How to Pursue the Truth (11)

What is the purpose of believing in God? Is it to obtain grace and blessings? Is it to avoid living an empty life and break free from low-level interests? (No.) Then what is it? (To gain the truth.) It is to gain the truth, to gain life. Then, is everything people do each day directed toward this goal? Is the duty you do each day and the time and energy you spend each day all for the sake of this goal? People believe in God without the clear goal of gaining the truth. In their hearts, they are hazy on this aspect of visions, and they do not know what the purpose of believing in God is. It is as if they only know in their hearts that it is to obtain blessings—but what should one do to obtain blessings? They do not know that obtaining blessings requires understanding the truth, practicing the truth, and pursuing the truth. So, are they people who pursue the truth? They are also not sure about this. They think, “This is not a big problem. I sincerely believe in God; God will not abandon me. Even if people say that I am not someone who pursues the truth, it does not matter.” Sometimes, when seeing others share their experiential testimony while they themselves cannot share any, they also feel upset, a bit anxious and fretful in their hearts. But more often, they feel it is not a big problem. Just like that, five years pass in the blink of an eye, ten years pass in the blink of an eye—some people are now in their thirties or forties, some are over fifty; they have not married, and are always doing their duty. Up until now, how much truth have they gained? Do they have life? They themselves aren’t certain. They feel: “It seems like I have understood quite a lot of truth and can preach many sermons; I should have life, right?” Whether during gatherings or when doing their duty and testifying to God, they can speak at great length, as if they understand all truths. However, when encountering matters that involve the truth principles while doing their duty, they are unable to practice according to the truth principles. In many things they even still follow their own will and do not understand the truth principles in the slightest. And so, in their hearts, they feel puzzled: “Am I actually someone who understands the truth or not?” They do not know whether they are someone who understands the truth. Then, are they people who practice the truth and pursue the truth? They themselves are also uncertain about it. So have they actually gained the truth or not? They are still in doubt about this. Then do they actually have life or not? What exactly is life anyway? What does it feel like for a person to have life? What changes will occur in a person’s daily life when they have it? How will their thoughts change? What changes will occur in their humanity? They are not clear about any of this. No matter how many years they have believed in God, when speaking about some aspect of the truth, they can preach some words and doctrines; but when the principles of practicing the truth are involved, they cannot explain them clearly. In particular, some people, after being pruned for going against the principles in their actions, not only become negative but also become perplexed and doubt themselves, saying: “Have I actually gained life or not? Does the truth have a place in my heart, has it become my life? Can I actually still attain salvation?” They are confused about all these matters that involve the truth, but when it comes to external matters that do not involve the truth, they remember them very clearly. For example, they remember exactly how many years, months, and days they have believed in God, what church work they have done, what duties they have done, what rank of leader they have served as, what areas of work they have served as a supervisor in, how many places they have been to, and especially how many people they have gained through preaching the gospel, and the results of their preaching, as well as how much they have expended and sacrificed, how much they have donated and what they have donated, how long they were sentenced to prison for, how many beatings they have endured, how much torture they have suffered, and whether they have stood firm in their testimony. They keep all these external matters firmly in mind, they have a clear account of all of them in their hearts, and they often recall them in their minds, just like accounts recorded by an accountant—every entry is noted clearly. But when it comes to how many truths they have understood, this has always been a muddled account for them. Whether they have practiced and applied each truth, whether they have entered into the reality of this aspect of the truth, to what extent they have entered into it—this is a muddled account. In terms of which of their corrupt dispositions they have gained true knowledge and undergone essential change, and whether they have practiced and entered into the related truths—this is a muddled account. After believing in God for so many years, which truths they are able to put into practice, which truths they have not put into practice, in which aspects of the truth they have made progress and how much progress they have made—this is a muddled account. How, exactly, what they live out in terms of their humanity is, whether they possess conscience and reason, and whether they have lived out normal humanity—this is a muddled account. In how many of the duties they’ve done they have offered loyalty and had sincerity, how many duties were done with deliberate perfunctoriness, how many were done up to standard and how many have not yet been up to standard, in which duties they have been able to act according to the principles such that their performance of these duties satisfies God and aligns with God’s intentions, and in which duties they have not yet grasped the truth principles and have not yet achieved satisfying God—this is also a muddled account. Exactly in which aspects they are able to meet God’s requirements and submit to God, to what extent they have submitted to God, in which aspects they still cannot submit to God, what has caused their inability to submit to God, and how they should enter in moving forward—regarding all these things, they have no plan and no thoughts, and of course, they also have no clear path. Having believed in God for so many years, they don’t know how many things they have done to safeguard the interests of God’s house, or how many good deeds they have prepared; they do not know how much evil they have done, or how many things they have done that’ve caused disruptions and disturbances—in their memories, it seems like they have done some of these things, but they do not know whether they have repented after doing evil. Although they can realize that they have done evil and feel upset, and they have prayed to God and confessed their sins, have they obtained God’s forgiveness? Is there any accusation in their hearts? They do not know these things either. They think to themselves: “Who cares whether I feel accused or not? At any rate, I am living quite comfortably now; I am still doing my duty.” Then how many good deeds have they done in the performance of their duty? They also cannot quite tell, yet they feel that they have done a few good deeds—recently, they preached the gospel and gained two people. They have this small number of good deeds, but they do things without principles, and even act according to their own will and in an arbitrary and reckless manner—does this count as evil deeds? They are also unclear about this. They think that since the church has not handled them, and the leaders have not pruned them or held them accountable for these things, then they are not evil deeds; if they were held accountable, then perhaps these things would be evil deeds. They do not know how many good deeds they have prepared. Whether the things they are currently doing are good deeds or evil deeds, how many of them are good deeds, how many of them are evil deeds, how many align with the truth principles, how many go against work arrangements and the truth principles—they don’t know any of this. They have never kept a record of these matters. In any case, every day they eat and sleep on time, get up at the set time for spiritual devotions or work, and maintain the same state while working and the same work steps from the previous day, doing the things they have always done. They have never specifically or systematically made plans or records regarding the matters of pursuing the truth and entering into the truth reality or casting off corrupt dispositions and gaining life. Therefore, anything that involves pursuing the truth or life entry is a muddled account for them. Tell Me, if someone lives in this way every day, living in such a state, are they not muddled? (Yes.) “Muddled” is a literary expression; in colloquial terms, it means drifting along aimlessly. Is this state of living, this state of existing, good or not? (It’s not good.) On the surface, they display no obvious behaviors or manifestations of resisting God, but when it comes to matters of pursuing the truth and life entry, they are confused and not serious about it. This state is exactly what it means to be muddled. This clearly shows a person’s problem and clearly reveals the path they walk in believing in God.

When it comes to matters of pursuing the truth and life entry in the process of believing in God, regardless of a person’s attitude, subjective wishes, or manifestations, in God’s eyes, the state a person is in shows what path they are walking. Some people, from the moment they begin believing in God, do not love the truth, and no matter how the truth is fellowshipped, they do not accept it. The path they walk is one that heads straight toward hell and toward death. Some people, when they first come to believe in God, do not understand God’s requirements and only pursue obtaining blessings and entering the kingdom of heaven. However, by continuously eating and drinking God’s words, they come to understand the truth and are able to pursue the truth, and can endure hardship and pay a price for the sake of gaining the truth. In the end, it can be seen that the path they walk leads to light and to the kingdom of heaven. Regarding the matters of life entry, most people are similarly unclear in their goals and remain in a state of confusion. However, judging from their manifestations, some of them do not accept the truth in the slightest. Even when doing their duty, they are consistently perfunctory. The path they walk is one that leads to hell and to destruction. Others, however, are able to accept the truth, and they can also accept pruning when they are doing their duty, and they gradually come to be up to standard in the performance of their duty. The path they walk is one that leads to light and to the kingdom of heaven. Those who do not accept the truth in the slightest—in other words, those who are heading straight down the path of destruction—in the performance of their duty, ceaselessly do evil, and often commit acts that go against the truth and are detested by God, disturbing the church life and the church work. These people display some “special” manifestations. That is, from the moment they began believing in God until now, they have never repented, and in the performance of their duty, they often are perfunctory, are slippery and slack off, pick easy tasks and shirk hard ones, and do not safeguard the interests of God’s house; they are especially selfish and despicable, and only care about their own enjoyment. This is also a characteristic of these people. There are some people who are even more evil—in the process of doing their duty, they run amok committing misdeeds and act arbitrarily and recklessly, never practicing or implementing work according to work arrangements. There are also people who, in their duty, frequently vie for status, exalt and testify to themselves, and draw people in to establish their own independent kingdom. There are also those who, while doing their duty, steal offerings, squander offerings, and betray the interests of God’s house. Are these manifestations positive or negative? (Negative.) These people have displayed such manifestations from the moment they began believing in God. God’s house keeps giving them opportunities—some who have a bit of caliber are arranged to do the duty of a supervisor, but after a period of poor performance, they are arranged to do a single-faceted duty; however, even in a single-faceted duty, they remain perfunctory, run amok committing misdeeds, act in an arbitrary and reckless manner, cause disruptions and disturbances, and some even vie for status and power, not safeguarding the interests of God’s house. When they get the chance, they even steal offerings and squander offerings. No matter how many years they have believed in God, these manifestations in them have not diminished in the slightest, nor have they changed in the slightest. In the end, what is seen in them? It is that, in the performance of their duty, these people consistently act in a perfunctory manner, are slippery and slack off, pick easy tasks and shirk hard ones, and even indulge in fleshly comfort and act irresponsibly. Their manifestations are not occasional or temporary, but consistent—this is troublesome for them. In the performance of their duty, they consistently act in a perfunctory manner, run amok committing misdeeds, and cause disruptions and disturbances, and no matter who speaks to them, they do not change. No matter how many sermons they hear, they never repent or have a heart of remorse. There are also those who consistently vie for status, consistently betray the interests of God’s house, and never safeguard the interests of God’s house. Is the word “consistently” easy to understand? No matter who, in the performance of their duty, acts in a perfunctory manner, is arbitrary and reckless, or has some bad manifestations, God’s house always gives them many opportunities to repent. It is never because of their temporary manifestations that they are sent away and no longer allowed to do their duty. Instead, they are repeatedly exhorted, fellowshipped with about the truth, and lovingly helped and supported. Moreover, the Holy Spirit moves, reproaches, and enlightens them to an extra degree. People do the work, and the Holy Spirit also does the work, yet people like this are simply intransigent and averse to the truth. They never accept the truth, they never accept the help, criticism, follow-ups, or supervision of the brothers and sisters, and even more so they do not accept the enlightenment and chastening of the Holy Spirit. Whether they have believed in God for three or five years, or ten or twenty years, they remain this way. If you go twenty years without seeing a person of this sort, they will appear older, a bit more mature and seasoned. But when you look at how they do their duty, they still have the same vile character. According to what those in the know have revealed about them, this person has consistently been perfunctory and consistently run amok committing misdeeds; they are exactly the same as they were twenty years ago, without any changes. This person was always full of lies in the past, never speaking honest words. Now, while you are interacting with them again, it turns out they are just the same as before—they still don’t say a single honest word. Having believed in God for twenty years, they’ve endured much hardship, paid a great price, and gained many people through preaching the gospel, yet their dispositions have not changed in the slightest—they are still a slippery eel, an old snake, exceptionally slick and deceitful, unable to even utter a single honest word. This evidence alone is enough to prove that this person is not someone who loves or accepts the truth, nor someone who follows God’s way. Then what kind of person are they? They are someone who consistently acts in a perfunctory manner, who consistently runs amok committing misdeeds and acts in an arbitrary and reckless manner, who consistently causes disruptions and disturbances, and vies for power, and who consistently resorts to underhanded methods, and lies and deceives others. It can be said that this person is simply an old snake, a hardened devil, a hardened Satan, a sly old fox—they are cunning and devious to the core. Before all of their actions, the qualifier “consistently” must be added. Once “consistently” is added, it will not be a matter of personal bias against them but rather something caused by their own actions and behavior. In everyone’s eyes, this person hasn’t just done these things once or twice—they are a habitual offender. How do police departments in various countries treat habitual offenders? The criminal records of habitual offenders must be archived. Whenever a crime occurs, these habitual offenders are the primary suspects, and the police will surely start with them when they begin to investigate the case and launch their inquiry. Then what about those who consistently do their duty in a perfunctory manner in God’s house? Their manifestations of being perfunctory and running amok committing misdeeds are not just things that happen once or twice, nor do they only happen in special circumstances. These states and manifestations are the consistent way they treat their duty. Judging from this consistent way in which they treat their duty, it can be seen what their attitude toward the truth is. So what is their attitude toward the truth? (They are averse to it and feel resistant toward it.) It is an attitude of aversion and feeling resistant. They never accept it. Deep down, they look down on it, they despise the truth and positive things. No matter who speaks to them, they do not listen. No matter how many opportunities they are given, they do not cherish them or take them seriously. They act however they want, in whichever way pleases them. When the Holy Spirit moves them, they have no feeling and they don’t care about it. They are averse to people’s exhortations, they disregard people’s help, and if those people then prune them, they become angry, furious, get mad with them, and feel repulsed in their hearts. The church has an evaluation of each person’s manifestations at every stage, and this evaluation is very important for a person’s outcome. If the word “consistently” is added to a person’s manifestations of evil deeds when they are being characterized, then this is troublesome for them. It becomes very clear exactly what kind of path such people are walking. So just what path are they walking? Is it a path that leads to destruction, or a path that leads to salvation? (A path that leads to destruction.) A path that leads to destruction. Why does this result come about? Is this casting judgment on these people? (No.) Is this not in line with the actual situation? Should they still be given opportunities to repent? Some people say, “We shouldn’t just write them off completely—maybe one day they’ll repent.” The people of Nineveh committed numerous evil deeds, and their evil deeds had reached God’s ears. When God was about to destroy them, He sent Jonah ahead to deliver a message, telling them that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days. How did the people of Nineveh behave after hearing this? Within forty days, they put on sackcloth and ashes and repented to God. But now, for those who consistently perform poorly while doing their duty, how many sets of forty days have they already been given to repent? Have they repented? Do they have the willingness to repent? Do they show any inclination toward repentance? (No.) Over the past ten or twenty years, their manifestations have consistently been those of doing evil, so, in the next ten or twenty years, can they change? Can they stop doing evil? That may be an unknown, but the various manifestations of these people over the past ten or twenty years are enough to show that all their behaviors and manifestations go against the truth, resist God, and oppose God. This proves that their hearts are averse to the truth, that their nature essence is wicked and has no element of loving the truth, and that they do not possess the humanity of loving and practicing the truth. Judging from their manifestations over the past ten or twenty years, this is the conclusion. Since this is the conclusion up to this point, judging from their humanity and their essence, in the next ten, twenty, or thirty years, will any among them be able to truly repent and change? Out of thirty people, could there be one? Out of fifty people, could there be one? Out of a hundred people, could there be one? That is, in the next ten or twenty years, can any among these people suddenly gain the awareness of conscience, become interested in the truth and positive things, be able to accept the truth and positive things, come to know themselves and have genuine repentance, and feel remorse and indebtedness for the evil they have done in the past? Based on your observations, what is the ratio? Out of a thousand people, could there be one? (I think even among a thousand people, there isn’t one.) What do you base this on? (On the fact that while believing in God for ten or twenty years, such people’s attitude toward the truth has consistently been one of repulsion and of feeling resistant, and they have not shown the slightest manifestation of repentance. That proves they will not truly repent in the future either.) Is this statement accurate? (Yes.) Some people say, “We should be tolerant and forbearing toward others. If they didn’t repent in the past ten or twenty years, it was because they were young and immature, or because they had good family conditions and were pampered and spoiled, or because they had high social status and certain strengths. Wasn’t it these special circumstances and environments that caused them to be like this? Maybe in the next ten or twenty years, they will break free from the influences of those family environments and adverse factors, and they might change.” That is hard to say. However, based on these people’s past manifestations, all those who have the qualifier “consistently” added before their manifestations are in great danger. Even among a hundred or a thousand of these people, there could not possibly be a single one who can truly repent. If none of their evil deeds have yet been preceded by the qualifier “consistently,” then perhaps there is still a little hope for such people. It will depend on what their manifestations are in the next three to five years. If it is because they are young and immature, or because their belief in God has no foundation, or because they have poor caliber, or because some objective environmental factors have affected their accepting and understanding of the truth—if it is caused by these objective reasons, and their manifestations of evil deeds are only temporary, then further observation is needed. But up until now, those who ceaselessly commit evil deeds—those whose manifestations are preceded with the word “consistently”—have not prepared enough good deeds for their destination. Instead, in their process of believing in God, they have amassed many evil deeds. It’s just that they refuse to admit that they are evil people, and also try to justify themselves using the hardships they’ve endured, the price they’ve paid, and their seniority as long-time believers in God. The path these people walk is not only laid out before them but also revealed before everyone. Their manifestations and revelations, their actions and behavior, their attitude toward doing their duty, their attitude toward the truth, and their attitude toward all positive things are already enough to show their essence. Of course, their attitude toward their duty and their attitude toward the truth have also already revealed the path they are walking.

The path that people walk determines what they ultimately reap. If people walk the path of destruction, then what they ultimately reap is striking open the gates of hell and descending into hell. This has nothing to do with others—it is not caused by other people, but rather it is the result ultimately brought about by the path that they themselves walk. It may be that you have believed in God for many years and have committed many transgressions, have taken some wrong turns, and have done some things that deviate from the right path; there are even some people who have committed some acts of rebelling against God and resisting God. Although these manifestations are not good, and in God’s eyes they are condemned, if—at the same time as you reveal a corrupt disposition and rebel against and resist God—you are able to reflect on yourself and truly turn around, and use your sincerity, your payment of a price, your practice of the truth, and your positive and proactive attitude toward the truth to actively prepare many good deeds, then God’s attitude toward you will change. For example, suppose that when antichrists and evil people disrupt and disturb the church’s work and mislead the brothers and sisters, you are able to promptly expose the evil deeds of the antichrists and evil people, putting a stop to their disruptions and disturbances, protecting the brothers and sisters, and safeguarding the interests of God’s house. Additionally, in the process of doing your duty, there have been many unforeseen difficulties and obstacles, and you have spent your time, energy, and physical strength, sacrificing your happy moments of fleshly enjoyment and exerting your full effort to resolve these difficulties and problems. Through your suffering and paying a price, through your urging, supervising, and following up, the gospel-preaching work of the church has been able to develop and proceed normally and smoothly. Furthermore, in the process of preaching the gospel, you have brought in some people with good caliber and the ability to comprehend the truth, and clearly fellowshipped about various truths with them, enabling them to lay a foundation in the true way, and to do their duty in the church, and become capable assistants in certain items of work. Or you have played a crucial role in some particular specialized work in God’s house, using effective work methods or work steps to advance the progress of the work and improve its results. Or, in church life, you have helped some brothers and sisters who are negative and weak, or who feel lost and lack a path, helping them to find a path forward, to understand God’s intentions and not misunderstand Him, and to have the resolve to pursue the truth. Even better, you have been able to encourage these people so that they are willing to do a duty and expend themselves for God. Or, in some specialized work, you have undertaken an indispensable role—it may be that the task you do is arduous, exhausting, and dirty, and has no visibility, yet you are willing to be an obscure, behind-the-scenes worker, exerting yourself without asking for any reward, only seeking to offer your sincerity and loyalty. All positive manifestations such as these are, in God’s eyes, good deeds that are worthy of remembrance. On the other hand, it may be that when you encounter these things, not only do you fail to do your duty and fulfill your responsibilities, but you also take a hands-off approach and watch and laugh at the situation from the sidelines, completely ignoring them, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear. You don’t even do what you are capable of doing—even if it is just offering a suggestion, you are too lazy to do so, fearing that it will trouble you or tire you out; you avoid things whenever possible, hide whenever possible, and stay idle whenever possible. To you, these things are irrelevant matters, trouble, encumbrances, and burdens. Although these manifestations are different from the evil deeds of disrupting and disturbing church work, and although God does not give you a bad evaluation, He will not give you a good evaluation either. What does it mean that I do not give you a good evaluation? It means that in these things, you have not prepared good deeds, nor have you done things that earn God’s remembrance. When you encountered these things, you missed the opportunity to prepare good deeds. You are very foolish—you are not trustworthy, not worthy of being promoted, not worthy of being exalted, and not worthy of being entrusted with matters by God. You are worlds apart from Noah and Abraham. Tell Me, a person whom God does not dare to entrust with anything may not necessarily go to hell in the end, but can they enter the kingdom of heaven? It can only be said that it’s uncertain, and a whole bunch of question marks follow it; it is filled with a lot of uncertainty. This uncertainty is based on their consistent manifestations. If you ask everyone why they believe in God, whether they believe in God to enter the kingdom of heaven or to go to hell, some people will mock you, saying that this question is incredibly foolish: “Who would want to go to hell and be destroyed? Who wouldn’t want to enter the kingdom of heaven and attain salvation?” But this question really needs to be asked. It is not foolish. Some people have never reflected on themselves in this way. When they encounter situations, they always fear trouble and fear inviting disputes. In particular, when they see evil people disrupt and disturb church work, with God’s chosen people being misled and exploited, and the church work consequently being unable to proceed, they are not aware that God is scrutinizing people, nor are they aware that this is precisely an opportunity to prepare good deeds. Instead, they adopt the principle of being a people pleaser and abandoning the truth, and do not reflect on themselves in the slightest. What is your responsibility? What is your obligation? What is God’s commission for you? God has spoken so many words and done so much work—what is God’s expectation for you? Can you give God a satisfactory answer? Have you prepared good deeds? In all these matters, you must often reflect on yourself and have clarity in your heart.

Everyone wants to gain blessings. No one wants to be destroyed and sent to hell, but in spite of themselves, many people repeatedly do evil, traveling at high speed down the path that leads to hell. Some people repeatedly ignore the opportunities given by God’s house to do a duty, ignore the moving of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit’s reproach, and ignore God’s expectations. They insist on being perfunctory, running amok committing misdeeds, acting in an arbitrary and reckless manner, causing disruptions and disturbances, being old snakes, and doing evil. No one is forcing you to do these things, and no one in God’s house is demanding that you do them. Clearly, it is your personal choice; it is what you are willing to do, what you like to do, and what you are enthusiastic about doing. When it is said that the path you are walking leads to hell and to destruction, you feel upset and negative. What is there to feel negative about? Isn’t this your own fault? Isn’t it self-inflicted? Isn’t it deserved? Some people say, “When I do evil, it’s because I can’t help myself. Every time, I want to do things well, but afterward I realize that what I did wasn’t good.” You did evil and caused disruptions and disturbances, and you brought losses upon the church’s work. You may not be held accountable for your transgressions, but your transgressions create hidden risks, and you could end up repeating your transgressions in the future; this is very dangerous. This is just like someone walking along a path—each step leaves a trace. Do you recognize the transgressions you have committed? Do you feel remorse for them? Do you feel indebted and sad? Do you cry bitterly because of them? Have you turned around? Do you truly hate your evil deeds? Have you let go of the evil that is in your hands and genuinely repented to God? Some people say: “I also hate myself. I’ve slapped myself in the face countless times in private, and I have also knelt before God, crying bitterly in prayer.” You may have gone through these processes, but God does not entirely look at these processes. What God looks at is your manifestations. When the same situation arises again or the same duty falls to you again, how do you treat it? Do you have loyalty and sincerity? Can you pay a price? Can you act according to God’s words? What are the manifestations of your turning around? Have you let go of the evil that is in your hands? Are you still continuing to do the evil things that you did in the past? Are you still lying, still acting arbitrarily and recklessly, still going against work arrangements and the truth principles, still acting according to your own ambitions and desires, and still colluding with evil people to disrupt and disturb church work? If you still act like this, then your repentance and bitter crying are false and perfunctory. What is perfunctory, false repentance characterized as? (Hypocrisy.) Is it characterized as hypocrisy? It is characterized as deception. Is this statement accurate? (Yes.) In God’s eyes, such bitter crying and such repentance are deception. For example, God says, “Offer Me ten pounds of rice from this year’s harvest.” Some people are unwilling to offer it and want to keep it for themselves to eat, so they take ten pounds of rice husks and place them on the altar. When asked what it is, they say it is paddy. God says, “Did I not ask you for rice?” They say, “Paddy is rice.” Is this deception? (Yes.) This is called brazen deception. After doing evil, you confess your sin, repeatedly say you are indebted to God, and even cry bitterly, but afterward, you act as if nothing happened and continue doing things the same way as before. God calls this kind of behavior deception. In God’s eyes, this kind of deceptive behavior is equivalent to evil deeds. If you truly have the determination to change and to act according to the truth principles, you do not need to make resolutions or cry bitterly. Do it first—make a vow to God when you can do it. If you cannot do it, then you absolutely mustn’t make a vow. If you make a vow, God will take it seriously and will require the result of what you vowed. If you cannot fulfill it, in God’s eyes that is deception—deceiving God becomes yet another evil deed recorded against you. So, if you cannot genuinely repent and instead deceive God with your vows, then the path you are walking is one that leads to destruction. Each of your evil deeds is a strike on the gates of hell; perhaps one of these strikes will finally open them, and the time of your death will have then arrived. It can be said that for some people, from the time they started believing in God until now, all of their actions and behaviors have been those of constantly accumulating evil deeds and striking on the gates of hell, and at the same time, those of accumulating God’s anger; they are waiting for God’s punishment to descend upon them. Other people, however, are progressing in a proactive, positive, correct direction in the process of believing in God. The path they walk is the road to the kingdom of heaven. During this period, although they are rebellious and reveal corrupt dispositions, and they of course also have notions and imaginings about God, and have their own will in doing their duty, while revealing these manifestations or engaging in these behaviors, they are also continuously accepting the truth, and continuously casting off their corrupt dispositions and having them transformed; they have repentance, have genuinely turned around, and have the manifestations and reality of accepting and submitting to the truth. Although such people once committed many transgressions and did some things that God detests and condemns, they gradually cast off their corrupt dispositions and no longer do evil after understanding the truth and turning around. With their repentance, turning around, and their determination and resolve to endure hardship and pay a price for the truth, they move God. At the same time, their efforts and actions, and the good deeds they prepare gradually gain God’s acceptance and approval, and these things are also remembered by God. Judging from the overall manifestations of such people, they are—as you often say—basically right people. The path that these right people walk is the path that leads to the kingdom of heaven, the path that leads to salvation. Such people are walking on the path of salvation. Of course, the manifestations of these people are basically not the result of others’ pushing, supervision, management, or pruning, nor of the regulation of church’s administrative decrees. Instead, they are manifestations of their own proactive repentance and turning around, and of them, in their life entry, having their own personal plans and designs, as well as their own proactive resolve. The path these people walk is the correct path. They are preparing good deeds for their own destination with these positive, proactive manifestations. It is their personal, subjective pursuit that determines the path they take and determines God’s attitude toward them. Ultimately, because of their personal, subjective pursuit, they are able to receive from God a suitable verdict and a suitable destination.

Tell Me, how should people do just deeds, and what state and condition must they do this in, in order for it to be considered preparing good deeds? At the very least, they must have a positive and proactive attitude, and, while doing their duty, they must be loyal, be able to act according to the truth principles, and safeguard the interests of God’s house. Being positive and proactive is the key; if you are always passive, this is problematic. It’s as if you are not a member of God’s house and you are not doing your duty, as if instead you have no other choice but to do it to earn a salary because the employer requires you to do it—you are not doing it voluntarily, but very passively. If it weren’t for your interests being involved, you wouldn’t do it at all. Or if no one asked you to do it, you absolutely wouldn’t do it. Doing things with this approach, then, is not doing good deeds. So, people like this are very foolish; they are passive in everything they do. They don’t do what they can think of doing, nor do they do what they can accomplish with time and energy. They just wait and observe. This is troublesome and very pitiful. Why do I say that it is very pitiful? Firstly, it’s not that your caliber is inadequate; secondly, it’s not that your experience is insufficient; thirdly, it’s not that you don’t have the right conditions to do it. You possess the caliber to do this work, and if you spend the time and energy, you will be able to do it, but you do not, you fail to prepare good deeds. This is very regrettable. Why do I say that it’s regrettable? It’s because if you look back on this after many years, you will feel regret, and if you want to go back to that year, that month, and that day, to do that work, things will have changed and that time will have already passed. You will not get a second chance like that one; when that opportunity passes, it passes, when it is lost, it is lost. If you lose out on fleshly pleasures like eating nice food or wearing nice clothes, this doesn’t matter much, because these things are hollow, and they do not have any impact on your life entry or your preparation of good deeds, or on your destination. However, if something relates to God’s attitude toward and evaluation of you, or even to the path you walk and your destination, then losing the opportunity to do it is very regrettable. This is because it will leave behind a stain and give rise to regrets on your future path of existence, and in your whole life you will never have another chance to make up for it. Isn’t this regrettable? If your caliber is too poor and you cannot undertake this work, then that is not regrettable—God’s house can arrange for someone else to do it. If you are capable of doing this well, but you do not do it, that is extremely regrettable. This is an opportunity given to you by God, but you don’t take it seriously, you don’t seize hold of this opportunity, and you allow it to slip through your fingers—this is too regrettable! For you, it is regrettable; for God, it is disappointing. God has given you caliber and many superior conditions, allowing you to see clearly this matter and be competent for this work. However, you do not have the right attitude, you have no loyalty or sincerity, and you do not want to try your best to do it well. This greatly disappoints God. So, when faced with many things, if you are lazy, always feel bothered and do not want to do them, and you inwardly grumble, “Why am I being asked to do it and not someone else?” then this is a foolish thought. When a duty falls to you, it is not an unfortunate event, it is an honor, and you should gladly accept it. This work won’t tire you out or kill you. On the contrary, if you handle this work properly and do it well with your utmost effort, you will feel at peace and at ease in your heart, and you won’t have disappointed God. When you come before God, you can then be confident and stand tall. But if you don’t do this work or do it perfunctorily, then even though you haven’t caused any losses, for you personally, it will be a lifelong regret! It will be like a bottomless black hole, causing you to feel pain and unease throughout your life. Whenever it is mentioned that one should be loyal and sincere in doing their duty and should do their utmost, your heart will feel as excruciating as if it were being stabbed by needles. You won’t feel happy, proud, or honored about that matter. On the contrary, this agony will accompany you for your entire life. If a person has an awareness of conscience, they will feel this kind of sorrow. And what about from God’s perspective? God uses the truth principles to characterize this matter, so the nature of it is far more serious than what you feel. Do you understand? So, God will comprehensively consider your usual performance, and your attitude toward the truth and your duty, to view the path you are walking. Suppose that your attitude toward the truth and your duty is always perfunctory, and you make promises on the surface but do not put them into practice behind the scenes, and you dillydally and lack a sense of urgency, and do not have a positive attitude of being considerate of God’s intentions. Even though outwardly you don’t cause disruptions and disturbances, do evil, act arbitrarily and recklessly or run amok committing misdeeds, and you appear to be a rule-abiding and quite well-behaved person, you don’t positively and proactively do what God asks of you but instead you’re wily and slack off, and avoid doing real work. In that case, just what path are you really walking? Even if it’s not the path of an antichrist, at the very least it’s the path of a false leader. Some people appear to have submission in doing their duty, doing whatever the Above arranges. But when asked, “Do you do your duty perfunctorily? Do you do it according to the principles?” they cannot provide any definite answers, only saying, “I do as the Above instructs and dare not run amok committing misdeeds.” When asked if they have fulfilled their responsibility, they say, “Well, I’m doing what I’m supposed to.” See? They always have this kind of attitude when doing their duty—they are unhurried, do things slowly, and are half-hearted. You can’t really find fault with them, but if you measure their performance of duty against the truth principles, it is inefficient and not up to standard. And yet, they don’t care, they continue acting as they did before, and they still don’t do the things they should take the initiative to do—they do not change at all. Aren’t they shamelessly stubborn? They always maintain this attitude: “You may have a thousand brilliant plans, but I have my own set of rules. This is just how I am. Let’s see what you can do to me. This is my attitude!” They haven’t done anything immensely treacherous or evil, but they have also done few good deeds. What path would you say they are walking? Is this kind of attitude toward belief in God and one’s duty good? (No.) In the Bible, God says this: “So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Being lukewarm, neither cold nor hot—is this attitude good? (No.) Some people think, “If I do evil and cause disruptions, I will be quickly condemned. But if I positively and proactively do things, I will get tired, and if I make a mistake doing something, I might get pruned, or maybe I’ll even be dismissed, which would be so embarrassing! So I stay lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. Whatever you ask me to do, I will do it. But if you don’t tell me to do something, I won’t intervene. This way, I won’t get tired, and on top of that people won’t be able to find fault with me. This approach is great!” Is this way of conducting oneself good? (No.) You know that it is not good, so how should your practice change? If you never seek to walk the path of pursuing the truth and still persist in living by Satan’s philosophies, then you are doomed to have no hope of attaining salvation. If you conduct yourself in the world in this way, then you will indeed have an advantage. Your philosophy for and attitude toward worldly dealings will protect you, and you will also not offend people. Moreover, those upper-class people with prestige and reputation will not feel that you are a threat to them and they will all appreciate you a lot. Those lower-class people without status will also not dare to offend you. So, you will be quite popular—to both lower-class people and upper-class people, you will be someone they seek to win over, you will be a hot commodity, and you will be able to navigate all circles, high and low, good and bad, with ease. However, if you still use this kind of attitude toward worldly dealings in God’s house and before God, it will not work. All the various principles that involve the truth require an attitude from you, and this attitude is either right or wrong, either black or white, either true or false—it is particularly clear, and particularly principled. They require your stance and your accurate viewpoint, rather than your middle-of-the-road approach. Those who take a middle-of-the-road approach cannot stand firm before the truth. Do not think, “Look at how brilliant my strategy is. Since I was a child, I have known how to use this method to protect myself—this is what I’m most skilled at. Look, since I began believing in God until now, I really have never been dealt with, never been dismissed, and never been pruned, nor have I gone through any great refinement or trials. Look at how successful I am in conducting myself, how skilled I am at it!” Wrong! You do not know how to conduct yourself—you use a slick method to approach every matter and to approach the truth. This method is utterly wrong, and you cannot stand firm doing this. Do not have a mindset of relying on luck, thinking, “I used to do this and always succeeded. I never failed, and never lost face or showed my ignorance. Now that I believe in God, I will still persist in this most sophisticated strategy for worldly dealings.” I say this is foolish of you! Why does God speak so many words to save people? It is precisely to enable people, under the guidance of these words, to understand what the right path in life is and what kind of path people should walk; it is to let you choose—it is not to let you coast along opportunistically here. If it were to let you coast along opportunistically, then God would not speak these words or do this work. Why is it that, in our fellowship about various matters, all things that go against the truth are made crystal clear? It is precisely to tell you what positive things are and what negative things are, so that you can distinguish them clearly and see them plainly. Positive things and negative things are entirely open, revealed, and transparent before God—they are not murky. Therefore, God requires you to be clear in doing anything and in choosing your path—your attitude must be clear, and your thoughts and viewpoints must be clear; there must be nothing ambiguous. What involves the truth and the truth principles contains nothing ambiguous—black is black, white is white, yes is yes, no is no. A lie, even if told a thousand times, is still a lie and can never become the truth. The truth, even if few in the world accept it, or if many nations reject and condemn it, remains the truth. The truth is always the truth and absolutely will not become a fallacy or heresy. No matter how many people follow negative things which are of Satan or how many years they have become a worldly trend, they are still negative things and are still of Satan—they will never turn into positive things. Conversely, positive things, even if they are attacked, suppressed, and condemned in this world, remain positive things and will never become negative things. God is forever God, forever the embodiment of justice, and forever the representative of all positive things. God’s status is unchanging, and His essence is unchanging. Satan, meanwhile, is forever Satan, forever the embodiment of evil, forever the representative of the axis of evil, forever negative, and it will never become a positive thing.

Some people say, “I don’t practice the truth, and I don’t accept the truth that much either. My determination to adhere to the truth principles is not that strong either. Most of the time, I play both sides.” I say, if you play both sides, then you are nothing good. Some people say, “I do not oppose positive things, nor do I criticize negative things. I do not flatter or ingratiate myself with those who pursue the truth, nor do I draw near to them. As for antichrists, I do not distance myself from them either. What can you do to me? Look—I live in such a clear-headed way.” Is this being clear-headed? This is not being clear-headed—this is called foolishness, this is called being muddled and being unable to distinguish right from wrong. They are muddleheaded people. What will the final result of living this way be? (They will have no outcome and no destination.) They will have ruined their own destination. Although they do not oppose positive things, in essence, they have not accepted positive things. Not opposing is not the same as accepting, and not criticizing negative things is not the same as letting them go. Do you think that by not accepting positive things and not criticizing negative things, you have let go of negative things and negative viewpoints? You cannot let them go. Only by accepting positive things and accepting the truth can people’s negative thoughts and viewpoints, as well as the wicked thoughts and viewpoints that are of Satan, gradually be let go of and broken down; only then can people accept positive thoughts and viewpoints, along with the practices, insights, understanding, and criteria that align with the truth principles. In other words, if you want to accept positive thoughts and viewpoints, if you want to accept the truth, if you want the truth to enter into you and become your life, you must first empty yourself of what is within, and then accept the truth and allow the truth to enter you and hold power in your heart. This is having the truth as life. Pursuing the truth is practiced in this way. The primary purpose of believing in God is to gain the truth. You must be able to discern various thoughts and viewpoints that go against the truth. Especially if you are the kind of person who follows Satan’s philosophy, you must let go of the slick thoughts and viewpoints of the middle-of-the-road approach, and consciously rebel against them. When such thoughts and viewpoints arise in situations you encounter, you must realize that they are wrong and you must think: “Whatever God’s words say, whatever God requires, and whichever way of acting aligns with the truth principles, I will take the initiative and strive to act accordingly, not letting the thoughts and viewpoints of the middle-of-the-road approach govern me or hinder me from practicing the truth. Instead, I must let God’s words, the truth, become the criteria for doing my duty.” Practicing in this way will bring about a different result. Even if it is a very small matter and not worthy of God’s remembrance, at the very least, God will not condemn it. As your actions accumulate bit by bit in this way, your good deeds will gradually be prepared little by little. If your actions can be considered good deeds in God’s eyes, then you will have hope. You will begin to have a correct and positive direction and goal, and you will begin to become a positive person, a right person. In this way, you will have distanced yourself from the path of destruction leading to hell and gradually turned toward the path leading to the kingdom of heaven. This is a good result of a person being able to repent and turn around. Is this easy to achieve? That depends on the extent to which one loves the truth. If you make a mistake and only say: “I really hate myself! How could I do such a base, vile thing? I’m really itching to give myself a couple of slaps on the face!” just hating yourself, that won’t be of any use. The key thing is that, when you make a mistake, you must be able to discern what is wrong with it, what has driven you to do it, why you are unable to practice the truth, what the root cause is, and what the basis and principles of your actions are. The key thing is also whether, when faced with some matter, you are consciously acting according to God’s words and consciously rebelling against your satanic thoughts and views, your ambitions and desires, and your intentions and plans. If you have consciously done all these things, then you have prepared good deeds, and this is a great thing, and you have gained something. Is this kind of result good? Is this the result you wish to see? Is this what you want to pursue? (Yes.) What kind of viewpoint do most people hold now? It is this: “I do not commit evil or cause disruptions and disturbances. As long as I am not cleared out of the full-time duty church, then everything is fine. Although I have not prepared many good deeds, and in my duty I am not very loyal, don’t have much sincerity, and don’t earnestly practice according to the truth principles, as long as I do not do evil or cause disruptions and disturbances, isn’t that enough?” How’s this viewpoint? This is a degenerate thought and viewpoint—it is one that does not seek progress. You absolutely mustn’t think that as long as you do not do evil or cause disruptions and disturbances, you are a good person, a noble person, you can stand firm, and what you do aligns with the truth. I tell you, that is wrong—this is a foolish way of thinking! Not doing evil is not equivalent to preparing good deeds. Not doing evil and preparing good deeds are two different concepts. Doing a duty without doing evil is what a created being is supposed to do; it is a manifestation that should be possessed by those who have the conscience and reason of normal humanity. For example, some people say: “There are people who commit murder, but I haven’t done that; that person stole things from other people, but I haven’t done that. This means that I’m a good person.” Is that worth boasting about? Is their assertion correct? (It’s not.) This is called confusing concepts. Not being a thief, not committing murder or arson, and not engaging in illicit sexual relations, isn’t the same as being a good person. Not committing evil or breaking the law is a different concept from being a good person. Being a good person has its own standards. Not doing evil and preparing good deeds are also two separate concepts. Doing your duty without doing evil is something you should achieve as a normal person. But preparing good deeds means that you must proactively and positively practice the truth and fulfill your duty according to God’s requirements and the truth principles. You must have loyalty, be willing to endure hardships and pay a price, be willing to take responsibility, and be able to act positively and proactively. Actions done according to these principles are basically all good deeds. Regardless of whether they are big or small matters, whether they are worthy of being remembered by people or not, whether they are regarded highly by people or considered insignificant, or whether people think they are worthy of attention, in God’s eyes, they are all good deeds. If you have prepared good deeds, it will ultimately bring you blessings, not calamities. Let’s say you don’t prepare any good deeds at all and are just content with the following: “I do whatever I’m told to do and go wherever I’m told to go. I never speak or act in an arbitrary manner, and I never mischievously stir up trouble or cause disruptions and disturbances. I really am obedient and well-behaved.” If you always hold this attitude and do not proactively seek the truth and uphold the principles in doing your duty, and do not promptly correct or change your deviations and mistakes when you discover them, and never positively, proactively seek the truth to resolve the problems when you discover that you are being rebellious or notice that you reveal corrupt dispositions, but rather just do whatever you want, then even though you might not have caused any losses to the interests of God’s house or affected the church’s work, what you are doing is at most just laboring. Laboring, by its nature, does not qualify as good deeds. So how are good deeds ultimately defined? It is when what you do is at the very least helpful for your own life entry and that of the brothers and sisters, and beneficial to the work of God’s house. If it is beneficial to yourself, to others, and to God’s house, then your performance is effective before God and approved of by God. God will give you a score. So, evaluate these things: How many good deeds have you prepared over the years? Can these good deeds offset your transgressions? After offsetting them, how many good deeds are left? You need to score yourself and have a firm grasp of this; you mustn’t be muddled about this matter.

Tell Me, is My fellowship on these matters necessary? (Yes.) I must speak these words to you, and give you some pointers. The purpose of giving you pointers is not to dispel your enthusiasm, nor to laugh at you, much less to condemn you, but to give you a reminder, to sound a warning bell, so that you know—right now, at present, currently—what situation you are in, what your state is, and what the potential dangers are. You must be clear about these things in your hearts. In their belief in God, people must constantly and frequently examine what their state before God is. They must constantly and clearly know what their relationship with God is like, whether conflicts and barriers exist between them and God, whether they have notions and misunderstandings about God, whether they have unreasonable demands of God, and how God views their overall manifestations. People must understand and know these things; this is greatly beneficial to their life entry. The purpose of practicing in this way is to ensure that people can accurately act according to God’s intentions. Do not take any wrong turns, do not feel self-satisfied, and do not deceive themselves and others. Not taking any wrong turns means not following your own deviated path. You think that this performance of yours in believing in God is pretty good, so you continue walking this way. It turns out, however, that you have deviated from the right path; God has long since abandoned you, and the Holy Spirit has stopped working in you. God detests you, yet you still think that you’re doing well in your belief: “I have gained things from believing in God. I can endure hardship now, I don’t do evil now, I know how to avoid causing disruptions, and I now know why those who cause disruptions and disturbances are cleared out or isolated, and why they are not allowed to do a duty.” It is not enough to know these things. You must know how to act so as to follow God’s way, how to practice so as to walk on the right path, and how to act so as to be able to attain salvation. All of these are very important; you must review and summarize them at regular intervals. That’s all for this topic. Let’s continue fellowshipping on the topic we have been fellowshipping on during this period.

Our fellowship during this period has been about a specific topic involved in the principle of practice of “letting go” within how to pursue the truth—innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions. After fellowshipping on this multiple times, do you now have a bit of discernment regarding some specific manifestations and revelations that involve these three aspects—innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions? (My discernment of these things is somewhat better than before. Previously, I would often get character and corrupt dispositions mixed up, but through God’s past few fellowships about how to discern these things, I can now distinguish them to some extent.) Why is it necessary to differentiate these things? (It is so that we know which problems within ourselves to resolve—which problems must be resolved and which ones we just need to approach correctly.) Well said. Fellowshipping in such detail makes the distinctions between innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions clearer, and people gain a clearer understanding of corrupt dispositions and manifestations of extremely poor character, which are two separate things. In particular, people are able to distinguish between bad character, corrupt dispositions, and innate conditions. They will not regard certain defects in humanity as corrupt dispositions, and of course, they will also not regard certain inadequacies and defects within innate conditions as corrupt dispositions. When people have this discernment, they become increasingly clear about the various manifestations of corrupt dispositions, and they no longer make mountains out of molehills concerning problems that do not involve corrupt dispositions. At the same time, they also have a clearer understanding of what corrupt dispositions actually are. So what exactly are corrupt dispositions? Can you clearly explain it? Do corrupt dispositions have any connection with innate conditions? Are they influenced by innate conditions? (No.) Suppose that a person is good-looking, fair-skinned, and has well-proportioned features—can it be said that because they have a good appearance, they have no corrupt dispositions, that their humanity is as perfect and pure as their looks, that they are not at all arrogant or wicked but exceptionally holy? Can this be said? (No.) Having fellowshipped like this, the distinctions between these three aspects—corrupt dispositions, innate conditions, and humanity—are basically clear now, right? (Yes.) They are easy to discern.

Last time, we fellowshipped about loving to do business. Under which aspect should this manifestation be categorized? (Innate conditions.) Innate conditions. Why is it considered an innate condition? (It is an interest and a hobby, so it counts as an innate condition.) For one thing, it is an interest and a hobby; for another, if a person loves to do business and has a mind for business—they are naturally skilled at it without having engaged in professional studies, and are able to understand it and know how to make money, generate profit, seize business opportunities, and so on without guidance from others—then this person possesses a strength in doing business within their innate conditions. If a person innately possesses this strength, then it is certainly an innate condition, and innate conditions have little to do with influences received after birth. You see, some people start learning to do business at 15 or 16 years old while still in school. Whenever they’ve got something good, they think up ways to sell it. They even sell the birthday gifts their parents give them. They don’t spend their own pocket money, and instead save it all up to do business. By the time they are 18 or 19, they are already able to operate small business ventures. Their grades in school are just average, but they have a head for doing business, are quick at calculations, and they have a particular knack for business—this is a strength. Loving to do business falls under the categories of strengths or of interests and hobbies within innate conditions. In any case, it is an aspect of innate conditions, and this is where such manifestations are classified. Some people do not necessarily have a hobby or strength related to business. They mainly rely on cheating and scamming people when they do business. They do not make money through their own hard work and striving or by using legitimate business means and methods, but rather use fraud and deception in all forms and the exploitation of legal loopholes to achieve their goal of generating profit and making money. What kind of problem is this? Such people consistently conduct business in this way—does this involve the substance of their humanity? (Yes.) Is such humanity good? (No.) What is not good about it? When it comes to the humanity of such people, generally speaking, they have bad character. Who doesn’t aim to make money when they do business? If you earn money through legitimate means of conducting business, this is an ability that you have, and it is a benefit brought by the strength God has given you. But if someone’s means of conducting business are not legitimate, if the money and profit they obtain aren’t acquired through legitimate trade but through fraud and deception in all forms, then such people are devoid of integrity and have low character. Do such people have a conscience? (No.) In colloquial terms, their conscience is completely rotten—they have no conscience. Why do we say they have no conscience? (Generally, people who have a conscience feel accusation from it after they cheat and scam other people, and they do not do those things anymore. However, people who do not have a conscience only care about gaining profit. Their conscience has no awareness at all, so they just keep doing those things.) They don’t have the function of conscience; it can also be said that they have no conscience. If they had a conscience, their conscience would function, and then after scamming someone once, they would feel self-reproach from their conscience. Even though they made a profit, they would feel terrible inside. When they spent the money, their face would flush, and they would feel uneasy inside, feeling that what they did was dirty and base. Thus, from then on, they would never scam anyone again; no matter how big the potential profit was, they would never do it—this is the function of conscience. But those who are skilled at cheating, duping, and scamming others will do this every time they want to. After they succeed, they don’t feel bad in their hearts when they spend the money. Once they’ve gotten their hands on the money, they think that they’re clever and brilliant, and feel delighted and especially proud of their scamming strategies. They sell goods with short weight, they sell fake medicine, fake ginseng, water-injected meat—everything they sell is adulterated and deceptive. Every business venture they engage in involves scamming tactics and traps, and all the money they make is obtained through fraudulent means. No matter what business they engage in, they never conduct it in a rule-abiding way by charging the proper price. You see, some people specifically scam regular customers when doing business. For example, if you frequently buy from them and they know you have money, they will charge you 100 yuan for an item they sell to others for 10 yuan. They will even say, “I don’t sell this to anyone else—I keep it just for you. See what a strong relationship we have? You’re getting a good deal, aren’t you?” They scam people and even get them to feel grateful—what skilled scammers they are! People who do not have any sense of self-accusation in their conscience feel no reproach or awareness in their conscience no matter what they do, so it can be said that such people have no conscience. Regardless of how their reason is, just judging by their conscience alone, these people are devoid of humanity and have low character. To what extent is it low? They have no conscience and no humanity. That is, they lack the function, restraints, and awareness of conscience that normal people have. Without these restraints, they are capable of doing anything. In doing business, they can engage in cheating and scamming; in any business operations, they can rig things and break the rules. They can commit any immoral act. Even when they build houses, they use shoddy materials. You see—what is the cause of those tilted buildings and building collapses in mainland China? It’s the contractors who, in order to make massive profits through underhanded means, use bamboo poles instead of steel reinforcement bars within the concrete. Not long after people move in, the buildings collapse, and some people are crushed to death. Those black-hearted contractors have no conscience at all—upon seeing people die, they immediately seek out their backers to take countermeasures to deal with the situation. If their backers are strong enough and have countermeasures, the matter can be successfully covered up. Those few deaths are brushed off with some funeral expenses, and no one will be able to hold them accountable at all. Their conscience has no awareness; to say nothing of a few deaths—even if dozens, hundreds, or tens of thousands of people died, it would mean nothing to them. In their eyes, human lives are no different from those of ants—they mean nothing. Tell Me, do such people have a conscience? People who do not have a conscience can be said to have no humanity. So, are their actions of cheating and scamming others while doing business revelations of corrupt dispositions? (Yes.) There are specific corrupt dispositions within this. What corrupt dispositions? (Viciousness and deceitfulness.) Their characteristic and representative corrupt dispositions are deceitfulness and wickedness. Those who can engage in fraud and deception in all forms are especially deceitful. Sometimes, the means they use to scam and cheat people are ones that you would never expect, and you might even feel quite happy while you’re being scammed by them, thinking that they’re treating you quite well. Only after a long time do you wake up and suddenly realize you’ve been taken for a ride. And when you go looking for them, they’ve already disappeared without a trace. How sophisticated their means of scamming people are! In the 1980s and 1990s, industry and commerce were relatively developed in Guangdong, China. Certain comparatively advanced household appliances had not yet reached the inland areas, so some inland people traveled to Guangdong to buy them for the sake of keeping up with the trends. When the merchants realized that these customers were from the inland areas, they started thinking about how this was their chance to carry out a scam. Inland people bought tape recorders, televisions, and other appliances. After payment was made, the sellers even told them how long the warranty period was and said that if there were any issues with the appliances, they could come back for an exchange, which made the customers feel that the after-sales service was quite good. As they were about to leave, the sellers said they needed to package the appliances, and then they took them to the back to wrap them up. But, when the customers got home and opened the packaging, they found nothing but bricks and stones inside instead of appliances—only then did they realize that the merchants had carried out a swap, and that they had been scammed. The journey to go back to find them would be too long, and it would also cost them a lot in travel expenses, so they could only swallow the loss and learn a lesson from the experience—when you buy something, you must hand over the payment with one hand and take the goods with the other, and everything must be inspected in person to be certain that you’re getting what you paid for. This kind of thing often happens to people who frequently go on business trips. Now, such incidents are no longer just occasional occurrences in a single city but have become common. Incidents of fraud and deception in all forms are increasing, and more and more people who do business are engaging in scamming. Why wasn’t there so much of this before? It was simply because, back then, some people had not yet discovered these scamming tactics. Once these scamming tactics caught on in society, the merchants began imitating and following suit one after another, and they all started doing it. They all started doing it—could that mean their conscience was corrupted later on? No, these people never had much of a conscience to begin with. It’s just that at that time, due to their level of experience or knowledge, they still hadn’t figured out how to scam and cheat others like this. These people inherently don’t have much of a conscience, and with the corruption of the social climate, they have become increasingly ruthless and merciless in doing such things, and the nature of their actions has become increasingly vile.

People like this use cheating and scamming means while doing business, so will they also cheat and scam people while they’re doing other things? (Yes.) Their means and methods of doing business and their attitude toward things like cheating and scamming represent their humanity. They have this kind of humanity, so no matter what they do—even if it is not cheating and scamming others—it won’t be any better than that. Because this kind of humanity is the basis upon which they do these things, no matter what they do, the nature of it is basically the same—they are simply devoid of the awareness of conscience. When these people become officials, their means of speaking and acting are the same as when they’re doing business—they don’t have the function of conscience, they cheat and scam, harm and kill people, and break the law; they are capable of doing anything that goes against humanity, morality, and moral justice. They behave this way in business as well as in politics. If they engage in scientific research, can their humanity change because the field they’re involved in is different? No. Tell Me, do such people have an advantage when it comes to performing general affairs work in the church? Some people say, “So-and-so was once a big-league boss or a CEO in the secular world. Their means of doing business are particularly clever, but just a bit indecent—sometimes they cheat and scam people. I don’t know whether promoting this kind of person to do general affairs work in the church is appropriate or not.” Tell Me, is this kind of person a good person? Are they a truly talented individual? (No.) Some people always regard people of this sort as talented individuals. Years ago, some churches recommended people like this, saying that Person A was a corporate CEO or senior executive, Person B was one of society’s top ten outstanding youths, an advanced individual, or a role model, while others were master’s degree graduates or professors, and some had been bureau chiefs, mayors, or journalists. Most people did not understand the truth, so they thought that the various items of work in God’s house needed to be taken on by these talented individuals and elites from all walks of life who had been brought in from society. As a result, they recommended these people to be supervisors of the various items of work in God’s house. After these people became supervisors, not only did they fail to handle the work well, but they also made a complete mess of it, resulting in chaos breaking out everywhere in the church’s work—it was downright nonsense! All that these people could do was dare to act with unreasonable rashness, run amok committing misdeeds, be reckless and audacious, and brazenly carry out certain work—aside from that, there wasn’t a single item of work that they could truly do according to the truth principles. The biggest characteristic of these people is that they never seek the truth in anything they do and lack God-fearing hearts. Why are they able to become supervisors? One reason is that they believe they are elites, talented individuals, and pillars from all walks of life in society, so they think that they must assume key positions, take on major responsibilities, and play important roles after they come to God’s house, that they must have prestige and be given respect, and that God’s house cannot do without them. Consequently, they push themselves into the spotlight, trying to become supervisors and take on work. Another reason is that God’s house also gives them opportunities. Since they are willing to do the work, they are allowed to give it a try—regardless of whether they’re competent or not, they have to be put through their paces. But these people do not have any genuine talent or real knowledge. Never mind whether they understand the truth and whether they can act according to the truth principles—just in terms of their own caliber, talents, insight, their ability to comprehend various matters, their ability to view things, and their ability to handle affairs, most of them do not have genuine talent or real knowledge. They do not have genuine talent or real knowledge, so why are they so eager and proactive to take on major responsibilities and shoulder work? It is because their ambition and vanity are at work, and on top of that, they are brazen—they do not know their own true measure but always want to show off. As a result, they fail to do the work well and only make fools of themselves. Why do I say this? Because during the time these people served as supervisors of various items of work, everything was all over the place and a complete mess. To describe it in one word, it was “chaos.” They had no principles in using people, no principles in handling matters, they spent offerings unreasonably, and did not follow up on or handle various items of work promptly. Even the most basic general affairs work was beyond what most of them could take on; they left everything in complete shambles. Farming, raising chickens, raising sheep—none of them were competent for such tasks. They were not clear about what to plant in which season, when to plow, fertilize, and weed the land, or when to harvest. They threw all of their work into chaos. If, at the beginning, God’s house had not used these people, they would have felt that God’s house wasn’t giving them opportunities and was looking down on them. So they were given opportunities—and what was the result of them being used? They left their work in complete shambles, and ultimately God’s house still had to clean up their mess. Every item of work they did required the Above to provide instruction and vetting—even for small matters like maintaining indoor and outdoor cleanliness, the Above had to provide instruction. Ultimately, the work can only be considered to have gotten on the right track now through the Above carrying out strict management, planning, and coordination, instructing and directing everything from scratch bit by bit. Without mentioning anything else—just talking about issues with the farms, there at least had to be suitable people to manage cleanliness. Most people were like wild animals, throwing garbage everywhere, speaking without considering the impact on the environment, shouting and yelling—they were simply identical to nonbelievers. Not a single one of these so-called talented people, when faced with these specific general affairs, could systematically manage things well. They could not even manage small matters like cleanliness and the environment well. These external matters do not involve the truth—anyone with a little caliber and a little conscience should be able to handle them well. If they cannot even handle these external matters well, then such people are simply useless. They do not possess conscience and reason, nor do they have caliber and talent, yet they still want to be officials and call the shots. If they are not allowed to be officials, they even resist and try to argue their case. Are they not devils? After these useless people, these devils, were eliminated, the farm was built especially well under the Above’s management, instruction, and planning. Everyone likes it; the local people really admire it and even feel a bit jealous. Some of them said, “I have never seen a farm managed to be so clean and beautiful. We couldn’t transform it to this degree even in ten years. How could you manage it so well, so quickly? How many years did it take you to transform it into this?” In fact, such great change took only one year, turning a wasteland into what the brothers and sisters see as a park, a garden. Some even said this place looks like a fairyland, like a painting. Proper planning and construction truly make a difference. This place was originally covered in dirt and mud, and there was garbage and mess everywhere. Later, through clean-up and regulation, it gradually improved. Over time, everyone has gotten used to this kind of living environment, to the point that if it becomes a little dirty or messy, some people are not even used to it. You see, through this kind of management, most people benefit and develop good living habits. It is only under the personal instruction of the Above that this kind of construction could be achieved. By contrast, actually none of these so-called talented people can do anything real. They cannot even manage basic cleaning work well. They don’t know how to lay out a room in a way that looks appropriate, and they cannot see through to what kind of person is suited to do what duty. What kind of work can such people shoulder? They cannot do any work at all. They cannot even manage their own living environment—how could they be considered talented people? These people do not even have a bit of intelligence, they cannot speak clearly, they view things inaccurately, and they have no independent judgment. This shows that they are “talented people” in quotation marks, not people with genuine talent and real knowledge. Talented people must first possess certain qualities in their humanity, such as the ability to appreciate things, the ability to evaluate and appreciate things, and insight. If they do not possess these qualities, they only embarrass themselves when handling specific matters, and they cannot even manage and plan a single garden or one or two acres of land—nor make effective use of it—then there’s nothing talented about such people. You are not required to manage the entire earth, you are just being given one or two acres of land to manage well, that is, to tidy up so that they become beautiful and clean, and turn into an elegant environment—how wonderful it’d be for people to live there, even birds would not be willing to leave once they arrived. These so-called talented people are nothing at all. They cannot do any concrete work. There’s nothing talented about them at all—they are lacking things in their humanity. They cannot do anything well, yet they still want to show themselves off and be leaders and workers, and still want to assume key positions and be supervisors. What kind of disposition is this? This is an arrogant disposition.

Let’s return to the topic of loving to cheat and scam people in doing business. What kind of issue is cheating and scamming people? One aspect of the issue is that such people’s humanity is not good; they do not have a conscience or reason. Judging from their behavior, then, what corrupt dispositions do they reveal? First of all, the disposition of such people is deceitful and wicked; secondly, they are averse to the truth and intransigent. When they cheat others, the ruthlessness they display is viciousness—regardless of whether their target is rich or poor, whether the target has money or not, they scam them all the same, showing no mercy. Such people’s corrupt dispositions are quite severe in every aspect. Tell Me, is it easy for such people to attain salvation? (No.) Judging by their corrupt dispositions, it is not easy for them to attain salvation. Then, in terms of their humanity, what aspect makes it difficult for them to attain salvation? Is there a root cause? (They have no conscience.) That’s right, it is not easy for people who have no conscience to attain salvation. The faculty of conscience is already gone in them, it no longer exists. Without the function of conscience, one does not possess the fundamental condition to accept the truth and practice the truth. Thus, it is very difficult for them to attain salvation; it can also be said that they cannot attain salvation. It is possible that such people are willing to labor, that they are able to labor a bit, and that in the end, because of their laboring, they can receive some of God’s grace. However, there is a gap between this and attaining salvation—this is not attaining salvation. Although loyal laborers will survive, it is because their labor is up to standard, and it has met God’s requirements. This is also God’s grace. Though loyal laborers can survive, that does not mean they have attained salvation. To survive and to attain salvation are two different concepts. There is a gap and a distinction between them.

The principles, minimum standards, direction, and goals of a person’s actions are, to a large extent, related to their humanity. If a person loves positive things or has some sense of justice, then this shows that their conscience has awareness—it shows that this person has a bit of conscience. In their self-conduct, some people have no sense of justice, nor do they make any positive choices. They just love doing wicked things or are very repulsed by positive things. Especially when someone talks a bit about positive ways of acting, about how one must, in their self-conduct, have humanity, conscience, and minimum moral standards and abide by rules, they see this as being preachy. Calling it “being preachy” is putting it nicely; in actuality, they disdain and mock you. They believe that conducting yourself in this way is a failure: “Look at how pathetic your life is. You don’t know how to engage in fraud and deception in all forms, nor do you know how to gain advantages through cunning. In your conduct, you are always so rule-abiding, so timid. In this day and age, the bold gorge themselves while the timid starve. If you’re timid, you won’t make it!” They believe that by conducting yourself with conscience and principles you are just being timid, and that by daring to engage in fraud and deception in all forms they are being bold. But is it really because they are bold? Some people who believe in God in the country of the great red dragon are not afraid of suffering persecution and being arrested and still persist in believing in God. Does this have anything to do with being bold or timid? (No.) This is related to their pursuit—in their humanity, they have the need and yearning for belief in God. This is not a matter of being bold or timid. Some people engage in fraud and deception in all forms when doing business. Many times, they face being hunted down and arrested, having their property confiscated, or the risk of bankruptcy and closure, but they are not afraid and continue to scam people all the same. Even if their scamming leads to loss of life, they do not care. Some people, when doing business, scam others by setting up a bogus company—in actuality, this company does not exist at all and it has no real business, nor does it produce any products. They rely solely on their silver tongues to scam people into making orders everywhere. Once other people pay them a deposit, they immediately make their getaway, without leaving a trace. They scam people like this, one transaction after another, and after they swindle the money, their whole family lives in luxury, feasting on the best food and drink. To what extent do some people engage in scamming? They even scam high-level institutions and agencies. Sometimes, when they are on the verge of extreme danger, where someone might see through their scam and expose them, and they would have to face getting arrested, they are still not afraid. If they escape getting arrested this time, they consider themselves lucky, and they continue to scam people at the next opportunity. As long as they make money through their scams, they think they have won, that they have “achieved fame and success.” But if you ask them to believe in God, they do not dare to. They say, “Believing in God will get me convicted and arrested by the government. I do not dare to believe!” Yet when it comes to engaging in fraud and deception in all forms, they have no fear of getting arrested. If you go to a gathering, this kind of person says, “You all are really bold—right now the state is cracking down and arresting those who believe in God, how can you still dare to gather?” You say, “The government is also cracking down on people like you who engage in fraud and deception in all forms, specifically arresting people who run bogus companies. Why aren’t you afraid?” They fall silent. They do bad deeds and aren’t afraid of getting arrested for it, yet they are afraid of getting arrested for believing in God and walking the right path—what sort of wretch are they? Does this not show the difference in people’s humanity? There is precisely this difference between people. People’s corrupt dispositions are the same—they all have those same corrupt dispositions—but judging by differences in their humanity, some people will never be able to believe in God; they can never be members of God’s house. Even if such people do believe in God, they can never attain salvation. From what aspect can this be seen? It can be seen from their humanity. When it comes to belief in God, they are particularly timid and afraid, not daring to believe. Yet in doing business, they can engage in fraud and deception in all forms, they can commit any illegal act, and they dare to use any means. No matter how closely the government conducts monitoring or what convictions and sentences are handed out under the law, they do not care. They have no minimum standards in how they conduct themselves, they do not care about consequences when they act, and they think that everything is fine as long as there is profit to be made. If such a person believes in God, they cannot gain the truth, and so they cannot attain salvation—this is because they do not love the truth, only money. As long as they are doing business, they will cheat and scam others, and they will rig things—their black heart manifests itself. A person with this kind of character is completely done for. Some people say, “What if a person like this earns a lot of money and offers it to God’s house?” God’s house does not accept such money; God’s house does not accept money that is not earned through legitimate means. That kind of person will engage in fraud and deception in all forms as soon as they conduct business—they have very poor humanity. How poor is it? If you ask them to search their conscience, they say, “I feel nothing. I don’t know where my conscience is. I don’t know what conscience is either, or how much it costs per pound.” At that moment, you understand: “No wonder they make money faster than other people in the same business. No wonder customers all go to buy from them. This person uses devious tactics—they engage in shady practices when they do business, and their fraudulent behavior is really serious!” But not only do they not see this as shameful, they even boast and brag, saying, “Look at you, doing business all serious and proper. You scam someone once and you get so scared that your heart pounds. Look at me—I’m not afraid! As long as the Bureau of Industry and Commerce and the police don’t get any evidence, it’s all fine. Want to sue me? You have no evidence. Look at how cleverly I scam people! Can you do it? You can’t! The moment you scam someone, you give yourself away. You don’t have the tactics that I do. Your caliber is poor!” What kind of person is this? They are an evil person. Is there any hope of redeeming them? They are beyond redemption. It is not because such people have corrupt dispositions that they can’t be saved, but because their humanity is too poor. Poor in what way? Poor in that they have no humanity and no conscience; they have lost their conscience. What does it mean to have lost one’s conscience? It means doing things without the minimum standards of conscience. These minimum standards are built upon conscience—conscience constitutes the minimum standards. No matter who you cheat by doing something, whether it is a bad person or a good person, at any rate, the act itself goes against morality, conscience, and humanity. Once such a thing is done, you will feel self-accusation in your conscience forever. It will become a lifelong stain. If you are truly human, you should never do such a thing. No matter who the target of your scams is, and no matter the amount of money you scam—even if you scam evil people and bad people—it is still scamming. That is why, regardless of the circumstances or who you are dealing with, you should never scam people. This is having the minimum standards of conscience in your self-conduct—this is the restraining force that comes from the function of conscience. If you have the function of conscience, then you will have minimum standards in what you do. But if you do not have the function of conscience, you will fall below the minimum standards and be capable of doing anything. That means you are a person without humanity, worse than a beast. If calling someone worse than a beast over this matter seems a bit excessive, then to put it a bit more conservatively, we can say that such a person is equivalent to a beast—they simply have no humanity. Tell Me, if someone is human yet has no humanity, then what is their essence? Is it not that of a beast? The difference between them and a beast is that they can walk upright, and they have language, whereas beasts do not possess human language ability. In order to profit, you are able to use all kinds of means and methods to engage in fraud and deception in all forms, whereas beasts have no such means. So, saying that people of this sort are equivalent to beasts is actually going easy on them—in fact, such people are truly worse than beasts. Can those who are worse than beasts attain salvation? They do not accept the truth in the slightest—they only love money. This is a problem with their nature, and no one can change it. Expecting such people to accept the truth is like expecting a rooster to lay eggs—it will never happen. Therefore, among corrupt humankind, excluding those who commit murder for profit or engage in criminal acts and violate the law, these people who engage in fraud and deception in all forms can be considered as having the worst humanity—they are the dregs of humankind, the degenerates of humankind. In this current era of great economic prosperity, there’s an exceptionally large number of people like this who engage in fraud and deception in all forms while doing business. But no matter how many of these people there are, at any rate, such manifestations are enough to illustrate a problem of humanity. How a person’s conscience is, as well as whether they have the minimum standards of conscience—this is an indicator for measuring their humanity. How can someone who doesn’t even have humanity possibly be saved? At the very least, one’s humanity must contain the conditions to accept the truth. Those who engage in fraud and deception in all forms fundamentally do not possess the conditions to accept the truth within their humanity. So, if you ask them to accept the truth in order to cast off their corrupt dispositions, this will be impossible for them to achieve. Only those with conscience and reason can accept the truth and cast off their corrupt dispositions and thereby attain salvation, because their conscience has a certain level of awareness, and when they conduct themselves and act, their conscience can perform a certain function. When you fellowship on the truth with such people, and talk about how to enter into the truth, how to cast off corrupt dispositions, which things are in line with God’s intentions and which are not, and how people should act, they can accept and submit. It is appropriate to fellowship on the truth with such people—they are the right recipients. If you fellowship about the truth with those whose primary means of doing business is cheating and scamming others, you might as well be talking to a brick wall. So when it comes to such people who are doing business, just observe whether they use legitimate means in doing business and in their transactions and dealings with people, whether they have restraints and minimum standards of conscience, and whether their conscience can function in their transactions. If a person’s conscience can function and exert a restraining force on them, then they are acceptable and are worth associating with. The gospel may be preached to such people. If you fellowship about the truth with them and they are able to accept the truth, then there is hope for them to attain salvation. That’s all for our discussion on loving to do business.

Now let’s take a look at loving the arts. Those who love the arts are innately fond of singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments, and they also enjoy performing. The more people there are, the more excited they become; and they want to put on a bit of a show, doing crosstalk, skits, singing, dancing, or playing musical instruments to make everyone happy and help them to relax. What kind of manifestation is loving the arts? First, we need to look at whether the arts consist of positive things or negative things. If you are not clear on this, then let Me ask you: Do you think singing and dancing are legitimate needs of humanity? (Yes.) They are legitimate needs of humanity. That is, people use their singing voices, body language, or a kind of artistic method to make life fun, to add to the joy of life, or to express one of their moods. Can this be considered legitimate? (Yes.) Now, let’s go back to the original topic—loving the arts, loving to sing and dance, to play instruments and perform—what category do these kinds of manifestations belong to? (Interests and hobbies.) Since they are interests and hobbies, what do they fall under? (Innate conditions.) Some people have liked music and dance since they were little. When they had just learned to walk, the moment they heard the beats of music, their hands and feet would start moving, and they would want to dance. They could not yet speak, but they had this feeling inside—this is innate. Other children, at five or six years old, feel nothing when you play songs and dance music, or when they watch programs or movies on TV—when they hear the music, their faces remain expressionless, with no reaction—this too is innate. However, those who innately love singing and dancing will start to dance for joy the moment they hear music playing. They can hum a few lines of a song after only listening to someone sing it one time. You see, without anyone teaching them, they can sing. This proves that they were born with these things in their bones; they instinctively like these things, are good at these things, and can do them without being taught. There are even some particularly outstanding individuals who can sing a few lines of regional opera at just seven or eight years old, and their singing has that authentic feel to it, and it’s in the right tune and follows the right rhythm—that is truly rare! Some children can even sing a few pop songs, and some can do a few dances, such as Indian dance, Xinjiang dance, or modern dance. When they hear dance songs or music, they instinctively like them, and they quickly start to move their bodies to the music. If you don’t let them sing, they will secretly sing in their hearts or find a suitable place to sing out loud. They just want to sing and love to sing, and no one can hold them back. They were not influenced by their parents, nor were they taught by anyone. Since they were little, they have possessed these strengths or hobbies. It is obvious that this is an innate condition—they have an innate interest in the arts. If those children are interested in the arts, must they engage in this work—must they do a job in this industry for their entire lives? Not necessarily. It depends on God’s ordination, on how God exercises His sovereignty and arranges things. If God arranges for them to work in the arts, they will be bound to this industry for their whole lifetime. But if God has not arranged or ordained them to work in this industry, they will merely have this interest and hobby, and even if they enjoy it, it won’t be possible for them to engage in that work. Some people have liked the arts since childhood. Their parents, seeing that their child has this interest and hobby, think, “Let’s nurture it then. Maybe our family can produce an artistic talent. Perhaps our child will even become famous and be a star!” So they start nurturing their child in their dancing and singing studies, and eventually, the child gets admitted to an art academy. Although the child’s interest and hobby in the arts remains strong after graduation, whether they can work in this industry is uncertain. It is possible that when they are about to engage in this work, their mood changes, and their attitude and views toward this work then change, and it is also possible that due to various reasons within the objective circumstances, they miss out on being a part of this industry. All these things are possible; it depends on God’s predestination. But looking at it from the root cause, the child’s interest and hobby is their innate condition—before they were even born, God had already arranged this strength for them, and added certain special qualities to their humanity, making them innately especially sensitive to and good at music, dance, and other aspects of the arts. Thus, what they reveal in their daily life is a particular fondness for singing and dancing. Regardless of whether their personality is lively or shy, whether they love to talk or do not love to talk, in any case, there is something deep in their bones that cannot be removed—they like to sing, like to dance, and like to perform. Some people, even though they become extremely energetic and feel a sense of release in their soul when they are singing, are still very shy when you talk to them, and they are not good at expressing themselves or interacting with people. When associating with others, they are especially stiff and tense, and especially nervous and afraid, not knowing how to handle these situations. But when they step onto the stage to perform, they do so with ease; it’s as if they have become a different person. Nonbelievers say this is the “patron deity” of their field granting them this ability to make a living—is this correct? In actuality, this is God’s ordination. What strengths, interests, and hobbies a person innately has is related to God’s predestination. Whatever strengths and hobbies a person has, they are all predestined by God. If God gives you an interest and a hobby, you like it and appreciate it from the depths of your heart, feeling especially passionate about it. When you engage in this work or do something related to this work, you feel especially tranquil and at ease inside, and you are also especially interested in it. Therefore, if you have some kind of strength, when the work of God’s house has need of it, you should do that corresponding duty. For you, this is the best opportunity to bring your strength into play. Likewise, since this strength was given to you by God, it is not your private possession; you may not misuse it at will. When the work of God’s house has need of it, you should bring it into play and offer it to God, using it in your duty. This is a favorable condition for you to attain salvation, and it is also a superior condition that God has given you—you should bring it into play well and apply it well, without holding back. That way, in one respect, you can bring your strength into play, and in another respect, you can also fulfill your duty to repay God’s love. Isn’t this great? (Yes.)

God has given people certain kinds of strengths, and whether it be in ancient times or modern times, one of these—the arts—has never been taken seriously, and has always been listed among the things of the lower classes. In particular, in some relatively traditional and feudal social environments, people all look at the arts through a tinted lens, and the arts are always discriminated against by some. Among people, the arts are characterized in this way, and they have this kind of rank, status, or definition, because of people’s notions, people’s feudal ideas, or those distorted, fallacious thoughts and viewpoints that Satan instills in people. There is another factor, which is that a bad climate has been fostered in this industry due to the influence of evil society and evil trends, and so, people give a poor assessment of the arts. Some people engaged in this industry have used their interests and strengths in the arts to do many negative and wicked things, which has tarnished the arts and distorted the nature of the arts. As a result, people have developed many negative opinions about the arts world, and regard those who work in the arts or have interests and hobbies in this area as negative figures. However, regardless of how this society and humankind view this kind of strength, in short, if any person—whether they are a member of God’s house or a person who is outside of God’s house—has a strength or interest and hobby in this area, it is undeniable that this strength and hobby are innate conditions. Precisely because they are innate conditions, they are neither negative nor wicked. It is only due to the direction of certain erroneous thoughts and theories in particular eras that the arts and those who engage in them have been characterized as wicked and negative things. This is something that has frequently occurred throughout history. It’s just like how tofu made out of soybeans is very fragrant, and people are willing to eat it, but after tofu undergoes fermentation and develops some mold, it turns into stinky tofu, and absurd people then characterize tofu and soybeans as bad things. Is this viewpoint correct? (No.) You cannot say that tofu and soybeans are bad because stinky tofu has a strong odor and you are unwilling to eat it. Is this logical reasoning correct? (No.) It is clearly incorrect—it is distorted. Therefore, although there are many wicked, dark things in all artistic groups in society, you cannot say that the arts themselves are wicked and dark, or ugly and negative, and you cannot say that those who like and are good at the arts are wicked, ugly, and negative. This is erroneous reasoning and not a correct comprehension. If, because some of those people are wicked, you say that the arts they are good at are also wicked, then this is a grave mistake. The various strengths that God gives people are meant to serve the human world. If humankind had no cultural life, that would be far too dull. God arranging for people to have a cultural life is not wrong. Those wicked things are all caused by devils and Satan exploiting opportunities to create disturbances. Even though, compared to the perfect humankind—the one that will ultimately be made complete—this humankind that God created is not perfect and has defects now, this does not mean that the humankind that God created is wicked or negative—these are two different concepts. Do you understand? Regardless of how this evil era and evil world position the arts, and interests, hobbies, or strengths in singing and dancing, in any case, it is undeniable that they are needs of humanity, and that they are also interests and hobbies possessed by some special people. Since they are interests and hobbies, they are innate to people and something people are born with, which means that they come from God and are given by God. Before people are even born, God has already predestined the occupation that each of them will engage in: Some people are placed in commerce to do business, some are placed in factories to be workers, some are placed in agriculture to do farm work, some are placed in education to be teachers, and some are placed in the arts to be performers. God has already placed various kinds of strengths within different people by the time they are born. That is, within their fleshly life, each person’s interests, hobbies, and strengths are different. Before you were born, God had already added some special and different things to you. If you do not have interests and hobbies or strengths, you should not complain that God did not add them to you. Without these, you can still live, and you can still do your duty. You are not lacking anything compared to others, because you have the same opportunity as others to do a duty. Your corrupt dispositions are the same as those of others; it is just that people’s innate conditions are different—each person has their own strengths and weaknesses. So what is the key point? The key point is differences in humanity. A person who possesses some special interests, hobbies, and strengths within their innate conditions is not some kind of special talent, and a person who does not possess any interests, hobbies, or strengths within their innate conditions is not some kind of mediocre person. Everyone is more or less the same. It is just that whatever God gives you, He requires from you, and whatever He does not give you, He does not require from you. Although God may not have given you interests and hobbies, or strengths, the various things or conditions you possess within your humanity are still sufficient for you to take on an item of work or a duty. If you are unable to take it on, then it is possible that you are someone outside the ranks of those who do a duty, and that would be another matter altogether.

We’ll end our discussion on the topic of loving the arts here. The characterization of this kind of strength should now be clear to you—do not think that those who love the arts are weird or wicked. If you think this way, then your comprehension is very distorted. You should treat such people correctly, interact with such people correctly, and encourage them to apply their strengths and skills to their duties. If you are a leader or worker, you must learn to use the correct approach to help, guide, and direct those people in bringing their strengths into play, so that they can get on the right track and take on a duty related to their interests and hobbies, thereby becoming created beings who are up to standard, and being worthy of the various interests, hobbies, and strengths that God has given them. If they are unable to take on a duty related to their interests and hobbies, it is also fine for them to do another duty. However, they should not be restricted from having their own interests and hobbies, because this is a part of humanity.

On that note, I am reminded of something—right now, in God’s house, some new singers have recorded songs. These new singers, after diligently acquiring professional knowledge and practicing singing, have finally been able to record finished songs, going from working behind the scenes to performing on the main stage. Even though their singing falls short of a professional standard, and doesn’t yet reach the level of professional singers, and there’s room for improvement—some of them sing without much seasoned finesse, some singers’ voices are not so melodious and their performances are not so pleasing to the eye—their attitude in doing their duty is worthy of encouragement. Going from being an amateur to appearing on screen as a rookie singer, an inexperienced singer, is something that is worthy of encouragement. So what is it that I want to say to you regarding this matter? It is that you should give them some encouragement. When these rookie singers, these new singers, have their music videos uploaded online, you should give them more encouragement, more likes. Do not nitpick, and don’t be overly critical toward them with a contemptuous, condescending attitude—this attitude is not good, it lacks humanity, and at the very least, it lacks love and tolerance. This is not the attitude you should have toward brothers and sisters. So how should you treat them? Since they have mustered the courage to appear on screen and sing, you should give them likes, encourage them, and give them some applause. Do not make irresponsible remarks about them behind their backs. If you do, it only indicates that your character is extremely low. At the very least, they have the courage to appear on screen and sing—do you have this courage? Can you sing a song that moves people? If you cannot, yet you still make these petty remarks and speak these words that lack humanity, it shows that you are jealous and that your humanity is not good. Do not be jealous. We should be happy and glad that God’s house has more people who are talented at singing—this is a good thing. Those who have strengths in this area should all be allowed to put them to use; they should all be given opportunities. They themselves do not have much confidence, and they don’t have an outlet for the little interests and hobbies they have. If they have the willingness to do this duty well and have recorded a music video, when you see it, you should at least listen to it two or three times—listen attentively and carefully—and give them some encouragement. Do not undermine them behind their backs. You should tell other brothers and sisters to listen more to the songs they sing and give them more likes. Some of them sing quite well, with genuine emotion, articulating every line quite clearly; their attire and demeanor are dignified and proper, making them appear appropriate to others. Others, however, might be lacking a bit in terms of their voices and technical maturity. If you know a bit about music and can pick out flaws, do not mock them; treat them properly, and encourage and support them all the same. This is the attitude that you should have as a family member, as a brother or sister. Do not imitate bad people by doing things that belittle others or put others down. If you yourself cannot get on stage, yet when anyone else does, you become jealous, undermine them, and make petty remarks behind their backs, this lacks humanity. Conducting yourself in this way is not good—it is despicable. Even if you can pick out their flaws, you should still encourage them. You should do this because they are brothers and sisters—they are not professionals, nor have they undergone professional training—and their being able to sing as they do now is purely the result of their own exploration, practice, and hard work. So why not encourage them? If you learn to be encouraging and tolerant, and can still treat them correctly with love and tolerance even when you notice some defects in their singing, then this shows that you have humanity. Some people always compare the singers in God’s house with professional singers of the nonbelieving world, and therefore look down on the singers in God’s house and nitpick at this and that. This is a lack of humanity. If you always pick out others’ shortcomings and always think you are better than and superior to others, then why can’t you sing a song that moves people? Do not nitpick at others. The singers in the church do not come from professional backgrounds, but there is one thing that is special about them: In doing this work, they are not engaging in a career—they are doing their duty. Their duty is to use their voices to sing God’s words and to testify to and propagate God’s words. So you should encourage them. Isn’t doing this good? (Yes.) This is called having humanity. Don’t nitpick when you listen to a new singer sing, saying, “This person’s voice is no good. It’s not refined. They’re off-beat, and their pitch is off—I’m not listening! No one should listen to them, and no one should give them a like!” What are you being so meticulous about in this matter? Singing a bit off, singing without seasoned finesse, or in a non-professional way—does this go against the truth principles? It does not. They are doing their duty, so you should measure their singing with the principles of doing a duty, not based on your own tastes and perspectives. To put it bluntly—what do you know? If you truly know about singing, how come no hymn you’ve sung has become a classic? Since you haven’t achieved this, you’re not qualified to criticize them. Of course, even if you have, you’re still not qualified to criticize them. Their performance of this work is in itself not engaging in the arts industry or working in the arts—it is doing a duty and propagating God’s words, which is of a different nature. Regardless of whether they sing well or not, they are putting their heart into what they do—they are doing their duty. As for their professional level, that is another matter. A professional standard can only be gradually achieved through learning and long-term practice. The new singers in God’s house are currently at the level they’re at. People should treat them correctly—everyone should give encouragement and support. Do not nitpick, and do not flaunt yourself. If you flaunt yourself, people will find you repulsive. If you do not flaunt yourself and instead listen a few more times, people will think you are quite a good person, someone who has a God-fearing heart, whose heart is with God’s house, and who has tolerance, and this is then a strong point, a merit of your humanity. If you do this, people will like you, and God will also like you. If you show off, always picking out flaws to show that you’re brilliant and you’re an expert, then you are undermining and disturbing the work of God’s house. If you undermine the work, can God like you? (No.) God will not like you, and the brothers and sisters will not like you either. How have the singers offended you? Why do you have to show off and undermine them like this? Are you only undermining one person? No, you are undermining the work of God’s house, you are undermining God. If you do this, can God like you? Even if you hear flaws in the songs they sing, you should not judge them, because reaching a professional standard in any specialized work is not something that happens overnight. It is not easy—it requires honing and practice, and guidance from professionals; and, in addition, everyone has different aptitudes. Even God does not make requirements of them based on professional standard, so what qualification do you have to require this from them? If you always require them to reach a certain level, that is irrational—that means you are arrogant, and means you just want to show off. When others get to be in the limelight, you feel uncomfortable inside, so you have to make petty remarks and say some unpleasant-sounding things, ridiculing and mocking them, to satisfy your vanity and jealous heart—what’s the point of doing that? How lowly, how base that is! This is called being despicable and vile. People like this have no humanity. If you feel jealous, then at least don’t criticize others in front of people. If you really can’t hold it in, say it to yourself when no one is around—don’t affect others, and don’t incite others to pass judgment along with you. You should do things that are beneficial to others, things that are worthy of others’ admiration and also remembered by God. Do not do things that undermine others. Will you remember this? (Yes.) If you cannot achieve being tolerant, supportive, and encouraging, and cannot come to protect and safeguard the church’s work, if you lack this humanity, then at least do not do or say things that undermine others. This is the absolute least that should be done—this is what’s called a minimum standard.

We’ve finished discussing loving the arts. Next, let’s talk about loving to concern oneself with celebrities’ private affairs. Some people particularly love to concern themselves with the private affairs of celebrities, stars—such as, what celebrities eat, what they wear, where they go to have fun, whether they have had cosmetic surgery, who they are romantically involved with, what friends of the opposite sex they have, what sexual partners they have, and even how many illegitimate children they have and which high-ranking officials and wealthy people they’ve gotten intimately involved with. Such people are particularly concerned about these private affairs of celebrities. They not only concern themselves with celebrities’ private affairs, but also particularly like imitating celebrities’ daily lifestyle choices, their speech and behavior, and their attitude toward life. At the same time, they also particularly like to follow their whereabouts and their various thoughts and viewpoints. For example, if a celebrity likes to keep a certain kind of pet dog, they also keep one. If a celebrity wears a certain brand of clothing that is particularly popular on the market, they will also buy the same item. If they can’t afford it, they’ll go for a knockoff instead. If a celebrity uses a certain cosmetic product, they’ll get it to pretty themselves up, even if they’re broke and have to sell a kidney or blood to afford it. They even follow celebrities to wherever they perform, hold press conferences, or attend film and TV release events. They will pay attention to and track every word and action, every move, and all the whereabouts of the celebrity they follow, reaching a point of obsession where they do not have a life of their own, or their own correct thoughts, viewpoints, and lifestyle, where they are completely misled and controlled by the celebrity’s thoughts, viewpoints, and lifestyle. What kind of problem is this? Is this an innate condition? (No.) Does this have anything to do with the social environment in which people live today? (Yes.) It has a bit of a connection. So, why is it always a certain group of people who idolize stars rather than everyone, despite the fact that all people live in the same current environment? What is this related to? Would you say that these people who idolize stars love the arts? Not necessarily. Are they good at the arts? That’s also not necessarily true. But the things they do are related to people in the arts world and to artistic trends. What kind of problem is this? Is this a problem of corrupt dispositions? This is precisely a revelation of corrupt dispositions. Then, is there a problem with the humanity of such people? (Yes.) Why, when there are so many paths to choose in life, do they choose such a path? Does this involve the issue of character? (Yes.) Some people say: “This is a defect in humanity. This is being innately simpleminded and foolish, and being easily misled by others.” Is this the reason? (No.) Others say: “Is it because most of the people who idolize stars are young, immature, and superficial, unable to withstand the temptation of these social trends?” Is it because they’re young? (No.) Some of the people who idolize stars are middle-aged or elderly—this group includes people of all ages. In light of this, these people who idolize stars are not misled by these social trends because they are young, immature, and do not yet understand the matters of life. Therefore, the claim that “people who idolize stars are all young and immature” does not hold. Since it is not due to being young and immature, it is a problem of humanity. So, what problem of humanity is it? Is it not engaging in proper tasks? (Yes.) In one regard, it is not engaging in proper tasks; in another, it is being somewhat frivolous and not staying within proper bounds. What else is it? (Not walking the right path.) That is correct—it’s not walking the right path. It involves the issue of the path one takes. After a person reaches adulthood, no matter what they do or what profession they engage in, choosing what kind of path to follow in this society and among people is a required class. Whether they keep to their place and go about their days in a proper manner, whether they engage in a proper profession, and whether they engage in proper tasks and walk the right path—all of this depends on what they like and what they follow within their humanity. Look at people from all walks of life—some practice martial arts, some learn about healthy living, some engage in the technology industry, some engage in the fashion industry, some engage in the film and television industry, some do business, and some enter politics, while some believe in Buddhism, some join the Daoist faith, and some choose to believe in God. Some people do not have a proper profession, nor do they search for their own goals in life—every day, they just focus on idolizing stars. To what extent do they do this? To the extent that they lose their appetite for food and drink. If the star they idolize is their dream lover, then they can even abandon their own spouse at any time. If these people idolize stars to the point of obsession, to the extent that it can dictate their lives and their choice of path, becoming an indispensable part of their lives, what state are their lives currently in? They are not keeping to their place while they go about their days. If the person idolizing stars is a woman, can she be a dutiful housewife who supports her husband and raises her children, a virtuous wife and loving mother? (No.) Such a person is simply mad. Wherever their dream lover holds a concert or a press conference, they feel compelled to go to get an autograph. They travel long distances by plane and even cross borders just to follow them, and their family cannot hold them back. They constantly track the celebrity’s itinerary online and camp out at the venues where the celebrity will appear. If they miss them, they go several days and nights without eating or sleeping, crying endlessly. Usually, everything they concern themselves with on the internet and on TV is about celebrities. Of course, some people do not focus on just one celebrity but on several—male and female celebrities, young, middle-aged, and elderly celebrities. They concern themselves with these celebrities’ appearances, with the state of their marriage, with their relationship status, and with their private lives, using a lot of mental energy to hunt for information about them. They treat idolizing stars as a source of pleasure and interest in life, engaging in it as if it were a serious matter. What state is this kind of person’s life in? They are like a walking corpse—their thoughts, the state of their life, as well as their daily behavior and whether they’re in a good or bad mood are entirely influenced by the celebrity they chase after and imitate. If the celebrity they chase gets into a relationship, they feel so miserable that they lose their appetite for food and drink for several days and nights. If the celebrity breaks up with their partner, they feel over the moon, they feast, pop champagne, and post on Weibo to celebrate. Every night, they dream of being with the celebrity they chase, and have nothing but sweet dreams! The celebrity they chase is their dream lover, and no one else looks as pleasing to them as this person. Isn’t the state of their life abnormal? (Yes.) They have reached this level of obsession—have they been controlled by an evil spirit? (Yes.) So, does the humanity of people of this kind have a defect, a flaw, or a problem? (A problem.) Their mental state is a bit abnormal. Normal people sometimes hear some news about people in the arts world, and when they’re shooting the breeze, they may also casually mention a few words about it, but when they return to real life, they continue living as usual. If they are a mother, they fulfill their responsibilities as a mother; if they are a father, they fulfill their responsibilities as a father. The work they engage in is not affected or hindered in the slightest. If the star they like holds a concert somewhere, they feel it has nothing to do with them and continue living their lives as usual, unaffected. Although they have some admiration and envy for that star, and a bit of fondness, when they return to real life, they have independent thoughts, and no impact is made at all on their own life and career, their own faith, and the things they should pursue and the path they should walk. This is having the normal thinking of humanity and a normal mental state. However, people who love idolizing stars have already lost themselves and the ability to control themselves in the process; they are completely led by these so-called stars—by the nose. Their thoughts and the state of their lives are entirely controlled and dictated by the words, actions, and emotions of the stars. This is no longer merely a problem of humanity—their mental state is somewhat problematic. Their emotions have become abnormal, the state of their daily lives has become chaotic, and they have completely lost their direction. Their whole lives only consist of idolizing stars; idolizing stars is the only indispensable thing on their path of existence. As long as they live and breathe, they enjoy idolizing stars, and they rely on it to pass the time each day. If they do not idolize stars, they think that life is empty and meaningless, and that they live without any goal or direction, feeling lost in their hearts. So, from time to time, they feel that they must go online to search for updates on the celebrity they like—what they are eating and drinking, what state their life is currently in, when they will hold a concert, how their most recent film performance was, what the state of their marriage is, what their family situation is—every now and then, they search for such information to pass the time and to fill their empty, directionless, confused lives. Haven’t they been completely controlled by these celebrities? Haven’t they been controlled by this mindset or trend of idolizing stars? (Yes.) Then, do people of this kind still have conscience and reason? They’re out of their mind, their mental state has become abnormal. After being misled and disturbed by this kind of external trend or phenomenon, they have lost their direction and no longer know whether what they are doing is right or wrong—they don’t know what’s good or bad for them. If people try to dissuade them, they simply do not understand or take it in. In order to attend the concert of the star they worship, they are willing to spend three to five months’ worth of wages, and they even pawn some valuable items, or borrow money, and after they return, they have to repay their debts. They pay this kind of price just to achieve their goal of idolizing stars. Are people of this kind normal? (No.) Judging from the level of obsession and lack of self-control they have reached, such people have already lost the reason of normal humanity and can no longer control themselves; spending money and traveling for the sake of idolizing stars is no longer an issue for them. Thus, judging from these manifestations, it is very difficult for them to be classified as normal people. It must be said that there is a problem with their humanity—they have lost their rationality. Does their conscience still function, then? Do they still have a conscience? (No, they don’t.) Then what kind of people are they? They have neither conscience nor reason; their humanity has been reduced to nothing but an empty shell. The real life of normal humanity has become increasingly distant from them. It is very difficult for them to integrate into real life and very difficult for them to settle their mind and engage in matters of real life. In their lives, there is only the single matter of idolizing stars. So hasn’t their spiritual world been controlled by the matter of idolizing stars? (Yes.) Such a person, from the outside, appears to be a person, but in essence, haven’t they already become nothing more than an empty shell? (Yes.) What kind of people are those who are left as empty shells? (Walking corpses.) That’s right—walking corpses. Do they have faith? (No.) Do they have any positive pursuits? (No.) Do they understand what positive things are and what negative things are, what is just and what is wicked? (No.) How can it be seen that they do not understand? Currently, famous singers on stage are wearing increasingly revealing and seductive outfits, and performing increasingly wicked movements. Meanwhile, those audience members who idolize stars watch this and feel increasingly excited and thrilled, like it more and more, and become increasingly intoxicated by it. Especially if the famous singer on stage takes off a piece of clothing as a special treat, these audience members go crazy, completely losing it. Some cannot handle such a scene and become so excited that their hearts suddenly stop before they can even jump, and then they suffocate and pass out, requiring urgent resuscitation. Some are successfully resuscitated, while others fail to be resuscitated and unfortunately die before their time. People in their twenties and thirties become so excited that they faint and die, just because they idolize stars and see a famous singer or movie star take off a piece of clothing or make a seductive move on stage. Tell Me, are such lives cheap or what? That’s how short-lived they are. Judging from their emotions, the things they like, and the scenes that make them excited enough to scream, do these people know shame? Do they know what positive and just things are, and what wicked things are? (No.) They do not know. Normal people see these scenes and feel repulsed: “How has the world become this evil? This is too evil!” But these people who idolize stars see these scenes and feel happy, proud, satisfied, and content, believing they now have no regrets in this life, and they scream and cheer for these scenes. This shows that deep in their souls, they do not know what wicked things are, what just things are, what positive things are, or what negative things are. Some female fans of singers or actors even chase their favorite male star to his residence, ready to offer themselves to him. When the star refuses, they even become angry and call the star a coward. Do such people even have any shame? Do they understand the meaning of the words “sense of shame”? Do they understand what positive things are and what negative things are? (They don’t.) They don’t even understand the words “sense of shame.” Whichever star they like, they want to offer themselves to him, and when he refuses, they even insult him. Are they even human? It’s not that they’re missing something within humanity—they’re mentally deranged; they are filthy demons and evil spirits!

Among various groups of people, there is always a portion of people obsessed with idolizing stars. Such people, to put it precisely, are walking corpses, and specifically speaking, they are non-human. They regard stars who frequently appear on stage and on screens as something to chase after, and even consider doing so a legitimate career. They fritter away their lives in this kind of manner. It must be said that in the whole of society, people of this kind are a special group, more or less the same as those at the bottom of society who do not engage in proper tasks—they are all dregs and worthless. They have no faith, no positive pursuits, and in their humanity, they do not possess any positive needs, positive aspirations, or positive things. No matter how wicked or how dark the arts world is, they do not care or find it disgusting, and they accept and approve of it, and furthermore, zealously follow it. What kind of people are these individuals? It can be said that they are dregs. From the perspective of the spiritual realm, people of this kind are filthy demons and evil spirits. When filthy demons and evil spirits reincarnate as humans, they also have to eat and act like normal people, but they do not engage in proper tasks, or accept the truth in the slightest, and only like to search for people of their ilk to seek out pleasure, and idly drift by while waiting for death. If they cannot engage in the arts industry, they follow the people in it, and they follow all kinds of evil trends within it to satisfy their needs. Therefore, regardless of what these people are good at, just the fact that they have such pursuits and choose such a path and such a way of living in society, shows that they are not good people or people who can attain salvation. The reason I say that such people cannot attain salvation is precisely because inside their humanity there is a “void.” This “void” must be put in quotation marks. Why? Because their humanity does not possess positive things but instead possesses everything that filthy demons and evil spirits possess: following evil, revering evil, following darkness, and revering darkness. They are the followers at the forefront of the evil trends in this whole evil society, as well as the transmitters of these trends. After various wicked fallacies and various distorted thoughts and viewpoints from the arts world are transmitted to the public through computers, TVs, magazines, newspapers, film and television works, and other forms, they gradually circulate among people, and then get spread widely. Among these people, it is precisely these star idolizers who are the vanguard in spreading the wicked thoughts or evil trends and ways of doing things found in various film and television works and artistic works. They are the first line of relayers who transmit various wicked thoughts and various distorted thoughts and viewpoints. Through their word of mouth, through their concrete actions and manifestations, the public gradually approves of and accepts various wicked thoughts and evil trends. Then, they become conditioned and permeated by them little by little. In the end, such wicked thoughts, evil trends, and distorted thoughts and viewpoints gradually take root and take shape among various groups of people and under various social systems. Looking back at the past, in terms of marriage, when people reached a marriageable age, they were introduced and set up by a matchmaker. Marriage also required the consent of both sets of parents, after which a date was set, and the couple entered the hall of matrimony. In the social context of the past, most people showed respect and prudence when it came to marriage between men and women. They regarded marriage as a major event and were able to treat it with seriousness and earnestness. Especially regarding their children, they required them not to be debauched, not to commit incest, and not to engage in illicit sexual relations—these requirements had to be adhered to. At the very least, most people had this concept in their hearts. In this way, under the restraint of the conscience of their humanity, many people avoided the evil deeds of engaging in illicit sexual relations and promiscuity, which, to a certain extent, protected both men and women. Of course, it also had a certain positive, beneficial effect and influence on the social climate. However, with the development of the times and the emergence of various artistic works, all kinds of thoughts and viewpoints advocating sexual liberation, marriage freedom, and so on have continuously appeared. For one thing, they are advocated by certain individuals; additionally, society promotes and widely spreads them a step further through renditions and performances in various artistic forms. These thoughts are first acknowledged and accepted by a portion of star idolizers—that is, the first audience for them is these star idolizers. Because these people idolize stars, they quickly accept and approve of these thoughts advocated by stars on stage, on screen, or in certain artistic forms. After strongly approving of them, they then influence their children as well as the people around them in daily life. In this way, one person passes these thoughts to ten people, ten people pass them to a hundred, a hundred people pass them to a thousand, a thousand people pass them to ten thousand—diffusing these thoughts from a small scope to a much wider one. Over the next one or two years, people voice these ideas, and five or ten years later, they still voice them. Twenty or thirty years later, such thoughts increasingly take shape, they are spread increasingly widely to every corner of society, and become more and more deeply instilled in every person’s heart, and then these wicked thoughts and evil trends are gradually approved of by people and gradually accepted by the public, and people become increasingly self-indulgent, debauched, and unrestrained regarding marriage, male-female relationships, and matters between men and women. People believe, “This is called being open-minded; this is called having broad horizons; this is a sign of mature humanity,” speaking about negative things as though they are positive and legitimate. By this point, the evil trends of the whole society have experienced an upsurge, gained the upper hand, and become mainstream. Most people no longer have correct thoughts and viewpoints regarding marriage between men and women and male-female relationships; they feel these things aren’t a big deal. In particular, homosexuality has become increasingly common; furthermore, extramarital affairs have become increasingly common, and thus the divorce rate has increasingly risen. More children have also lost paternal and maternal love, living in either a single-parent household or a household with a stepfather or stepmother. More people have many opposite-sex partners before marriage and do not see this as shameful but instead think it is commonplace: “This is completely normal! Everyone does this; it’s no big deal!” At all times, wickedness is forever wickedness, and positive things are forever positive. Even if you think it’s not a big deal, that is because of this evil trend and the decadence of this society—it is caused by humans being corrupted by Satan and being fully instilled with wicked thoughts and evil trends. It is not the case that positive things can be called negative, nor that negative things can nowadays be turned into positive things. If you think this way, it is because you do not understand the truth. It is caused by you, under circumstances where you do not understand what positive things are, being forced to accept evil trends and wicked thoughts as the principles and foundation for how you conduct yourself. This society and this humankind have been deeply corrupted in just this way, little by little. Therefore, in the matter of evil trends being widely spread and deeply instilled in people’s hearts, these star idolizers play the role of the vanguard in spreading evil trends and wicked thoughts and viewpoints. They are the firsthand spreaders of these things. If we say that this is Satan corrupting people, this is a bit vague or abstract. But if we say that these star idolizers are the actual advocates of spreading Satan’s thoughts and Satan’s evil trends, this is most accurate. This is because they are the group of people closest to the arts world or to various wicked thoughts and evil trends, and they are the portion of people who come into close contact with these movie stars and famous singers. Without these people chasing after them, without their obsessive support, these so-called famous singers and movie stars would not have such great allure, such great renown, such great influence, and such power to mislead. It is precisely because of these star idolizers’ adulation and intense imitation that various evil trends and wicked thoughts have been spread among people at an extraordinary speed. Through their concrete actions and behaviors, they tell the public that the various wicked things and various distorted, wicked thoughts and viewpoints that appear in the arts world are things people should accept, that these things are very normal and legitimate. In the end, most people gradually accept these wicked ways of doing things and wicked thoughts and viewpoints. As a result, the extramarital affairs, promiscuity, or any of the wicked thoughts, viewpoints, and ways of doing things of these so-called well-known figures, famous singers, and movie stars become downplayed, with no one expressing a correct opinion or judgment of these things. Thus, no matter how promiscuous these well-known figures, famous singers, and movie stars are, they are not eliminated or condemned but continue to flaunt themselves on stage. This perfectly aligns with a popular saying in society: “Mock the poor, not prostitutes.” This is a true portrayal of humankind’s decadence, and also evidence of it. You see, when you believe in God and are arrested and imprisoned, people mock and look down on you. In fact, they also know that you have done nothing wrong—believing in God is having faith, wanting to be a good person, and wanting to go to heaven; female believers do not sell their bodies and work as prostitutes, and male believers do not carry out robberies but conduct themselves in a rule-abiding manner. Yet people find you to be displeasing. If a woman is an attractive beauty, and she has indecent dealings with high-ranking officials and wealthy people, and goes out for a spin in luxury cars every day, others even envy her, saying: “You’ve really got something, you’ve got it going on. You earn money for your parents so they can eat well and dress well. Your parents did not raise you for nothing, they did not dote on you for nothing. Your appearance was given to you by your parents—it isn’t wasted on you; it’s valuable!” You see, everyone envies and admires her. But if you have good looks and marry someone who believes in God, they will laugh at you. Not only will they laugh at you, but when they see you being persecuted, they will also bully you. Isn’t that the case? (Yes.)

None of the things done by this group—these star idolizers—has any meaning. On the contrary, these actions have fueled Satan’s spread of wicked thoughts and evil trends. Look at the star idolizers of the present day—some women go on stage and readily sing and dance, and when they see a famous singer, they worship them to no end. This is vastly different from women in the 40s and 50s. In the words of nonbelievers, they have become open—open in thought, and open in sexuality, they’re liberated in both these areas. Some people say: “What era is this? Who spends all their days with just one husband? Who always centers their life around their children? You’ve got to find someone new when you can, and enjoy yourself when you get the chance!” Just look at what kind of thoughts these people have—how terrifying they are! If a believer in God is like this, is that a good sign? If a believer has these thoughts and viewpoints, envies and worships such people, and wants to be such a person, isn’t that very terrifying and very dangerous for them? (Yes.) Let’s not talk for now about how terrifying or dangerous it is. Just in terms of the essence of these people, deep in their souls, they especially envy, admire, and love these stars. They can accept all kinds of behaviors and all kinds of thoughts and viewpoints from stars. No matter how wicked the thoughts are, they can accept them. They believe, “This is how people should conduct themselves—only this is being free. All thoughts and viewpoints should be allowed to exist. It takes all kinds to make a world, after all.” In their thoughts, there is no distinction between positive and negative, no distinction between right and wrong. Isn’t this mentally abnormal? If it is because of low caliber that someone has no ability to discern right from wrong, but they still have a sense of shame, and can adhere to something if they know that it is right, and absolutely will not do something if they know that it is wrong, and can loathe something in their heart if they know that it is wicked, then this is still a normal person. But if they clearly know that something is incorrect, that it is wicked, yet not only do they lack the ability to resist it, but can also accept it without hesitation, and even envy and follow it, sinking deeper and deeper, then they are not a person but a walking corpse. They are ruined and cannot attain salvation. Therefore, it cannot be said that people of this kind have poor humanity, little integrity, vile character, or an absence of conscience and reason—that is not the issue. The biggest issue is that they simply do not have humanity. So what are these people? Filthy demons, evil spirits, and walking corpses. They are the advocates, relayers, and spreaders of various evil trends and various wicked, distorted thoughts and viewpoints. It is just like a plague—one person carrying a virus spreads it everywhere they go, and the more places they go, the more widely the virus spreads. These star idolizers are equivalent to virus carriers and spreaders, so they are absolutely not members of humankind—they are non-humans. What is the definition of so-called non-humans? It is that these people are the advocates and spreaders of evil trends and wicked thoughts and viewpoints. Do you understand now? If you still envy these stars in your heart or once wanted to become this kind of person, I’m telling you, this is a road of no return, one that leads to perdition. Never try to be this kind of person! If you have ever played a role in a film or television work, if you have ever wanted to become a film star or a well-known figure and planned to take this path, I’m telling you—immediately hit the brakes and come to a stop. This is not a matter of being punished or rewarded. It is a road leading to perdition—never take it! If you want to follow this kind of person because you were temporarily misled or weak, or because of some temporary envy and longing, then listen to My warning, listen to My exhortation—immediately hit the brakes. Never step into that industry, never step into those ranks; never become one of them. If you cannot persist in walking the right path or doing meaningful things, you still should not become a spreader of evil trends and wicked thoughts and viewpoints—that is a path cursed by God. So, no matter what role you once played in a film or television work, whether you considered yourself an important figure, a well-known figure, or some high-level figure—no matter how you positioned yourself—all of that has become the past, it was all wrong. If you have now already hit the brakes, then it can only be said that at that time, your stature was immature and you did not understand the truth. Never think that way in the future, and never walk that path either. If you want to be an important figure or a well-known figure, if you want to be worshiped and followed by others, then immediately think about the words I have spoken today. For any person, perdition is unfortunate news to receive—it is the worst possible news. That is a path cursed by God. Never walk this path, never be tainted by this filth. Stepping onto this path means perdition. You must conduct yourself in a rule-abiding manner because you are a created being, a member of created humankind. No matter what role you have held, what work you have done, or what contributions you have made in God’s house, in the end, you must determine your proper place. What place? You are a created being, a member of created humankind. You must fulfill the duty of a created being. Your performance of duty must be up to standard, it must be done to God’s satisfaction. You must testify for God, propagate God’s words, be a witness for God, and attain salvation. This is the lifelong responsibility and obligation that you are dutybound to fulfill, as well as the path you should choose. You should not follow Satan’s evil trends and be a spreader and relayer of wicked thoughts and viewpoints. Those people are the degenerates of humankind, they are evil spirits and filthy demons. They are cursed and consigned to perdition! If a person walks down that road and not even ten wild horses can pull them back, then they will get their just deserts—they will not come to a good end. Therefore, at all times, you must know that you are a created human, you must know what your place is, what you should do, and what kind of path you should take. This is the most important thing. Is it necessary to fellowship about these things? (Yes.) The topics involving people’s paths in life are very important. From time to time, you should listen to them and ponder them. Doing so is beneficial and helpful for your life entry and for your walking the correct path in life—it has a good, positive, constructive impact on these things. Do not forget these words.

That’s all for today’s fellowship. Goodbye!

December 30, 2023