truth, will she feel embarrassed and not want to spend time with me anymore?” Therefore, contrary to what I was thinking, I said, “I don’t think so. Don’t listen to other people’s nonsense.” After hearing this, my deskmate said happily, “As I thought, you’re better than the rest. Others always dislike me. You are the only one who understands me.” After that, our relationship got even better. I thought that this was a good way to conduct myself.

Later, I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days and started doing image production duty in the church. Sister Chloe’s technical skills were relatively poor. When we discussed design ideas, we always asked her if she had any difficulties, and would patiently answer her questions. I thought that she would make fast progress like this, but later I discovered that after we discussed ideas, Chloe would not start production immediately. Instead, she would listen to hymns for a while and then spend some time browsing news on the internet that had nothing to do with her duties. In the end, the images she produced were very crude. I saw that she was perfunctory in doing her duty, and I wanted to point out her problems. At a gathering, I asked Chloe why she was so slow in making images. She said it was because she encountered difficulties. I said, “If you encounter difficulties, you should communicate with us promptly. This way the problems can be solved as quickly as possible and work will not be delayed.” I originally wanted to expose how she had been perfunctory in doing her duties during that period. However, I noticed that she was getting impatient, and so I swallowed the words I was going to say. Other sisters also sought out Chloe to fellowship with her. She said that I didn’t understand her difficulties and was too demanding of her, but she accepted it from God and would turn around her attitude toward doing her duty. I was a little worried after hearing this, and thought, “Now that Chloe has a prejudice against me, how will we get along in the future? Will my other sisters think that I have bad humanity and am inconsiderate?” Afterward, I noticed that Chloe was making images faster than before, and thought she had turned things around somewhat. However, a few days later, I found that she still had no sense of urgency in doing her duties, and was even watching videos of the nonbelieving world. She also often complained, saying things like, “The supervisor always asks us to innovate, but innovation is not that easy! We have all just started doing this duty. Isn’t demanding so much from us just forcing us to do things beyond our capabilities?” and “Whenever I make an image, there are always so many problems that get pointed out. She’s too hung up on the details!” Although another sister and I often stopped her from saying these things, she didn’t hold herself back very much. I knew that I should dissect the nature and consequences of her actions, otherwise she would affect other sisters in doing their duties. However, when I thought about the prejudice she had formed against me after I talked to her last time, and how she had even said in front of my other sisters that I was forcing her to do things beyond her capabilities, I hesitated. I thought, “What if I continue to expose and dissect her problems and my relationship with her becomes strained? Maybe I should report her situation to the supervisor instead. But then if Chloe finds out about this, will she think that I am stabbing her in the back and say that I have bad humanity?” After thinking it over, I still didn’t have the courage to point out her problems, and I didn’t dare to report her problems either.

Not long after, the supervisor learned that Chloe had been doing her duty in a perfunctory manner for a long time and so reassigned her duty. The supervisor also pruned me, saying, “You saw Chloe doing her duty in a perfunctory manner and spreading negativity for a long time, but you didn’t expose her or report her. You are a people pleaser, and did not protect the work of the church in the slightest. You are too selfish! You should reflect on this carefully.” The words of the supervisor were like a series of slaps to my face. In that moment, I desperately wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. Later, I felt very uncomfortable when I thought about what the supervisor had said. I asked over and over in my mind, “Why didn’t I have the courage to expose or report Chloe’s problems?” One day during my devotionals, I read God’s words: “Most people wish to pursue and practice the truth, but much of the time they merely have a resolution and the desire to do so; the truth has not become their life. As a result, when they come across evil forces or encounter evil people and bad people committing evil deeds, or false leaders and antichrists doing things in a way that violates principles—thus disturbing the work of the church and harming God’s chosen ones—they lose the courage to stand up and speak out. What does it mean when you have no courage? Does it mean that you are timid or inarticulate? Or is it that you do not understand thoroughly, and therefore do not have the confidence to speak up? Neither; this is primarily the consequence of being constrained by corrupt dispositions. One of the corrupt dispositions you reveal is a deceitful disposition; when something happens to you, the first thing you think of is your own interests, the first thing you consider is the consequences, whether this will be beneficial to you. This is a deceitful disposition, is it not? Another is a selfish and base disposition. You think, ‘What does a loss to the interests of God’s house have to do with me? I’m not a leader, so why should I care? It’s got nothing to do with me. It’s not my responsibility.’ Such thoughts and words are not something that you consciously think, but are produced by your subconscious—which is the corrupt disposition revealed when people encounter an issue. Corrupt dispositions such as this govern the way you think, they bind your hands and feet, and control what you say. In your heart, you want to stand up and speak, but you have misgivings, and even when you do speak out, you beat around the bush, and leave yourself wiggle room, or else you prevaricate and don’t tell the truth. People who are clear-eyed can see this; in truth, you know in your heart that you have not said all you should, that what you have said has had no effect, that you were merely going through the motions, and that the problem has not been solved. You have not fulfilled your responsibility, yet you say overtly that you have fulfilled your responsibility, or that what was happening was unclear to you. Is this true? And is it what you really think? Are you not then completely under the control of your satanic disposition? … You have no power over what you say and do. Even if you wanted to, you could not tell the truth or say what you really think; even if you wanted to, you could not practice the truth; even if you wanted to, you could not fulfill your responsibilities. Everything you say, do, and practice is a lie, and you’re just perfunctory. You are wholly shackled and controlled by your satanic disposition. You may want to accept and practice the truth, but it’s not up to you. When your satanic dispositions control you, you say and do whatever your satanic disposition tells you to do. You are nothing but a puppet of corrupt flesh, you have become a tool of Satan” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). As I pondered God’s words, I felt pierced to the heart. I was the kind of person God had exposed. I knew all about Chloe’s problems but I didn’t dare to expose or dissect them. Even when I said something, I said nothing of any substance: I only mentioned half of it and kept the rest to myself, afraid of offending Chloe. In order to preserve myself and maintain my relationship with her, I didn’t speak about the things I had penetrated. How selfish and deceitful I was! Chloe had been consistently doing her duty in a perfunctory manner without any sign of repentance. She also spread negativity among her brothers and sisters; she was playing the role of Satan. Not only did I not stop her, but I even covered for her and did not report her problems to the leaders. Wasn’t I acting as Satan’s accomplice and shield? I enjoyed everything that had come from God, but I bit the hand that fed me, and didn’t fulfill any of my responsibilities at all. I was truly unworthy of living before God! When I thought this, I felt guilty and uncomfortable, and really regretted what I had done.

Later, I began to supervise the art design work. I found that Sister Emily was rather arrogant and self-righteous, and was unwilling to accept other people’s suggestions. This was affecting the results of the image production. I knew I should point out Emily’s problems and help her turn this state around as soon as possible, but then I thought, “Would it be too hurtful if I pointed out her problems to her face? What if she can’t accept it and develops a prejudice against me? But if I don’t say it, it will affect the work. Am I not just falling into my old ways?” I prayed to God that He may give me the strength to practice the truth. Then, I found a passage of God’s words that was specific to my state: “If you have the motivations and perspective of a people pleaser, then, in all matters, you will be incapable of practicing the truth and abiding by principle, and you will always fail and fall down. If you do not awaken and do not ever seek the truth, then you are a disbeliever, and you will never gain the truth and life. What, then, should you do? When faced with such things, you must pray to God and call out to Him, begging for salvation and asking that He give you more faith and strength and enable you to abide by the principles, do what you should do, handle things according to the principles, stand firm in the position you should stand in, protect the interests of God’s house, and prevent any harm from coming to the work of God’s house. If you are able to rebel against your self-interests, your pride, and your standpoint of a people pleaser, and if you do what you should do with an honest, undivided heart, then you will have defeated Satan and gained this aspect of the truth” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). God’s words brightened my heart. I understood that if I wanted to leave behind the thoughts and ideas of a people pleaser, I had to put the interests of the church first. No matter what others thought or whether I offended them, I had to fulfill my responsibilities and not allow the work of the church to be affected. The church arranged for me to be the supervisor because they hoped that I would take responsibility for my brothers and sisters, and protect the interests of the church. If I continued to be a people pleaser, and didn’t point out Emily’s problems, then I would be harming her and harming the work of the church. Afterward, I addressed Emily’s problems, dissecting the nature and consequences of her actions in light of God’s words. I also discussed the harm my previous arrogant disposition had caused to both the work of the church and to myself. What I didn’t expect was that after hearing this, Emily not only didn’t form any prejudices against me, but came to understand her problems in light of God’s words and was willing to turn things around. Neither did Emily distance herself from me because of this. She would open up in fellowship with me about the corruption she revealed in doing her duty or the difficulties she encountered. In this experience, I tasted the sweetness of practicing the truth, and my heart felt particularly at ease.

I thought I had changed, but only when God set up another environment did I realize how deeply I had been corrupted by Satan. In 2024, I was elected as the group leader, responsible for group gatherings. At gatherings, I found that Sister Alice’s fellowship often went off topic, and she often used her fellowship to judge others. Once, after reading God’s words, Alice did not use them to understand herself. Instead, she said that Olivia had an arrogant disposition, and that she had given Olivia suggestions several times in the past, but Olivia had been very resistant and spoken harshly, constraining and harming her. She then talked about how she had helped Olivia out of love. When I heard her say this, I thought to myself, “Isn’t she putting others down to elevate herself by saying this? If Olivia really has these problems, she can seek out Olivia individually to point them out and help her. She shouldn’t use the gathering to vent her own dissatisfaction. Moreover, her fellowship has deviated from the topic of the gathering. I have to stop her quickly.” However, then I thought, “If I interrupt her directly, will it embarrass her and make her prejudiced against me? Forget it. I’ll just wait until the gathering is over and talk to her privately.” Therefore, I didn’t stop her. I just briefly said, “Everyone should be mindful of how long they fellowship for, so that others have enough time to fellowship.” I had wanted to talk to Alice about her problem after the gathering, but then I heard two sisters talking about how a sister had offended Alice before, and so Alice had started to speak ill of this sister behind her back. Alice even gave her cold looks, putting her in an awkward position. My heart tightened, and I thought, “If I point out her problem and offend her, will she treat me the same way? How awkward that would be if we have to be around each other often in the future! Maybe I should just report her situation to the leaders.” However, I then thought, “I get along pretty well with Alice. She also takes some care of me in my daily life. If I report her problems behind her back, that would be too underhanded. Wouldn’t it be tantamount to stabbing her in the back? If she found out that I was the one who reported her problems, would she hold a grudge against me and judge me behind my back? Forget it, let’s not ruin the relationship I have with her now.” When I thought this, I gave up on the idea of pointing out Alice’s problems to her.

Not long after, two sisters reported Alice’s situation to me. One of the sisters said that Alice always went off topic when fellowshipping on God’s words, which took up a lot of time in the gatherings without being of any benefit or edification to anyone. The other sister said that Alice always judged others and talked about their problems at gatherings. This dragged people into petty disputes about right and wrong, and somewhat disturbed church life. When I heard my sisters say this, I felt a little guilty. I was well aware of Alice’s problems but I didn’t point them out or report them. This was all a consequence of my irresponsibility. During my devotionals, I watched an experiential testimony video. Two passages of God’s words quoted in it touched my heart. Almighty God says: “All of you say you are considerate of God’s burden and will defend the testimony of the church, but who among you has really been considerate of God’s burden? Ask yourself: Are you someone who has shown consideration for His burden? Can you practice righteousness for Him? Can you stand up and speak for Me? Can you steadfastly put the truth into practice? Are you bold enough to fight against all of Satan’s deeds? Would you be able to set your feelings aside and expose Satan for the sake of My truth? Can you allow My intentions to be satisfied in you? Have you offered up your heart in the most crucial of moments? Are you someone who follows My will? Ask yourself these questions, and think about them often” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 13). “Once the truth has become life in you, when you observe someone who is blasphemous toward God, unfearful of God, and perfunctory while performing their duty, or who disrupts and disturbs church work, you will respond according to the truth principles, and will be able to identify and expose them as necessary. If the truth has not become your life, and you still live within your satanic disposition, then when you discover evil people and devils who cause disruptions and disturbances to the work of the church, you will turn a blind eye and a deaf ear; you will brush them aside, without reproach from your conscience. You will even think that anyone causing disturbances to the work of the church has nothing to do with you. No matter how much the work of the church and the interests of the house of God suffer, you don’t care, intervene, or feel guilty—which makes you someone who has no conscience or reason, a disbeliever, a laborer. You eat what is of God’s, drink what is of God’s, and enjoy all that comes from God, yet feel that any harm to the interests of the house of God is not related to you—which makes you a traitor who bites the hand that feeds you. If you do not protect the interests of the house of God, are you even human? This is a demon that has insinuated itself into the church. You feign belief in God, pretend to be a chosen one, and you want to freeload in God’s house. You are not living the life of a human being, are more like a fiend than a person, and are clearly one of the disbelievers. If you are someone who truly believes in God, then even if you have yet to gain the truth and life, at the very least you will speak and act from the side of God; at the very least, you will not stand idly by when you see the interests of the house of God being compromised. When you have the urge to turn a blind eye, you will feel guilty, and ill at ease, and will say to yourself, ‘I can’t sit here and do nothing, I must stand up and say something, I must take responsibility, I must expose this evil behavior, I must stop it, so that the interests of the house of God are not harmed, and the church life is not disturbed.’ If the truth has become your life, then not only will you have this courage and resolve, and will you be capable of understanding the matter completely, but you will also fulfill the responsibility you should bear for God’s work and for the interests of His house, and your duty will thereby be fulfilled. If you could consider your duty as your responsibility and obligation and as God’s commission, and you feel that this is necessary in order to face God and your conscience, would you not then be living out the integrity and dignity of normal humanity? Your deeds and behavior would be the ‘fearing God and shunning evil’ of which He speaks. You would be performing the essence of these words and living out their reality. When the truth becomes a person’s life, they are then able to live out this reality” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). After reading God’s words, I felt guilty and distressed. As believers in God, when we see people disrupting and disturbing the life of the church, we should show consideration for God’s intention and stand up to stop it, so that our brothers and sisters can eat and drink God’s words and fellowship on the truth in a peaceful environment. I reflected on myself. I was well aware that Alice often went off topic at gatherings and always judged and belittled others behind their backs, and that all this was disrupting and disturbing the life of the church. However, to avoid offending her, I shrank inside my shell like a turtle, acting timidly, and did not dare to stop her doing this. Neither did I dare to expose or dissect the nature of her actions. How pathetic my life was! I was selfish and despicable, knowing only how to preserve myself. I ate and drank God’s words, but couldn’t put them into practice. I sat by as Alice disturbed the life of the church. In what way was I a believer in God? I had bitten the hand that had fed me. I was unworthy to live before God! I felt extremely guilty and uncomfortable, and hid in the bathroom, slapping myself. I asked myself again and again, “Why is it so difficult for me to say even one word of the truth? Why am I so selfish?” Back in my room, I prayed to God. “Dear God, I was wrong. I don’t want to live like this anymore. I want to practice the truth and be a person with a sense of justice. May You lead me to gain a true understanding of myself.”

Afterward, I read another passage of God’s words: “There is a tenet in philosophies for worldly dealings that says, ‘Keeping silent on the faults of good friends makes for a long and good friendship.’ It means that in order to preserve a friendly relationship, one must keep silent about their friend’s problems, even if they see them clearly—that they should abide by the principles of not striking people in the face or calling out their shortcomings. They are to deceive each other, hide from each other, engage in intrigue with each other; and though they know with crystal clarity what sort of person the other is, they do not say it outright, but employ cunning methods to preserve their friendly relationship. Why would one want to preserve such relationships? It is about not wanting to make enemies in this society, within one’s group, which would mean subjecting oneself often to dangerous situations. Knowing someone will become your enemy and harm you after you have called out their shortcomings or hurt them, and not wishing to put yourself in such a situation, you employ the tenet of philosophies for worldly dealings that runs, ‘If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings.’ In light of this, if two people are in such a relationship, do they count as true friends? (No.) They are not true friends, much less each other’s confidant. So, what sort of relationship is this, exactly? Is it not a fundamental social relationship? (It is.) In such social relationships, people cannot offer their feelings, nor have deep exchanges, nor speak about whatever they wish. They cannot say out loud what is in their heart, or the problems they see in the other, or words that would benefit the other. Instead, they pick nice things to say, to keep the other’s favor. They dare not speak the truth or uphold the principles, lest it give rise to animosity toward them in others. When no one is threatening to someone, does that person not live in relative ease and peace? Is this not people’s goal in promoting the saying, ‘If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings’? (It is.) Clearly, this is a cunning, deceptive way of existence with an element of defensiveness, whose goal is self-preservation. People who live like this have no confidants, no close friends with whom they can say whatever they like. They are defensive with each other, mutually exploiting and outmaneuvering one another, each taking what they need from the relationship. Is this not so? At its root, the goal of ‘If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings’ is to keep from offending others and making enemies, to protect oneself by not causing hurt to anyone. It is a technique and method one adopts to keep themselves from being hurt. Looking at these several facets of its essence, is the demand of people’s moral conduct ‘If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings’ a noble one? Is it a positive one? (No.) Then, what does it teach people? That you must not offend or hurt anyone, otherwise, you are the one who will end up getting hurt; and also, that you should not trust anyone. If you hurt any one of your good friends, the friendship will quietly start to change: They will go from being your good, close friend to a stranger or an enemy. What problems can it resolve, teaching people to act so? Even if, by acting in this way, you do not make enemies and even lose a few, will this make people admire and approve of you, and always keep you as a friend? Does this fully achieve the standard for moral conduct? At the very best, this is no more than a philosophy for worldly dealings” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (8)). As I pondered God’s words, I understood why I could not practice the truth and did not dare to point out other people’s problems. It was all because satanic philosophies and laws had taken deep root in my heart. My parents taught me since I was a child that “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings,” “Keeping silent on the faults of good friends makes for a long and good friendship,” and “Speak good words in harmony with others’ feelings and reason, as being frank annoys others.” They taught me to be very cautious and circumspect in my relations with others and never to expose other people’s problems to their face so as to avoid offending them and being subjected to revenge and harm by them. I had constantly lived by these thoughts and ideas. When I was in school, I saw my deskmate being domineering and overbearing, and being rejected by our classmates, but, afraid of offending her, I never pointed out her problems. I even deceived her, saying things that went against what was in my heart. After I started to believe in God, Chloe and I did our duties together. I was well aware that she was perfunctory in doing her duty and also spread negativity, disturbing others from doing their duty, but in order to preserve myself, I was never willing to expose or dissect her problems. I noticed that Alice often went off topic in her fellowship at gatherings, and even judged others. However, I was never willing to fellowship about or dissect her problems because I was afraid of her taking revenge on me and judging me, so I stood by and watched as she disturbed the life of the church. Through living by these satanic philosophies and laws, I had become slippery and deceitful, and had no sincerity at all in my interactions with others. On the surface, I was a kind person, and got along well with Chloe and Alice. However, when I saw their problems, I didn’t provide them with any substantial help, and didn’t show them any true love. My kindness to them was all false and hypocritical, aimed at getting them to see me as a good friend and get along with me harmoniously. I truly was utterly slippery and deceitful! I realized that I had lost my conscience and reason long ago by living according to satanic philosophies and laws; had become extremely selfish and cowardly; had become an unwitting accomplice and shield of Satan; and had damaged the work of the church. If I continued on like this without turning things around, I would certainly be loathed and eliminated by God!

Later, I read more of God’s words: “Is the phrase ‘call out’ in the saying ‘if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings’ good or bad? Does the phrase ‘call out’ have a level on which it refers to people’s being revealed or exposed within the words of God? (It does not.) From My understanding of the phrase ‘call out’ as it exists in human language, it does not mean that. Its essence is one of a somewhat malicious form of exposure; it means to reveal people’s problems and deficiencies, or some things and behaviors unknown to others, or some intrigue, ideas, or views operating in the background. This is the meaning of the phrase ‘call out’ in the saying ‘if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings.’ If two people get along well and are confidants, with no barriers between them, and they each hope to be of benefit and assistance to the other, then it would be best for them to sit together and lay out each other’s problems in openness and sincerity. This is proper, and it is not calling out others’ shortcomings. If you discover another person’s problems but see that they are not yet able to accept your advice, then simply do not say anything, so as to avoid quarrel or conflict. If you want to help them, you can seek their opinion and first ask them, ‘I see that you have a bit of a problem, and I hope to give you some advice. I don’t know if you’ll be able to accept it. If you will, I’ll tell you. If you won’t, I’ll keep it to myself for now and not say anything.’ If they say, ‘I trust you. Whatever you have to say won’t be out of bounds; I can accept it,’ that means that you have been granted permission, and you can then communicate their problems to them, one by one. Not only will they completely accept what you say, but also benefit from it, and the two of you will still be able to maintain a normal relationship. Is that not treating each other with sincerity? (It is.) This is the correct method for interacting with others; it is not calling out others’ shortcomings. What does it mean not to ‘call out others’ shortcomings,’ as the saying in question goes? It means not to speak of others’ deficiencies, not to speak of their most taboo problems, not to expose the essence of their problems, and not to be so blatant in calling it out. It means just to make some surface-level remarks, to say things that are commonly said by all, to say things that the person themselves is already able to perceive, and not to reveal mistakes the person has made previously or sensitive issues. What does it benefit the person if you act in this way? Perhaps you will not have offended them or made an enemy of them, but what you have done in no way helps or benefits them. Therefore, the phrase ‘don’t call out others’ shortcomings’ itself is evasive and a form of trickery that does not allow sincerity in people’s treatment of each other. One could say that to act in this way is to harbor evil intentions; it is not the correct way of interacting with others. Nonbelievers even see ‘if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings’ as something a person of noble morals should do. It is clearly a deceitful manner of interacting with others, which people adopt to protect themselves; it is not at all a proper mode of interaction. Not calling out others’ shortcomings itself is insincere, and in calling out others’ shortcomings, there may be an ulterior intent” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (8)). “God’s chosen people should, at the very least, possess conscience and reason, and interact, associate, and work together with others according to the principles and standards that God requires of people. This is the best approach. This is able to satisfy God. So, what are the truth principles required by God? That people be understanding of others when they are weak and negative, being considerate of their pain and difficulties, and then inquire about these things, offer help and support, and read them God’s words to help them solve their problems, enabling them to understand God’s intentions and stop being weak, and bringing them before God. Isn’t this way of practicing in line with the principles? Practicing in this way is in line with the truth principles. Naturally, relationships of this kind are even more so in line with the truth principles. When people are deliberately causing disturbances and disruptions, or deliberately doing their duty in a perfunctory way, if you see this and are able to point these things out to them, reprimand them, and help them according to the principles, then this is in line with the truth principles. If you turn a blind eye, or condone their behavior and cover for them, and even go so far as to say nice things to praise and applaud them, these ways of interacting with people, dealing with issues, and handling problems, are clearly at odds with the truth principles, and have no basis in the words of God. So, these ways of interacting with people and dealing with issues are clearly improper, and this really is not easy to discover if they are not dissected and discerned according to God’s words” (The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers (14)). God’s words untied the knot in my heart. I used to think that pointing out other people’s problems and deficiencies was calling them out, and would hurt them. Now I understood that if we discover anyone doing their duty in a perfunctory manner or disrupting and disturbing church life, we should act according to principles and point out their problems in a timely manner; where necessary, we can prune them. Even if we speak harshly, as long as what we say is in accordance with the facts, and our intention is to help them and protect the work of the church, this is all legitimate. If, after pruning, they do not accept or repent, we can also report them to the upper leaders. This is not calling them out or stabbing them in the back. It is protecting the work of the church. Calling someone out is done with an ulterior motive, with prejudice and hostility toward them. It is fixating on their minor problems and making a big deal of them; it is ridiculing, belittling, and mocking them; it is intentionally hurting them. It cannot bring them any edification or benefits, and can only make them negative and miserable. This is what calling people out is. I also had a mistaken view inside myself, believing that reporting other people’s problems to the leaders was making malicious accusations or stabbing them in the back. In fact, promptly reporting problems when they are discovered is protecting the work of the church. It is a responsibility that people ought to fulfill. Stabbing someone in the back or making malicious accusations is distorting the facts and spreading baseless rumors to slander that person behind their back. It is aimed at tormenting others to achieve your own despicable goals. This time, I discovered that Alice’s fellowship in gatherings was off topic and she often judged others. Other sisters also said that this was Alice’s consistent behavior, and even though she had been given fellowship about it many times, she still hadn’t turned it around. I should have pointed out her problems, and reported them to the leaders as quickly as possible so that they could understand her situation promptly and could make the appropriate arrangements based on her behavior. This was the only way to ensure that church life was not disturbed.

Later, after a gathering, I pointed out Alice’s problems in light of God’s words, exposing that the way she judged others in the gatherings was disturbing the life of the church. Alice didn’t accept it at first, but she stopped resisting after other sisters joined in to fellowship on and point out her problems. She even cried and said that this was indeed a problem she had. Not long after, I learned that she was judging others in front of one of her sisters again, so I reported her situation to the church leaders. The leaders exposed and dissected her problems, and from then on, I have never seen her behave in a judgmental manner again. I thank God for leading me to practice some truth. My heart feels very at ease. It’s God’s words that have led me to these changes.