How to Pursue the Truth (26)

Recently, we have fellowshipped on the topic of God incarnate. This topic involves the practice of “letting go” within “How to Pursue the Truth,” and we fellowshipped on “letting go of one’s notions and imaginings about God” within the topic of “letting go of the barriers between oneself and God and one’s hostility toward God.” We have fellowshipped on this aspect several times, mainly discussing how to treat God incarnate. We divided this content into two topics. Can you tell Me what those two topics are? (Regarding God incarnate, God has given us two correct principles of practice: The first is not to compare Him with the God in heaven, and the second is not to mention Him in the same breath as corrupt mankind.) We have fellowshipped on some details of these two topics, involving some manifestations of the normality and practicality of God incarnate. This included fellowshipping on what specific principles God incarnate observes and adheres to in living, existing, conducting Himself and working among men. Fellowship on these subjects is used to enable people to understand and know what manifestations God incarnate, this person with a special identity, exhibits while living among men. We mainly fellowshipped on the topic of the normality and practicality of God incarnate, and fellowshipped on many specifics. What was the effect on you after listening to it? Do you have fewer notions and imaginings about God incarnate, or have you come up with some new notions? (We have fewer notions and imaginings about God incarnate.) Then, is fellowshipping on this topic helpful for people in getting to know God incarnate? (Yes, it is.) That’s pretty good.

Our fellowship on the topic of God incarnate primarily revolves around the specific revelations and practices concerning the normality and practicality of God incarnate, aiming to provide people with a more concrete understanding of God incarnate, this person with a special identity. So, do you find that the more you understand the normality and practicality of God incarnate, the more you feel He is just a normal person, nothing remarkable, and the more you understand the normality and practicality of God incarnate, the less you sense His divine aura? Do you have such thoughts? (No. Listening to some of the examples God gave that talked about some practical living out and revelations of God incarnate, I feel it’s just that God’s outward image is ordinary and normal, but the revelations of His normal humanity far surpass those of us humans; they are things we cannot achieve. God’s normal humanity contains no corrupt dispositions, no arrogance or deceitfulness, no human pride or indulgence. Although God incarnate appears ordinary and normal on the outside, one can see His greatness from His humbleness. This is how I feel.) Usually, when famous people, great people, or accomplished major figures among mankind introduce themselves in various aspects, do they talk about their normality, practicality, ordinariness, and commonness? (No.) If one of corrupt mankind introduces themselves to let others know them, they will absolutely not describe how ordinary, common, and normal they are. On the contrary, through their introduction and their descriptions, they will try to make people feel that they are distinct from others, extraordinary, great, and possess superhuman abilities. If someone could even perceive them as an exceptional person, they would be happier. Look at how corrupt humans introduce themselves. First, they will describe how perfect they are, without any defects or flaws. They will also show off how illustrious their family background is, how noble their standing is, what academic qualifications they have, and what is outstanding about their appearance. Even if they have a mole on their face, they have to find a unique way to describe it, saying, “Look, even the placement of this mole is unusual; it is said that people with moles in this spot are destined for wealth or nobility.” When it comes to their appearance, they will ostentatiously proclaim how every feature of their face is unique, and what positive interpretations exist in physiognomy for every feature of their face, such as being destined for wealth or nobility, or being able to rise to prominence, and that among people, they are a fish too big for its pond. Furthermore, they particularly enjoy showing off their gifts and strengths in certain areas, how extraordinary and distinct their thinking and ideas are, and showing off what achievements they have made in which groups, how eminent figures praise them, think highly of them, and envy and admire them, or what great contributions they have made in which industry, and how much their bosses appreciate them. Regardless of whether what they say is true, in every aspect of their self-introduction, they try to make people feel that they are distinct from others, that among people they are the one and only, unique, surpassing all ordinary people. They look at everyone condescendingly; they see everyone else as lowly people and mean commoners, while only they themselves are the greatest, noblest, and most unusual. If you ask them about their academic qualifications, they will say they graduated from a prestigious university, that they have a postgraduate degree or a Ph.D., when in reality, they only attended an ordinary university. They never speak of their own defects, flaws, corrupt dispositions, aspects of their low character, or the wrong things they have done. As long as it’s about introducing themselves to let others know them, they will try every means to show off, praise, and package themselves, describing themselves as very great, extraordinary, and unusual. Even if they get sick, they will say it’s a “rich person’s disease,” making people feel they are delicate, pampered, and distinct from others. No matter what, they will absolutely not let people feel they are just an ordinary, common person. Instead, they try every means to make people look up to them, think highly of them, and admire them. If people can follow them and hold a place for them in their hearts, they feel even more pleased with themselves. If you say they are ordinary and normal, a member of the common masses, they feel that they’ve thoroughly lost face and that you’ve really hurt their pride; it’s even as if it would kill them. Throughout their lives, they seek to be unique and extraordinary. Because of their corrupt dispositions and such desires, many people often cultivate an outward image to appear very lofty, classy, and noble, and the outward demeanor they assume, their words, and their actions very much display the air of a great figure. In any group, if someone says to them, “I spotted you at a glance in this crowd; from your gaze, your facial features, and your presence, I can tell you’re not an ordinary person,” they become very happy. They will exaggerate this matter to an unlimited extent, and for the rest of their lives, they will keep those words on their lips, showing off everywhere, “In a crowd, people can recognize me at a glance and see that I’m a leader, a fish too big for its pond, not an ordinary person!” They particularly like being this kind of person, particularly like positioning themselves as an extraordinary, unusual individual who’s distinct from others, and even who’s one of a kind. Many others pay special attention to famous people, great people and those with status and position in society, paying attention to any news about them, their words and actions, and their everyday lives. The purpose of this attention is not for entertainment, but to imitate and follow them. Whatever these people eat and wear, whatever is popular among them, they imitate. Whatever topics these people discuss, they also discuss. They follow very closely, afraid of being left out of the entire trend, afraid of falling behind and being looked down upon. They just want to be a standout and an extraordinary person in the crowd, and are absolutely unwilling to be a normal, ordinary person. Some people, even though they are of average caliber, have no strengths or gifts, and have innate conditions that are very ordinary and common in all regards, are still unwilling to be an ordinary person, unwilling to be a nobody. Instead, they dress themselves up to be very lofty and classy, or describe themselves as very unusual, not some nobody. Some even work hard to imitate great figures, capable and competent people, and those with superb skills. They watch what these people do, say, and discuss, and imitate them, striving to become extraordinary great figures like them, no longer ordinary, common people. Therefore, when we fellowship on the normality and practicality of God incarnate, some people inevitably think: “Humans vigorously praise, package, and boast about themselves as being so distinct from others, so extraordinary and great, yet You always describe Yourself as so normal and practical. Isn’t this a bit unreasonable? Isn’t it a bit foolish? You are Christ incarnate, with such a noble identity, with such a great halo and such a great crown on Your head. How can You describe Yourself as an ordinary, normal, and practical person? And, fearing that people won’t believe it, You even give so many examples to prove how normal, practical, and ordinary You are. This is naturally somewhat perplexing.” Although it doesn’t conform to human notions, this is indeed how the facts are. The specific revelations of the normality, practicality, and ordinariness of God incarnate are just like this; this is a fact, I cannot fabricate it. Some people say: “Shouldn’t You at least mention some examples that make people feel You’re distinct from others and extraordinary and that Your identity and image are particularly lofty and imposing?” Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there really are no such examples. In fact, My descriptions of the ways I conduct Myself and act in life and at work are the true revelations of God incarnate; it’s just that objective. This is all how it actually is; there are no examples which make people see Me as distinct from others, extraordinary, great, or as possessing a lofty, imposing image. Some people say, “Can’t You make something up? That would leave a better impression in people’s hearts, and not leave them disappointed. You describe Yourself as so normal and practical, just an ordinary person; Your image isn’t lofty at all! Who will still idolize You and look up to You? If people don’t look up to You or idolize You, can they still have a place for You in their hearts?” I say, I truly don’t seek this. It’s quite fine if you don’t look up to Me or idolize Me; I’m quite at ease with that. Some people say, “If people don’t look up to You or idolize You, is that still called following God?” Whether you look up to or idolize Me—these things are not important; I truly don’t care about them. If you don’t look up to or idolize Me, but you can ponder with your heart every word I say, every aspect of truth I fellowship, accept them as God’s words, and conduct yourself, act, and view people and things based on these words, that is enough—My words will not have been spoken in vain. Say you don’t look up to or idolize Me, but the words I speak and the sermons I preach bring you before God, enabling you to know how to pursue the truth, enabling you to know how to act according to the truth principles when faced with every matter, to learn how to conduct yourself and act, to learn how to do the duty of a created being, to know how to be loyal to God and how to do your duty in a way that is up to standard, to know how to submit to God, fear God and shun evil, and ultimately enabling you to cast off your corrupt dispositions and be gained by God. Then My words will not have been spoken in vain, and their purpose will have been achieved. As for Me, it is enough if you can treat Me correctly, treating Me fairly and reasonably according to the principles. My requirements of you are not high. I have previously mentioned the three principles for our interactions: Be candid with Christ, respect Him, and obey His words. It is enough if you can practice according to these three principles. I do not need people to idolize Me, nor do I need people’s admiration or high regard. I do not need people to have an image of Me in their hearts. I am not interested in these things. Many people particularly idolize figures who are lofty in image, distinct from others, extraordinarily capable, and outstanding, believing that God incarnate cannot be a normal, practical, and ordinary Son of man. Those who have never met Me naturally assume My image is loftier than that of ordinary people, particularly imposing. You absolutely must not think this way. I am not imposing at all; I’m quite small in stature and short in height. In daily life, My words and actions are particularly normal and practical. All the aspects of My daily life—how I dress, My clothing, food, housing, and transportation—are particularly ordinary. I never seek to be one of a kind, nor do I ever seek to be unique. I only seek to do things in a rule-abiding manner, conduct Myself according to My proper station, do My work well, fulfill My ministry, and speak clearly and thoroughly what needs to be said. These are My principles for conducting Myself and acting. I do not have the human pursuit of being distinct, of being extraordinary and great, nor do I ever seek to be recognized at a glance in a crowd. Even if you don’t recognize Me in a crowd, I will not be sad or upset at all, nor will I ever feel I have lost face, and of course, I certainly will not say you are offending Me.

When I speak and work and have contact with you, whether I am fellowshipping any aspect of the truth, or fellowshipping to resolve problems in any aspect, or just chatting about everyday things or talking about something, I always strive to make Myself understood by you, and no matter what things I talk about, I do so to benefit people. Of course, if the fellowship is about issues that involve the truth, then it is even more essential that it enables people to gain principles for practicing the truth and find paths to resolve those issues. If it’s just chatting about everyday things, that’s even more normal, because it’s a need of normal humanity. What does this need of normal humanity refer to? It means that sometimes people need to communicate and share what they see and hear in their daily lives. Talking about everyday things, chatting, and sharing with others are all needs of the conscience and rationality of normal humanity. For Me, sharing things is more often about helping you understand more about this world, this society, and this mankind, and also telling you how you should view some of the things that happen in this society and among this mankind, how to understand evil trends, how to understand various things, and how to understand various kinds of people. Even when chatting or talking about everyday matters, I will from time to time, or briefly, discuss some essential issues relating to people, events, and things. So, no matter the occasion, when people have contact with Me, what they see, hear, and comprehend about Me is that I am not extraordinary at all, but all normal, practical, and ordinary. Living with such a human appearance, I feel particularly free and at ease when I live with people. If you think I have any actions that are extraordinary and distinct from others, or that some part of My outward facial features or some other aspect of Me is distinct from others or particularly extraordinary, if you think that way, then I will feel very uneasy and uncomfortable. I really dislike people saying such things, and I also really dislike people looking at Me in that way. Especially some people, when they meet Me for the first time, observe Me, scanning the look in My eyes, My facial features, carefully listening to every word I use and the tone of My voice, wanting to see if I am as extraordinary and distinct from others as they imagined. I say, there’s no need for that; there’s no need to observe or scrutinize Me. I am a very ordinary and normal person. When you interact with Me, you should be relaxed, free, and at ease. If you always observe and scrutinize, the more you scrutinize, the more tired you will become, and the more confused you will become. If I am scrutinized and observed by you, I will feel more and more dislike and revulsion toward you. No matter how you scrutinize Me, if you don’t understand what I say, don’t know what My words actually refer to, and what the truth principles that should be understood here are, then what’s the use of your scrutiny? Your scrutiny is even more disgusting. Once, someone—I don’t know if he had been observing for a long time or saw it unintentionally—said that My eyes had a bright spot, and that one look was enough to show I was God. I said, “What else did you see? Did you see the Spirit of God descending on Me like a dove? Did you see a two-edged sword coming out of My mouth? Did you see My whole body like a pillar of light? Did you see an iron rod in My hand? You say you saw a bright spot in My eyes, but what you say is wrong. The Bible says, ‘His eyes were as a flame of fire.’ According to your understanding, you should have seen My two eyes like flames to perceive something of God’s divine aura, but you only saw a bright spot, so that means you’re denigrating God.” Tell Me, didn’t this person make a fool of himself? Isn’t this a manifestation of small stature? (Yes.) I tell you, you don’t need to observe or scrutinize these things. Just listening to these words I express is enough to enable you to enter the truth reality and embark on the path of salvation. If you insist on observing, what problems will arise? Not only will there be no results, but you will also not be able to know God in the slightest, and your notions about God will become stronger and stronger. The incarnate God is not at all related to God’s person or God’s true body that He speaks about, or the image of God prophesied by God in Revelation, or the image of God that mankind has seen through past records. So, no matter how you observe God incarnate, He is always normal and practical, an ordinary person; He will not show you a side that is extraordinary or distinct from others. So what do I mean by saying these words? I am simply telling you that you should not observe or scrutinize God incarnate. The more you scrutinize Him, the further God will be from you. If you don’t scrutinize Him, but submit purely and are able to accept the truth, the Holy Spirit will enlighten and illuminate you, guiding you to understand the truth. If you always observe and scrutinize Him, the Holy Spirit will forsake you. Once the Holy Spirit forsakes you, it will be as if your whole vision goes black and you can’t make out a thing. You won’t understand God’s words when you read them; when anything happens to you, you won’t be able to see through it or know what to do, and when you fellowship with others, you won’t know where to start. You will feel so awkward and be at a loss even doing the simplest thing you used to be able to do. That’s when things go completely wrong. Are these good signs? (No.) So, when these signs occur, you must turn back quickly and stop observing and scrutinizing God. And don’t do it when these signs do not occur, either. Why shouldn’t you do it? This path leads nowhere; this path is not the one you should take. The path you should take in following God is to accept the truth and submit to God, not to observe, scrutinize, or test God. Especially with God incarnate, if you have never seen Him and don’t know what He looks like, it’s normal to size Him up carefully when you first meet. After sizing Him up, you have some impression of Him, and you can match His voice to the voice speaking in the sermon recordings, “So this is what God incarnate looks like, this is His height, this is how He dresses. He is truly normal, practical, and ordinary—it is all true, just as described in God’s words.” This is enough; stop there. Don’t keep putting effort into scrutinizing this matter in your heart. Next, you should listen carefully to what God is fellowshipping, ponder what aspect of truth the matter God is fellowshipping on involves, quickly write it down, then use your heart to contemplate it, and after understanding it, put it into practice. This is the correct way to treat Christ—God incarnate. No matter how I fellowship, no matter what content I fellowship, when it involves God incarnate, I always try to get you to know God’s normality, practicality, and ordinariness, rather than associating Him with, or knowing Him as, being extraordinary, great, unique, or distinct from others. Every matter I speak of, every example I give, is related to this topic of the normality, practicality, and ordinariness of God incarnate. I will absolutely not fabricate something to make you mistakenly think I am distinct from others, extraordinary, or great, that I have the bearing of a leader, the magnanimity of a great man, or the breadth of mind and height of a great man. Let Me tell you, I never understand what “height” or “breadth of mind” means, nor do I ponder or put My heart into those aspects. What do I ponder? I ponder which topics to fellowship with you on that can bring you into the truth reality, which topics can urge, lead, help, and guide you, so that you have the willingness and resolve to suffer and pay a price, and are able to pursue the truth, do your duty well, and attain salvation. I always ponder which topics to speak on and which sermons to preach, so that people can embark on the path of salvation, fulfill their duty in a way that is up to standard, and become true created beings. No matter what topic I speak on, I always strive to help you become created beings who are up to standard, learn to submit to God, and develop a God-fearing heart. I never ponder what words to say that would make you look up to Me, or what things to do to make you admire Me, so that in your hearts you feel I am as unfathomable as a famous or great person; I have none of these things in My heart. I have never thought about how I should speak, My manner of speaking, or how I should style Myself to make you feel I am very lofty, to make you unable to fathom Me or reach Me, and to make you appear very insignificant and ignorant. I never think about these things in My heart, and never speak or act to protect My own status, image, or identity; I only wholeheartedly perform My ministry.

Sometimes when I’m tired, I go to where the brothers and sisters live to take a walk and look around. Sometimes I also stroll around the farm, looking at the vegetable plots, the pigs, and the sheep. When I see a kitten, I also pet it, hug it, and talk to it. When I see a cute puppy, I also give it a hug. There was a mother dog that gave birth to more than ten puppies. She was so happy in front of people, as if she had earned some credit. I praised her, saying: “Now you’re pleased with yourself, aren’t you? Look, you’ve given birth to so many puppies, you really did a great job, very good, well done!” I petted her and hugged her around the neck. I also visit the kennels, the farmland and vegetable patches, looking around everywhere; it’s really nice. Tell Me, do those great figures go to these dirty, smelly, messy places? They don’t. Especially places like kennels and pigsties with unpleasant odors—most people are unwilling to go there. I don’t like bad smells or unpleasant odors either, but a little smell from a puppy is tolerable. Sometimes puppies rub against Me, kiss and lick My face, and I give them a hug. Animals are very simple; they trust their masters and don’t need to be on guard, so they can play and interact with their masters to their hearts’ content. Their lives are that simple. Some people always say they like dogs, like small animals, and care for small animals, but when you ask them to hug a puppy, they are unwilling. They say, “Dogs are dirty and smelly, and they might even have viruses!” I say, “You’re so fussy. Don’t you like small animals? This isn’t truly liking them.” Aren’t such people quite hypocritical? (Yes.) They don’t consider themselves ordinary people; they think they are noble, have standing, and are great figures, so how could they interact with these small animals that people consider insignificant? Even if they touch them with their hands, they have to quickly wash their hands and disinfect them, and they even change their clothes, and when they get home, they immediately take a bath. They take cleanliness this far. Tell Me, aren’t such people strange? If you don’t truly like small animals, don’t pretend. Once people see you are pretending, they know you are too hypocritical and insincere, feel sick at the sight of you, and have a bad impression of you. If you don’t like animals, absolutely don’t pretend or try to make yourself look good. The more you try to make yourself look good, the uglier and lower people will think you are. Being honest and genuine is so much better. If you can’t be honest and genuine, it proves there’s a problem with your humanity. In any case, the normality and practicality of God incarnate is a fact, and His ordinariness is also a fact. Many people have seen these things by being in contact with Him and know that these are facts. These are the facts you most ought to understand and know. Such an ordinary, normal person is God incarnate, and this goes against people’s notions. If He acted like corrupt mankind, showing off about how distinct from others He is regardless of whether He did something major or minor, and trying to set Himself apart, that might conform to people’s notions. On one hand you have the various manifestations of corrupt humankind, and on the other you have the incarnate God who, despite expressing so much truth, still displays manifestations that are as normal as an ordinary person—which of these kinds of manifestations is a positive thing that benefits people? Which is a negative thing that people loathe and reject? Are you able to discern this to some extent now? (Yes.) Then we don’t need to go into more detail; let’s continue with the topic from last time.

Last time, we fellowshipped on another topic of letting go of notions and imaginings about God incarnate: not mentioning God incarnate in the same breath as corrupt mankind, right? (Yes.) On this topic, I listed some specific manifestations of God incarnate in how He conducts Himself and acts from the perspective of His humanity, as well as some manifestations of His disposition essence—not deceiving, not contending, not struggling, not scheming, not putting down others, not retaliating, not enticing, and so on. Of these, we fellowshipped a bit on not deceiving, not contending, and not struggling last time. Which manifestation should we fellowship on this time? (Not scheming.) Not scheming, like not deceiving, not contending, and not struggling, is also a principle by which God incarnate, this ordinary person, conducts Himself and acts. Of course, this principle also involves His humanity essence and His disposition. Not scheming is also a specific manifestation of the disposition essence, or one aspect of the self-conduct, of God incarnate, this ordinary person. Is the phrase “not scheming” easy to understand? Do you all understand it? (Yes.) The most basic understanding of not scheming is not plotting, and not resorting to tactics or cunning schemes. That is, when I have contact with you and engage with you, whether at work or in daily life, I am always honest and genuine. I don’t resort to tactics, engage in cunning schemes, or plot. Instead, I speak truthfully, saying whatever is in My heart and telling you things as they are. I don’t scheme against you or deceive you. I won’t use flowery words to gain your trust and then make you willing to expend yourselves, suffer, and pay a price. Have you seen Me do such things? (No.) When I ask you, you will definitely say no, but can you give an example to illustrate this? If each of you can give an example, then this fact will be irrefutably proven, and you will truly have some understanding of this point—not scheming. For example, someone says that in the world, they learned some skills and understand a certain profession. It just so happens that God’s house has work or a task involving this profession they learned. I talk to them, saying, “You understand a bit about this profession, and it just happens that God’s house has work in this area. Can you, based on your professional knowledge and according to the rules or principles of your field, do this work well? If you are willing, then this work is yours.” Are there any scheming or exploitative words in this? Are there any words which conceal a plot? (No.) Are you sure there aren’t? (Sure.) Since you recommended yourself and introduced yourself as understanding this profession, and I learned about your situation, I assigned this work to you. If you are willing to do it, and you say, “I accept this from God; I take on this work, this duty,” that is, you are volunteering to do it, then you should do it well. If you are unwilling, you can tell Me to My face that you don’t want to do this duty. Would I force you? (No.) According to My principles for treating people, I would not force you. I will absolutely not force a horse to drink, compelling you to do things according to My personal will. I will not make you do things even if you don’t want to, or act as if, because I have this identity, My words must carry weight, or they must be like those of an emperor in their definitiveness and unalterableness. I treat people with tolerance; I give you the freedom to choose for yourself. I always arrange work based on the needs of the work of God’s house. If there are people with experience in the area or who are knowledgeable in the field that are willing to do the work and can do it better, that’s certainly great. If no one understands it, then with the abilities we have, we do as much as we can, to whatever extent we can. That’s My principle. If you are assigned to do certain work, but you say, “I don’t want to do it. I don’t like being exploited by people or directed by God’s house; I make my own choices,” then fine, God’s house will not use you. Doing one’s duty is something you do readily and willingly. Only when people are willing to do their duty after believing in God can the church arrange work for them. If you are unwilling to do your duty, God’s house will not compel you, and even less will I use My identity or status to compel you to do church work. It is entirely through understanding the truth that God’s chosen people do their duty and do work. When people don’t understand the truth, God’s house will not compel or require them to do their duty, and still less will I make people act entirely according to My will. So, if I want you to do something, I will say it directly. I will absolutely not resort to tactics, or drop indirect hints, or use veiled language to make you figure out My meaning. I will not do that. If you have the stature and the sense of burden to do some work for God’s house, I will directly ask you, “Are you willing to take on this work?” Or I will say even more directly, “Just take on this work.” I speak straightforwardly, all in plain language. As long as you are human, you can understand. You don’t need to waste brain cells pondering and catching what My words actually mean or why I said them. I will not make you rack your brains to catch the meaning of My words; I will tell you directly. Whatever the literal meaning of My words is, that’s what it is. Furthermore, why do I ask you to do this work? Because you are a person doing your duty in God’s house, and you are willing to do your duty in God’s house. Then, you have an obligation to undertake whatever work in God’s house requires you to do your part. Whatever work or whatever tasks I entrust you with, I entrust them to you entirely because I regard you as a believer in God. You should accept them as your responsibility, obligation, and duty; it is right to do so. Whether it’s entrusting you with work or assigning you tasks, it is all for the sake of you fulfilling the duty of a created being, and also for you to seek the truth and gain the truth in doing your duty. There is no transactional relationship here, nor am I coaxing or deceiving you. All these words spoken and tasks assigned are positive and open; there are no secrets. There are no relationships of money, material things, or interests involved, nor is there any relationship of exploiting or being exploited. It is absolutely not a case of using your strengths, skills, or professional knowledge for God’s house to profit from; God’s house will absolutely not do that. Doing one’s duty stems entirely from being ready and willing; God’s house never compels anyone. Your accepting this duty is what you, as a created being, should do. Doing this duty is also the path for you to experience God’s work and attain salvation. By doing your duty, you learn to submit to God, gain the truth, and thus receive God’s acceptance, remembrance, and recognition. This is the harvest you should reap from what you have devoted. Therefore, you should accept this work as your duty, without any misgivings or suspicions. Whatever I want you to do, I will tell you truthfully. I like to speak plainly. I don’t need to coax you like a three-year-old, beating around the bush, speaking in circles, and saying nice things to you. I will not do that. If you can sing or dance, and you possess these innate conditions, then when you are arranged to do this duty, you should accept it. If you say, “Based on my innate conditions, I am not quite qualified for this duty. Is it okay if I don’t do this duty?” That’s fine. It’s your freedom; I will not compel you.

No matter what I say or what I ask you to do, there is no scheming involved. When I talk with leaders and workers, I ask them, “How has church life been recently? The newcomers have started to live church life—what problems do they still have? Have they been resolved? What are their thoughts after watching movies or experiential testimonies from God’s house?” Some leaders and workers can’t answer. They ponder in their hearts, “Are You trying to trick me into revealing my true situation? Are You checking if I’ve done any actual work? I must answer carefully and not be careless! I can talk about the work that’s been done well, but if any work hasn’t been done or hasn’t been done well, I absolutely mustn’t mention it. Once I mention it, that’ll expose the problem!” So, when they report on their work, they are always reluctant to say an extra word, and very afraid of exposing problems. Such people have complicated minds. When I ask them something, the words are actually on the tip of their tongue, but they don’t say them directly. They have to ponder and process it in their minds, “Why are You asking this? How can I answer appropriately so that, on the one hand, You will not know the real situation, and on the other hand, You will be satisfied?” In fact, I do not put a single word that I say through a mental filter. What is My state when I ask questions? When I see someone and know what work they are responsible for, I immediately think about what specific tasks they can do, what problems they are prone to encountering in their work, and what difficulties they might face. Thinking of these, I directly ask them, “How has church life been recently in the churches you are responsible for? Are the church leaders and deacons all suitable? Do the brothers and sisters know how to eat and drink God’s words? Do most of them engage in spiritual devotion? Do they learn hymns and dances in their spare time? How is the gospel work progressing?” Every question I ask is direct and straightforward, with no testing or ulterior motives. I am just considering the work and people’s life entry. No matter how you answer, you will not find yourself being tested, nor will I hold anything as leverage against you; there is no issue of giving yourself away or having something held as leverage against you. I am simply trying to find out about the work, I’m not deliberately inquiring about anyone’s situation, nor am I targeting anyone for handling or dismissal. The church does not engage in class struggle or factional disputes—it does actual work. Sometimes when I see brothers and sisters or leaders and workers, I just want to chat casually, and say some heartfelt words and talk about some everyday things. Sometimes I also ask what problems still exist in the church’s work. Everything I say is everyday language, is genuine words. For example, I ask you, “How has church life been recently? Can the brothers and sisters benefit from every gathering? Can living church life help solve actual problems?” Some people answer, “The church life hasn’t been good recently. Even though we are gathering, there are no great gains, and fundamental problems can’t be solved.” Then I ask, “Where does the problem lie?” Most people can’t answer. Tell Me, is there a trap in My question? Is there a plot behind it? Not at all. I just ask to find out about the work and grasp the situation, so I can fellowship the truth with you and solve problems. No matter how you answer, you won’t find yourselves being tested. Some relatively simple people can speak truthfully. They say, “The brothers and sisters have just accepted God’s work and don’t have much experience yet. They have nothing to say during gatherings. If they read too many of God’s words, they can’t comprehend them, and they also get sleepy and can’t take them in. We don’t know how to solve this.” I say, “This is easy to solve. Everyone can sing a hymn first, then dance a bit, then read some of God’s words. Those who have understanding can talk about their understanding, and those who have experience can talk about their experience. Those who have no understanding or experience can also bring up their actual difficulties and let brothers and sisters with experience help solve them. Won’t the gatherings be fruitful this way? Those with small stature can also be edified.” You see, doesn’t that solve the problem? When I chat with people, sometimes asking some questions, some people with complicated minds ponder, “Your question is quite direct. I don’t know what You mean by asking this. I must be careful in my answer!” I say, you’ve got it wrong. No matter who I chat with or what questions I ask, the ultimate goal is always to discover and solve problems, to assist and guide you, and to help you solve problems. First, it’s not to lay you bare and make you look foolish. Second, it’s not to test whether you’re telling the truth or if you’re a guileless person. Third, it’s not to trick you into revealing your true situation. Fourth, it is even less about testing whether you’re competent to do the work or if you can do actual work. In fact, no matter how I chat with you, it’s all to help and guide you to fulfill your duty, do the work well, and solve problems. Some people overthink My simple inquiries, very afraid that there’s some hidden meaning. Some even suspect that I’m scheming against them. I clearly want to help you solve problems, yet you mistakenly think I’m scheming against you. Isn’t this wronging Me? (Yes.) So what’s the issue here? The human heart is deceitful! Although people may say out loud, “You are God, I must tell You the truth, and be candid with You. I follow You, I believe in You!” deep down, they don’t think that way. No matter how ordinary and simple My questions are, they are often interpreted in an overly sensitive way by people. Through their conjectures and then through scrutiny, they go through many twists and turns and seem to find the final answer, but in reality, it is far from the original intention of My words. It’s clearly a very simple question, yet they overthink it. Aren’t such people overly sensitive? No matter what I ask, their hearts churn after hearing it: “Why are You asking this? How can I answer in a way that satisfies You and doesn’t reveal any flaws? What should I say first, and what later?” Within three to five seconds, the words come out, without any delay. Their minds are faster than computers. Why so fast? In fact, this process is already second nature to them; it’s their usual trick and style in dealing with people and handling matters. They scheme against everyone. So, no matter how simple My inquiries are, they overthink them, believing I have some motive or aim. They ponder in their hearts, “If I answer truthfully, won’t I expose my true situation? That’s tantamount to selling myself out. I can’t let You get a hold of my true situation. So how should I answer appropriately? How can I make You happy and satisfied, have a good impression of me, and continue to use me?” Look how deceitful these people are! These people’s minds are too complicated. No matter how I talk to them, they will doubt and scrutinize. Can such people practice the truth? Can they be fit for God’s use? Absolutely not. This is because such people’s minds are too complex, and not simple at all; anyone who is in contact with them for a long time can see it. People are particularly good at scheming, but have I ever schemed against you when I talk and communicate with you? (No.) Whether I’m trying to find out about your personal state or your work situation, it’s always to help you, to solve problems in the work. Even if you make mistakes and pruning or dismissal comes upon you, I will not scheme against you or torment you. Once the problem is solved, it’s over. God’s house will not scheme against you or torment you, and even less will I hold onto your faults as leverage and refuse to let go, or think of ways to discredit you and make everyone isolate and reject you, making you feel hopeless so that you resign on your own. I will absolutely not do that. If you are not suitable to be a leader or worker, at most I will say, “Your caliber is too poor, and you lack spiritual understanding. You are not suitable to be a leader or worker. Even if you were elected as a leader or worker, you could not do actual work.” God’s house will absolutely not torment or scheme against you because of this.

There are principles for the kind of people God’s house promotes and uses, and the kind of people it does not use, for which people it cultivates, and which people it does not; it is all based on the needs of the work of God’s house. No matter who is promoted and used, the aim is to cultivate them so that they can do their duty well and know how to experience God’s work, and so that they are able to shoulder work and act according to the truth principles. No matter what problem is being solved, the aim is to enable them to understand more of the truth, and to learn how to draw lessons and gain discernment from the various people, events, and things they encounter. This way, it is easier for them to enter into the truth reality in all aspects. It is not about exploiting you to render service, much less about exploiting you to fill an open position because no suitable person can be found, only to kick you out when someone suitable comes along. That is not how it is. In fact, this is giving you an opportunity to train yourself. If you pursue the truth, you will stand firm; if you do not pursue the truth, you will still not be able to stand firm. It is absolutely not the case that because God’s house finds you displeasing, it will find leverage over you and look for an opportunity to eliminate you. When God’s house says it will cultivate you and promote you, it will genuinely cultivate you. What matters is how you strive for the truth. If you do not accept the truth in the slightest, then God’s house will give up on you and will no longer cultivate you. Some people, after a period of cultivation, are dismissed because their caliber is poor and they cannot do actual work. Some, during their period of cultivation, do not accept the truth in the slightest, act willfully, and disrupt and disturb the work of God’s house, and are dismissed. Still others do not pursue the truth at all, walk the path of antichrists, always work for fame, gain, and status, and are dismissed and eliminated. These situations are all handled according to the principles of God’s house for using people. God’s house will still cultivate those who can accept the truth and strive for the truth, even if they commit transgressions by making some mistakes. If it’s not someone who can accept the truth, and they do not accept the truth when pruning comes upon them, then they should be directly dismissed and eliminated. Some people say: “Isn’t this like milking someone dry and tossing them aside? Isn’t this exploiting people?” Tell Me, has anyone ever been dismissed, eliminated, or no longer cultivated by God’s house because they had no more value left to exploit? Has such a thing ever happened? (No.) Then under what circumstances does God’s house dismiss or eliminate people? (God’s house only dismisses or eliminates someone when they cannot shoulder the work, or when they cause disruptions and disturbances and do evil.) No one is dismissed without a reason. Some have poor caliber and cannot do concrete work. Some possess a certain caliber but do not do concrete work or safeguard the interests of God’s house; they do not do the work they are capable of, are unwilling to be concerned with the work of the church and tire themselves doing it, unwilling to suffer and pay a price, and unwilling to offend people. Such people cannot do actual work, so they must be eliminated; it is not appropriate for them to occupy that position any more. Not only do they impede the church’s work, but they also affect the life entry of God’s chosen people. In such a situation, they must have self-awareness and quickly resign, letting those who can do actual work take on this work. Some people do not do actual work yet enjoy the benefits of status, and even cause disturbances and disruptions. They are always worried that the Above will discover their problems and dismiss them, so when it comes time to report on their work, they pretend to raise some questions to seek the truth and appear particularly proactive, wanting to give the Above a good impression and prove they are people who seek the truth and can do actual work. The Above promotes and uses people not based on whether they can speak well, whether they are adept at raising questions, or whether they are quick-witted, but rather selects and cultivates people based on whether they love the truth, whether they pursue the truth, and whether they can devotedly do their duty. There are also some people who not only do not do concrete work or safeguard the interests of God’s house, but also cause disruptions and disturbances and betray the interests of God’s house. The work arrangements of God’s house clearly stipulate what is not permitted to be done and what should be done, yet they do not implement a single item and even recklessly commit misdeeds. There have been many such people, and they have all been dismissed. No matter the situation, when God’s house promotes these people, it is always to cultivate them and lead them into the truth reality, hoping they can do the church’s work well and fulfill the duties they ought to fulfill. Even if you don’t know how to do some work because you are foolish and lack insight or because your caliber is poor, as long as you strive for the truth principles, have this sense of responsibility, are willing to do this work well, and can safeguard the church’s work, God’s house will still cultivate you even if you have done some foolish things in the past. Some people, although their caliber is a bit poor, can still do some simple work. Although their fellowship on the truth to resolve problems cannot yield good results, they can safeguard the church’s work. Whatever aspect of the truth is fellowshipped on at each gathering, they are able to accept it and be obedient and submissive. If any work is not done well, they can learn lessons from it. Although their caliber is a bit poor, their hearts can strive for the truth. After working for a period, they make progress, and their results get better and better. In My eyes, such people have hope of gaining salvation. Most people believe that those with good caliber are likely to gain salvation. In My view, it is not necessarily so. The key is that people have to pursue the truth so that they can gain the work of the Holy Spirit, cast off their corrupt dispositions and gain salvation. Some people have average caliber and the results of their duty are also average, but after years of watering and provision from God’s house, they begin to put their hearts into the truth, and they do indeed come to understand some truths. They also gain some practical experiences, can see through some things, and can solve some problems, making more and more progress in church work. This is quite good; such people are worth cultivating. Although you may not be entirely competent for this work, at the very least the Above has some affirmation for you in doing this work. Tell Me, is arranging for people to do a duty exploiting them? (No.) No matter how much work you are capable of, or what your caliber is like, promoting and using you is not exploiting you. Rather, the intention is to use this opportunity to let you train in doing work, and to perfect you through your pursuit of the truth and through working hard and shouldering heavy burdens. On the one hand, this is perfecting you personally; on the other hand, it is also accomplishing the work of God’s house. You have both prepared good deeds and made gains in your personal life entry. How good is that! That is two good results in one move. Some of those who were revealed and eliminated once said, “Are you trying to exploit me to render service for God’s house? Not a chance! I’m not that stupid!” They are even capable of uttering such words—do they truly believe in God? Do such people understand the truth? How is arranging for people to do a bit of duty exploiting them? If you are truly someone who understands the truth, you should understand the Creator’s intentions and you should fulfill the duty of a created being. This is carrying out one’s responsibility and obligation as a human. If you don’t even have this much conscience and reason, are you worthy of being called a created being? If you truly have conscience and reason, you should treat your duty correctly. If you possess the caliber for it, you should strive for the truth. If you are willing to proactively do your part, God’s house will arrange for you to do certain work, to shoulder a burden. This is not scheming against you or exploiting you, but promoting you, cultivating you, letting you train, and leading you into the truth reality. It’s that simple. Some people say: “I’m old now, my drive is insufficient, and my physical strength is failing. I don’t want to shoulder this burden anymore. Can I step down?” I say that’s fine, but before stepping down, you must think it through carefully. If it’s not truly due to physical reasons, but because your personal thoughts have changed, you have some second thoughts, you are afraid of suffering, afraid of getting tired, afraid of climbing higher and then falling harder, always having the thought and viewpoint that it’s lonely at the top—then you must be cautious. Do not refuse this commission, this special duty; you must consider it carefully. Such opportunities are few and far between—they are rare, aren’t they? Perhaps you would insist, saying, “You don’t need to persuade me. I’ve thought about it for a long time and have already made up my mind. You cannot persuade me; I just don’t want to endure this tiredness anymore. Everyone else is comfortable, why should I be the only one who is so tired? Am I destined to suffer? I’m not willing to endure such hardship! I’m not willing to resign myself to fate! The church shouldn’t scheme against me; I’m not the church’s slave, nor have I sold myself to the church!” You shouldn’t continue with these unpleasant words; saying more will lead to you committing too many sins, and you need to take responsibility for the words you’ve spoken and the choices you’ve made. Firstly, you believe in God to gain blessings; you have not sold yourself to God’s house. Secondly, if you wanted to sell yourself to God’s house, God’s house would still have to carefully consider whether you have this value, whether buying you would be useful. So if you think God’s house is scheming against you and wants to exploit you to render service, you are thinking wrongly, because the standards by which God’s house examines people are whether they sincerely believe in God, whether they love the truth, and whether they can obey God’s words and submit to God. God’s house selects and cultivates people based on these standards. If you think so badly of God’s house, then you have no conscience or reason, and you are utterly worthless. Not only will God’s house not use you to do your duty, but it will also have to quickly eliminate you, a disbeliever. If you are not a sincere believer in God, you should leave God’s house quickly; do not muddle along in God’s house. You do not belong to God’s house; God’s house does not need such people. Leave quickly.

Whether I am chatting or formally fellowshipping and preaching, My purpose in every word I speak, every matter I talk about, and every aspect of truth I fellowship on is to enable you to know your own corrupt states, to recognize your defects, deficiencies, inadequacies and difficulties, and most importantly, to know your own corrupt dispositions and the revelations of your corruption in various backgrounds and environments. Once you know your corrupt dispositions, you will have a deeper understanding of yourselves, you will know your own measure, you will become a bit more reasonable. And you will compare yourselves against God’s words, and find the relevant principles of practice and paths of practice in God’s words to resolve your own difficulties, whether this be resolving the corrupt dispositions you reveal in daily life or your deficiencies in humanity. Gradually, you will cast off these corrupt dispositions and the various satanic thoughts and viewpoints that God detests, and by accepting the truth, achieve true changes in your views on things and your life dispositions. This is the only way that is in accordance with God’s intentions. In all these words I speak, whether chatting with you in daily life or formally fellowshipping and preaching, every word is spoken based on your actual situations. I speak these words because I have seen your needs. Although the facts I list may have undergone some simple processing, these examples are representative instances selected based on the facts of your revelations of corruption and your actions. By using these facts and examples, I expose mankind’s corrupt dispositions and nature essence so that people can reflect on themselves, and this will yield good results. Therefore, no matter what topic I fellowship on, firstly, there are no traps; secondly, there are no plots; and thirdly, there are no tests. It is all to enable you to better understand God’s intentions and God’s requirements, to achieve viewing people and things, and conducting yourselves and acting, according to the truth principles, and ultimately to come before God and have submission and fear toward Him. These are all facts. So, when I communicate or chat with you about some matters that occur in daily life, or engage in formal work-related exchanges and inquiries, no matter how many years pass, when you look back, do you see any plots or traps in My words? (No.) Is there any intention to exploit you? Is there any intention to extort you? (No.) Are you sure? (Sure.) For example, someone is responsible for animal husbandry on a farm. I ask him how many days it takes for a hen to lay an egg, and he ponders: “What do You mean by asking this? Are You trying to see if I’m feeding the hens well? Then how should I answer appropriately? If I say they lay one egg a day, that’s not actually achievable; that would be lying. If I say they lay one egg every two or three days, will You think I haven’t fed the chickens well, and that I haven’t given them nutritious feed? Then how should I answer appropriately?” He keeps pondering in his heart and never gives an answer. Actually, I have no other intention in asking this; I just want to get some information about how the chickens were being raised. But as soon as I ask, he reads too much into it and keeps trying to guess what I mean by asking this. Tell Me, are such people difficult to deal with? Is it even possible to communicate normally when being in contact with such people? It becomes impossible to communicate. I have a habit: I always like to go around and check things out. Sometimes I discover some problems. If it’s an issue of environmental cleanliness, then it should be tidied up. If it’s a personnel issue, then adjustments should be made. If it’s an issue relating to professional skills, then we should consult and learn. When problems are discovered, they should be corrected. Many problems have been discovered inadvertently and resolved during everyday chats; some actual problems were easily resolved. So, there’s no need for people to be so nervous when coming into contact with Me and engaging with Me. Many problems are discovered through being in contact with people and are easily resolved. Being in contact with people and chatting with people is so necessary; it’s not just about finding out about the situation and discovering problems, but also about solving problems at the same time. Isn’t this a gain? (Yes.) When I chat with people, some speak truthfully, while others think in very complicated ways and dare not speak truthfully, always wondering if I have hidden meanings in My words or if I’m trying to scheme against someone. So, as soon as I ask them something, they become nervous and start sweating from their foreheads. I say, “It’s not hot, why are you sweating?” They say, “You may not feel hot, but I do! What You said scared me so much that my heart almost jumped out of my chest. Now my palms and soles are sweating, my heart is pounding, and I don’t know what to do.” I say, “You don’t need to be nervous. I’m just casually talking, just chatting. If there really is a problem, we’ll just resolve it. Don’t think of Me as so terrifying, as if discovering any problem means I’ll execute your entire extended family. I don’t ‘resolve’ people; I resolve problems. Resolving problems is key.” What kind of faith should you have? On the one hand, I definitely act according to principles, absolutely justly. I will not act with emotion, willfulness, or arbitrariness: I will not find you displeasing, then pick fault with you, nitpick, or look for flaws, and then kick you out and find someone who is pleasing to Me to do the work. On the other hand, I deal with everyone based on the actual situation and the actual problem; there are principles. People are allowed to make mistakes, allowed to be foolish, weak, and negative. But one thing is not allowed: If you are troublesome and intentionally disrupt and disturb the church’s work, then you should reflect on yourself. If you do not safeguard the interests of God’s house, if you always betray the interests of God’s house, then the church does not need you to do your duty; God’s house will have to find a suitable person to replace you. This is acting according to principles. How I solve problems, how I handle issues, how I deal with people—it’s all done according to principles. You don’t need to worry that I will deal with you if I discover any problem with you; it depends on what problem it is, and the situation will be handled according to the nature of the problem. If the nature of your problem is not very serious, if you did not cause it intentionally, but caused it by a momentary oversight or foolishness, then it will be resolved through fellowship on the truth. Learn the lesson and don’t make the mistake again. Sometimes it’s because people lack knowledge and experience and don’t understand certain professional skills; in that case, quickly learn the professional skills and don’t be lazy. But if it is deliberate and intentional, if you are unwilling to do this duty and even intentionally damage the assets of God’s house, then this should be handled seriously. Those who should be dismissed will be dismissed, and those who should be sent away will be sent away; it’s no use being afraid. If you have this faith, then when I speak and handle matters with you, you will feel much more at ease. When I speak with you or discuss work or professional matters, you should know to relax, know that God will not scheme against anyone, nor will He scheme against you; you can rest assured. If you lack even this faith, if you do not believe that God is kind and righteous, then when you say you believe in God, follow God incarnate, follow Christ—where is your faith? How can you manage to be candid with Him? If at every turn you are guarded against Him, speculating about Him, suspicious of Him, and scrutinizing Him, then you have no true faith in Him. If you have no true trust, no true faith in this person, then to what extent can you believe in My words? Is there any statement that you can truly believe, truly accept? There almost aren’t any, right? (Yes.)

Once, I went to a church to see how things were. When I entered the room, I first greeted everyone. Some people came over, promptly offered Me a chair to sit on, and then said they were discussing something. As they were talking, I suddenly noticed that just moments ago there were four or five people in the room, but now only two were left. I thought perhaps they had gone back to their rooms to comb their hair and freshen up and would be out shortly, but I stayed there for quite a while and they didn’t come out. I understood then: They didn’t welcome Me; I had come at an inconvenient time. I was an uninvited guest. My arrival made them feel constrained and uncomfortable. They thought, “Is there some purpose to Your visit?” They were afraid of falling into a trap, afraid of being tricked, afraid of some plot, so they refused to meet Me face to face and refused to communicate or interact with Me. This is no exaggeration, nor have I added any embellishments. I’m not telling a story—this really happened. Perhaps only when I opened the door and left did they finally breathe a sigh of relief, saying, “Finally He has gone! Oh, that scared me to death!” I thought to Myself, do I have such great “charm” that I can frighten people to this extent? Tell Me, what problem does it indicate when people exhibit these manifestations? I’ve truly never seen people believe in God like this. This type of person likes to live in dark corners; they don’t like to live in the light, and they don’t like to live in an open and aboveboard way. Tell Me, when I am in contact with you, do you feel awkward and nervous, not wanting to communicate with Me? Or are you willing to come into contact with Me, wanting to gain some truth, and you don’t mind even if it makes you a bit nervous? What is your state of mind? (Although we feel a bit nervous, it’s fine as long as we can understand the truth and gain some benefit.) Most people, after coming into contact with Me and communicating with Me for two or three hours, find many words in My fellowship to be very important, to be things that they have never heard before, so they feel that listening to these words that day was incredibly worthwhile, and they become particularly willing to listen to My fellowship. If I occasionally engage in some casual talk, they feel a bit disappointed and are only satisfied if they can gain something from My words. For such people, I am willing to fellowship on some truths, incorporating real-life matters, so that everyone can benefit. Some people, when they see Me, are always afraid that I’ll ask them about certain situations, and that they’ll not know how to answer and appear very awkward. Such people’s minds are too complicated; they are not simple. Others are willing to seek the truth, openly sharing whatever difficulties they have without fear of being laughed at—that’s the right approach. The principle of our communication and dialogue is to open our hearts and say whatever is on our minds, to speak truthfully. I engage and interact with you within normal humanity. Due to My identity and status, I know more than you do, so of course, I should speak more. If you are willing to listen, you can gain something; if you are unwilling to listen, I will not force you. On the topics we discuss, if you have insights, ideas, experiences, understanding, or knowledge, you can also share them. This is called interaction; this is normal humanity. If you feel that what I say is very important, then you should listen attentively. If you cannot take in what I say, then I will stop speaking and let you speak. If you have nothing to say, I will ask you questions and guide you. For example, I might ask, “How has your church life been recently? Are there any difficulties in doing your duty?” If you have difficulties, you should speak of them truthfully, and I will help you resolve them. This is called interaction, and it’s something that should exist within normal humanity. Isn’t this something everyone likes? (Yes.) If you have conscience and reason, your humanity will be normal, and our conversations and chats can be built on a foundation of candidness, trust, and respect, allowing us to open up and speak what’s in our hearts. If you do not possess conscience and reason, and do not want to seek the truth, then there is only one path for you to practice: From now on, learn to not scrutinize, to not try to read My mind from My words and expressions, to not be constrained, and to not speak words of testing. Some might say, “I can’t achieve these things.” In that case, just keep your mouth shut. If you are told to stay silent, but you think I am scheming against you and constraining you, that’s also easy to handle: You can just walk away. I have no demands of anyone I meet, and I never constrain people. If someone always finds fault with Me, and whether I speak to them or not it is never OK for them, then I can only stay away from such a person and avoid contact with them. If some people are always afraid to be in contact with Me, always thinking I will scheme against them, yet still want to be in contact with Me to gain some truth, I say that with such a mentality, you cannot gain the truth; you are not a person who loves the truth. You always think the worst of people, believing no one is as good as you. No matter what I say to you, you always think I must be scheming against you. You don’t believe Me and have no trust in Me whatsoever. In that case, it’s impossible for us to live in harmony; at the very least, we are not aligned in terms of humanity. We have no common hobbies or interests, no common goals to pursue or aspire to. In terms of humanity, the path you walk, your happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy, and your likes and interests are different from Mine. Everything you like is negative, while the topics I want to talk about all involve positive things. You are always trying to scrutinize Me. No matter what truth I fellowship on, you always ponder if there’s a plot within it, if I’m scheming, if you might suffer a loss or be deceived. If you’re always pondering these things, what kind of scene would then arise when we speak and engage with each other? (Awkwardness.) In that situation, I would feel uncomfortable around you, and you would feel uncomfortable around Me; we would both feel uncomfortable. Wouldn’t being around each other like this just be mutual torment? Would there be any happiness in that? There would be no happiness in that. If you like to hear what I say, if you are willing to listen, if the topics I talk about are what you aspire to, what you cherish in your heart, what you pursue, and can cater to the needs of your humanity, there would be no aversion or resistance in our hearts even if we were to just sit there in silence. We could interact, and, living together, we could achieve harmony. But suppose that you dislike hearing the words I speak and even feel aversion and resistance in your heart, even though they are all very practical and beneficial to people. You truly cannot take in the positive things I speak of, and the words of fellowship on the truth I speak to solve problems, especially the topics about resolving corrupt dispositions, and you even feel I am brainwashing you, deceiving you, trying to use you to preach the gospel and gain more people to expand the influence of God’s house. In that case, it is you who are in the wrong. You always think in a distorted way, always want to twist facts, to call black white, and even describe positive things that accord with the truth as negative, wicked things that do not conform to social trends. No matter what I say, you do not believe it is truth, that it is a positive thing. Then we cannot communicate; because there is no common language, we cannot live in harmony. We cannot eat at the same table; we cannot achieve being of one heart and mind. Then what kind of person are you? To be precise, you are not part of God’s house; you are a nonbeliever. No matter how proper the topics I talk about, or how proper the paths of practice and principles of practice, you always read something else into them. You always view, understand, and interpret them through a wicked lens and from a wicked stance and viewpoint; you do not accept the correct paths of practice and principles of practice that I speak of. So, listening to Me speak feels uncomfortable to you. Why does it feel uncomfortable? Because these are not the needs of your humanity. What do you need? To pursue freedom, to make a fortune, to eat, drink, and be merry. Your life mottos are “Life is all about eating well and dressing nice” and “Enjoy yourself while you can.” What do you like? You like evil trends, outlandish clothing, celebrities and famous people, and the extraordinariness and greatness of man. That being the case, you are not a sincere believer in God, you are not part of God’s house; your humanity has no need for positive things. When I engage with you, no matter what I say, what I do, or how I do it, to those who don’t have the conscience, reason, or needs of normal humanity, it is all just a theory, a saying, a method. Some even think, “When You speak, You go into such detail, and even give examples. Isn’t this just an attempt to deeply implant Your thoughts and views into people’s hearts? Isn’t this just an attempt to make people accept Your thoughts and views, to brainwash them, and over time, numb them with Your various thoughts and views?” If you truly feel this way, if you believe these words are not truth, not the true way that people should accept and practice, nor principles that people should abide by, then you can refuse to accept them; that is your freedom. You can also leave the church. You have the right to choose for yourself, and also the right to refuse to accept the truth. But do not twist facts or call black white. Truth is truth at all times; it cannot cease to be truth because a few devils and Satans deny and condemn it, much less can it cease to be truth because many people dislike it or cannot accept it. Truth exists forever; it is eternally unchanging. No matter how many people can accept it, truth is forever truth. My chats, communications, and interactions with you are entirely built on the foundation of your trust in Me; this is one of the most basic principles. To achieve trust, the most important thing is that you must all confirm in your hearts that in every word I speak, every question I ask, or every matter I talk about, there is no scheming, no plot, no trap, and certainly no testing of you. So you can rest assured—when I engage with you, it should make you feel completely free and relaxed. If you feel that engaging with Me is not freeing or relaxed, that you are either constrained or very uncomfortable, or else always guarded in your hearts, then I say it is truly not My problem, but yours. In what aspect does your problem lie? You yourselves should be clear about what problems you have and what you are thinking in your hearts; then, solve specific problems specifically. Whatever problems you can discover, solve them. If you discover many problems, record them and then solve them one by one. If every problem cannot be solved at once, then solve them one at a time, slowly. When these things happen, you should examine and reflect, see what you were actually thinking at the time, on what issues you think that way, and what viewpoints you develop on what issues; then gradually resolve them. One day, when you let go of these thoughts and viewpoints in your heart, these problems are all resolved, and you truly understand the truth and see the value of the truth, then you will trust Me. You will believe that I can treat any person and any problem according to the truth principles and will absolutely not scheme against you. Consequently, our interactions can become relaxed and joyful, we can live in harmony, and happiness can then develop from this harmony of ours. To have happiness, delight, peace, and joy—isn’t that good? (It is.)

I sometimes ask people how many years they’ve believed in God when I come into contact with them. Someone says they’ve only believed for three years and feels embarrassed. In their heart, they think that they’ve believed in God for a short time and have small stature, so when they compare themselves to those who have believed for ten, twenty, or thirty years, they always feel inferior, a cut below them. They ponder, “Are You asking this to remind me that I’ve believed in God for a short time, am small in stature, and God’s house made an exception in promoting me, and to make me feel deeply grateful to God’s house?” Why does such a question make them so awkward? It’s because they overcomplicate My question, thinking there’s a plot in My words and that I’m trying to scheme against them. They read several layers of meaning into such a simple question. After saying they’ve believed for three years, they feel that they are in a difficult situation. Aren’t they dissatisfied with My question in their heart? Actually, I pose this question without any particular intention, and I wouldn’t expect it to put you in a difficult situation. So why do you feel like you’re in a difficult situation? It’s because your mind is too complicated. Is there anything wrong with My question? (No.) I’m just asking it casually. If I ask you how many romantic partners you’ve had, that might be inappropriate, as it would be prying into your private affairs. But what I’m asking about is something related to your faith in God—I’m asking you how many years you’ve believed in God. Is that not proper? (It is.) Then why do you dare not answer? This really isn’t My problem; it’s yours. Your mind is too complicated. What is the deal with this complicated mind of yours? Isn’t it that your disposition is wicked and deceitful? (Yes.) Why do I ask you how many years you’ve believed in God? I ask this to find out about your stature, which truths you understand, whether you’ve established a foundation, what difficulties you have, whether you can do a duty, and if you’ve experienced any trials. Based on these things, I determine what to fellowship with you about, what prompts to offer, and that’s all. Such a simple thought of Mine is misinterpreted by you as Me having ulterior motives, making you feel averse toward Me. Tell Me, isn’t this just Me getting trouble in return for My good intentions? (Yes.) When I ask you how many years you’ve believed in God, is there any part of Me that is looking to belittle you? (No.) Is there any malice? Is there any intention to make you feel awkward and look bad? (No.) Whether you’ve believed in God for a few months or one or two years, My intention is just to help you. Seeing that you are quite earnest in your pursuit, quite enthusiastic, seeing you suffer so much, pay such a price, and forsake so much, I want to chat with you so that you can gain something you wouldn’t normally get. Asking how many years you’ve believed comes, on the one hand, out of concern for you, and on the other hand, out of cherishing you. Is there any malice in this? (No.) It is such a proper question, yet what has that person twisted it into? “You want everyone to know I haven’t believed in God for long, that my stature is small and I don’t understand any truth, that I’m worse than others, that I’m inferior, and You want to embarrass me.” If you think that way, can we still interact? (No.) Therefore, for us to achieve interaction and live in harmony, the first thing is that you must trust Me and not doubt or speculate about Me. If there is no interaction between us, where does the problem lie? It lies with people; that is, people have all sorts of difficulties. And what do these various difficulties arise from? They arise from people’s various erroneous thoughts and views. So, what erroneous thoughts and views does the person just mentioned have? They think that having believed in God for three years makes them a new believer in the church, that having believed for only a short time is something shameful and makes them inferior, and that they understand too little of the truth and still cannot share experiential testimonies. Thus, they see themselves as a “second-class citizen,” looked down on by others, and find it embarrassing and humiliating to talk about. On the other hand, others have believed in God for ten or twenty years, while they have only believed for three, and so they worry that others will say to them, “What were you doing all those years? Why didn’t you accept it earlier? Do you have some shameful past?” In the eyes of worldly people, great importance is placed on qualifications, experiences, and backgrounds, and they use these to classify people into different ranks. So what is this person’s viewpoint? They also attach great importance to people’s backgrounds and experiences, so in their heart, there are different ranks depending on whether one has believed in God for three, five, ten, twenty, or thirty years. This ranking makes them feel that their three years of faith are a somewhat disgraceful thing in the church, like being a “second-class citizen.” To them, this is a mark of shame, a humiliation. They view the number of years one has believed in God as very important, and it just so happens that they have only believed for three years. If a zero were added after the three, making it thirty years of faith, then they would feel this was glorious. They would say: “I was among the first batch to accept God’s work. I followed God when He just began to appear and work. All these years, I’ve been preaching the gospel and testifying to God everywhere, fighting alongside God to build His kingdom! I’m a veteran in God’s house, a founding figure!” They would feel this was particularly glorious. Some people, having just accepted God’s work, see that God has expressed so many truths and that there are so many experiential testimonies in God’s house, and they feel they started believing in God too late. If they say they’ve believed for somewhere between one and three years, they find it hard to speak up, and they ponder in their hearts: “Why didn’t I believe all those years? God expressed so many truths, why didn’t I investigate? Who hindered me from believing in God? Who caused me such bitter suffering? It’s those religious pastors; those people are truly devils and Satans who devour people’s souls. If I can’t enter the kingdom of heaven, I’ll have to settle with them!” Then they think again, “Ugh, it’s just my bitter fate; I don’t have that blessing.” But then they think, “No, that’s not right. God is almighty; why didn’t God bring me, this lost little sheep, back to His house sooner?” And so they shift the blame onto God. Actually, no matter what they think, firstly, their viewpoint on believing for three years versus thirty years is incorrect. They use the number of years of faith to rank people, believing that a short period of faith makes one inferior. Having developed this viewpoint, when I ask them how many years they’ve believed, they are ashamed to speak up. Saying “three years” makes them feel very awkward, very embarrassed, very ashamed, as if their worth and rank are instantly exposed. They view this as very important; it is this viewpoint that influences their attitude toward My question. Isn’t that so? (Yes.) Say their viewpoint was: “It’s a fact that I’ve believed in God for three years, and with just three years of faith, my stature is indeed small. When it comes to many truths, I can’t even explain the doctrines clearly. Since God asks me how many years I’ve believed, I’ll just tell the truth. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Before God, everything is open, everything is laid bare. I’ll answer whatever God asks.” If they thought this way, it would be simple. It wouldn’t involve any identity, status, worth, or rank. They wouldn’t be restricted, influenced, controlled, or manipulated by any erroneous thoughts or views, and in the end, they would be able to easily and honestly say, “I’ve believed in God for three years.” Then I would continue by asking, “You’ve believed in God for three years; are you clear on the truths concerning visions?” If it were a person with a complicated mind, they would think: “If I say I’m not clear, wouldn’t that mean I haven’t been attending to my proper work in my faith? Having believed for three years and still not being clear on the truths concerning visions, doesn’t that mean I haven’t been diligently eating and drinking God’s words? But if I say I am clear, then God won’t fellowship on this topic, and I’ll miss this opportunity. If I say I’m not clear, might He fellowship a bit more with me, add a bit more? If I say I am clear, He won’t add anything more for me, but maybe He’ll think highly of me?” You see, they’re thinking in a twisted way again, aren’t they? Isn’t such a person’s mind too complicated? (Yes.) Such people are indeed troublesome. No matter who they’re talking to, they are always calculating how to answer without losing face or suffering any damage to their interests. Additionally, they are always observing others’ attitudes toward them, always calculating how to make others think highly of them, and how to elevate their own status. They’re always calculating these things, so it’s not easy for them to open up in fellowship and speak what’s in their hearts. When I ask them, “In your faith in God, are you clear on the truths concerning visions?” is there a second layer of meaning to this question? (No.) Why do I ask this question directly? Usually, those who have believed for somewhere between one and three years, still need fellowship on the truths concerning visions; this is commonplace. If they are clear on the truths concerning visions, then there’s no need to fellowship on them, and we can talk about other topics. If they say, “I’m still not very clear on the truths concerning visions, especially the truth about God’s work of judgment to save man, which is too profound, and I still don’t understand it. Could You fellowship on it?” then we will have found a common topic, and I will fellowship on it. If everyone hears it one more time, they will gain a bit more, right? (Yes.) Some people don’t understand yet they pretend to. What are you pretending for? You keep pretending, which suggests you understand everything, and that if I say more it would be superfluous. In that case, I won’t say anything, and you won’t gain anything. So, no matter what the situation, if you can speak truthfully, without suspicion, without over-interpreting My words, our conversations and communication can reach the level of lively interaction. We can communicate, engage, and interact within normal humanity, discussing topics we all love. Isn’t that good? (It is.) This way, you will make gains. Some people are very calculating. When I ask them if they are clear on the truths concerning visions, they ponder in their hearts, “What do You mean by asking this? Are You trying to see if I’m certain about the true way, if I’ve laid a foundation, trying to see what my caliber is like, to test my caliber? Then I must say I am clear.” So they say: “These three years, I’ve constantly been eating and drinking God’s words, I’ve watched many movies from God’s house, I often listen to sermons and fellowship, and I often share my own experiential understanding in gatherings. I’m clear on all these truths concerning visions.” What is their purpose in saying this? They want to leave a good impression on Me, to make Me feel their caliber is very good and think highly of them. Do you think I would think highly of them just because they say these few words? (No.) Would I think highly of someone so easily? Absolutely not; they misjudged this matter. If you say you are clear on all the truths concerning visions, then let Me test you. I’ll test you on the truths concerning visions that you often read. Why does God do the work of chastisement and judgment? What is the main effect that chastisement and judgment are intended to achieve? During these three years of your faith, have you had any experience of the work of chastisement and judgment? Have you experienced chastisement and judgment even once? When experiencing chastisement and judgment, did you grasp the truth principles? Did you know what God’s intentions were? Can you share a specific experience? Most people will just spout some doctrines and cannot share any practical experiential understanding. People are lacking too many things, so when we chat, there are many topics to discuss. But no matter what kind of topic is discussed, fellowship about as much as you know. If you don’t know something, just say you don’t know. Don’t think in a distorted way. Whatever question is posed to you, just answer it. Say what you are thinking in your heart at that moment. Whatever the true situation is, just speak of it truthfully. Don’t beat around the bush, don’t embellish, don’t say things that create a false impression just to make yourself look better and package yourself, don’t lie and deceive. These are all things you shouldn’t do. So, no matter what question I ask you or what kind of topic I fellowship with you on, say as much as you know. If I find that you don’t understand a certain aspect of truth, or that your understanding is doctrinal, or that your comprehension is distorted and you have erroneous thoughts and views, I will promptly correct, guide, and help you, so that you can understand this aspect of truth, have a pure comprehension, and have an accurate path of practice. This way, our fellowship will be effective. So, the principle of fellowshipping on a topic is built on the foundation of speaking truthfully, on the foundation of joint fellowship and discussions or exchanges on the truth and positive things, so that people can become clearer on the positive topic being fellowshipped, understand it more accurately, and have a clearer path of practice. It should not be built on the foundation of suspicion, scheming, and deception.

Do you think it’s good to fellowship on topics like the normality and practicality of God incarnate? (It’s good.) And how is it good? (We believe it can resolve our notions and imaginings about God incarnate.) Some people say, “You have laid bare Your true self to us, and now we know what kind of person You are. You’re being too naive by speaking the plain truth! You do have these manifestations of being normal and practical, but how can You speak the plain truth? You have to make people feel that You are mysterious, unfathomable, lofty, and impenetrable. Even if You don’t scheme against people, You have to say that You can. You have to claim to possess the art of manipulating people and the art of using them, to know The Thirty-Six Stratagems, and to be able to exploit all kinds of people to render service for You. Only by speaking this way will people idolize You; You cannot speak the plain truth. Through You speaking such plain truth, how is it that I feel You are not at all mysterious or unfathomable? That You are not like God? Look at those great figures in the world—those who engage in military affairs or politics, and the monarchs of ages past. Which of those great figures, those exceptional people, ever spoke the plain truth? Have any of them ever said that they are normal, practical, and ordinary, just a common person? They are desperate for people to think that they are different from the rest, that they were sent from heaven, and that even though they have now become a common person, they are still mysterious and unfathomable, and that they are impenetrable to ordinary people—only then is it easy to rule people!” Those monarchs all possessed the arts of imperial rule, and their ministers and the common people couldn’t see through to what kind of people they were. How does that saying go? “The emperor’s will is hard to fathom, and his command cannot be disobeyed.” The officials from the nonbelieving world all have this kind of mentality; even a minor division head, section head, or manager has this mentality. They do not want people to see through to their true measure, what defects their humanity has, what mistakes they have made, or what flaws there are in their actions. Once their failings are discovered, they do their utmost to disguise and conceal them, and if their bad deeds are exposed and brought to light, they then find a scapegoat. Their purpose in doing so is to cover up the truth of the matter so that people will continue to look up to and idolize them. No matter what a person like this does, they do it with premeditation and planning to achieve their own aims, so that everyone feels that they are not an ordinary person, that they can control the situation, that they are the one pulling the strings. They would absolutely never let people know that they are a normal, practical, and ordinary person. In fact, they are just an ordinary corrupt human, with many more crafty schemes than the average person, and they are good at engaging in conspiracies and plots. How could they ever let people know how sinister and malicious their humanity is? Wouldn’t that tarnish their image? Corrupt humans all have this kind of mentality, and they are all as hypocritical as the Pharisees, with sinister and malicious hearts. Although they acknowledge in their hearts that God can become flesh, how can they believe that God incarnate would be an ordinary, normal person? They believe in their hearts that if God truly became flesh, at the very least people should be able to, in His flesh, see His divine aura and various signs of God’s identity and essence. They also firmly believe, “In viewing all people, God incarnate must have the perspective and demeanor of looking down on the teeming masses, but I cannot see these things in You. You also always say that You conduct Yourself in a rule-abiding manner and do things according to Your proper station. Doesn’t this completely expose that what You really are is an ordinary person? Wouldn’t the lofty, mysterious and unfathomable image of God incarnate in people’s hearts be utterly destroyed?” Do you think this destruction is good? (Yes, it is. It destroys our notions and imaginings.) I say these words precisely to destroy your dreams and your notions and imaginings, so that you no longer live in a dream but in reality. This is in complete alignment with the truth principles that I require you to observe: that you conduct yourselves in a rule-abiding manner, that you do things according to your proper station, and be an ordinary person standing in the place of a created being, because I Myself do things this way. When I’m engaging with you, and in My personal life, I never speak in a boastful or empty way, nor do I ever show off or flaunt Myself. This is something you can all see and feel. Also, I never scheme against anyone, when I do things I am not slippery and never slack off, and I conduct Myself in a rule-abiding manner. This minimum standard of conscience must be upheld. Some people use schemes when they speak and act, saying pleasant-sounding things to others, and then trying by all means to get them to fall into their traps, to serve them and render service to them. I do not do such things. If I want someone to help Me with something, I will ask them directly. Some people say, “You have this identity and status, so isn’t getting someone to do something just a matter of You saying the word?” Even if it is just a matter of saying the word, I must still handle it in a rule-abiding manner, and I cannot compel people, much less force them to do things they don’t want to do. If you are willing, then do it; if you are not willing, you can refuse. However, if I ask you to do something, I will always speak the plain truth. I will absolutely not beat around the bush or talk in circles to trick you, or lure you into taking the bait, and then have you willingly serve Me and render service to Me; then, after scheming against you, even have you say that you did it willingly and feel like I owe you nothing. I would absolutely never do this. These practices—whether they are what people call the art of using others, rules of the game, tactics for toying with people, or imperial strategies for manipulating others—none of these exist with Me. I do not toy with people—others might, but I will not do so, nor will I imitate or learn from them. I have never read things like The Art of War or The Thirty-Six Stratagems, and I will absolutely not engage in feints or call black white when I speak. When I speak and act, one is one, and two is two. The only exception is when, due to special circumstances, I may phrase things in a wise way, but this is merely out of consideration for people’s weaknesses and difficulties, and their small stature. It is to protect and cherish them, and there is no malice in it, so this is not scheming either. Perhaps some people may be greatly disappointed, thinking, “So it turns out that Your heart and mind do not contain the various schemes of the famous and great people of the world. So it turns out that You are this simple!” Is it not good to be this simple? Not scheming does not mean I cannot see through people; it does not mean I cannot see through to the substance and essence of things; it does not mean I do not know how to handle all kinds of people, events, and things. Without scheming, I can still apply principles to handle all kinds of people, events, and things appropriately and accurately according to the environment and background, getting them to naturally play their roles and live within their rules and laws under God’s sovereignty and arrangements, rather than using tactics, engaging in deception, or toying with people to delude them. The principles by which I do things, the principles by which I handle various problems, and the principles by which I treat all kinds of people, events, and things have all been discussed in My fellowships and sermons over the years. When I speak of these things, I am not shouting slogans; these things come from My thoughts and from My humanity essence, and I also apply My thoughts and views to handle all kinds of people, events, and things. So, when I apply My thoughts and views to handle all kinds of people, events, and things, or handle them according to these principles, would you say the final result is following God’s way or rebelling against it? (Following God’s way.) Therefore, no matter how normal, practical, and ordinary—not at all mysterious—I, God incarnate, may seem to people, this will absolutely not affect your understanding of the truth, nor will I lead you astray. On the contrary, it is precisely because I Myself have principles in how I conduct Myself and act that, if you can pursue the truth, can conduct yourselves and act in an obedient and rule-abiding manner according to the principles I speak of, and practice according to the direction and goals I point out, then sooner or later you will attain salvation, achieve submission to God, and become a person who fears God and shuns evil. This is a certainty. Being able to attain salvation—is this not the goal that those who sincerely believe in God pursue? What else, then, do you seek? As for whether I am mysterious and unfathomable, lofty, or different from the rest, or whether I have some special abilities that you cannot imagine or do not possess, that is not important. Furthermore, it is also not important if you think I am normal and practical and not worthy of your idolization or admiration. What is important? It is that the words that I, this insignificant person, this ordinary and normal person, speak are guaranteed to bring you before God, and guaranteed to enable you to achieve salvation. There is another thing that is certain: If you practice and experience according to these words that I have spoken, it is guaranteed that one day your thoughts, views, and life dispositions will all be transformed, and you will become a new human being. You can become a member of the new humankind—of that I can be certain. Are you sure of this? (Yes.)

Do you now have some new understanding of the manifestations of the normality and practicality of God incarnate? (Yes.) If you see that how I conduct Myself and act, and My thoughts and viewpoints, are all within the scope of normality and practicality, and if My principles for acting and My thoughts and viewpoints can influence you at any time and you will accept them willingly, then I will say something for certain: Because you love the truth in this way, are able to seek the truth from the normal and practical manifestations of God incarnate, and can also accept the principles by which God incarnate conducts Himself and His thoughts and views in various regards, then your pursuits and the direction of your self-conduct will naturally develop in a positive direction. That is to say, as you continue to believe, you will increasingly possess normal humanity and increasingly live out a human likeness, and you will also draw closer and closer to God’s requirements, ultimately gaining salvation. Your making such gains is directly related to the watering and provision of God incarnate, this ordinary, normal person. If you can accept and also love these essences and manifestations of the normality and practicality of God incarnate, as well as the way He conducts Himself and His creeds for doing so, then your manifestations and your humanity will become better and better. What does it mean that they will become better and better? To say you will become more and more like a good person might be a bit hollow. This “becoming better and better” means that your conscience and your rationality will develop in a positive direction. However, if you despise or are repulsed by the normality, practicality, and ordinariness of God incarnate, or even discriminate against, do not accept, feel resistant to, and mock it, then it will be very difficult for you to accept all the truths He expresses, and difficult for you to understand the practical significance and influence of the normal humanity He possesses. On the contrary, you will even be averse to and hate all the truths expressed by God in His normal humanity. In this way, it will be very difficult for you to live out the likeness of a normal person and become someone God is pleased with, because the things you worship are not positive things but negative things. The celebrities and stars of society, and social trends, are what you yearn for and worship. In that case, the path you walk is a wrong one, and as for the direction of your pursuit and development, one thing is certain: You will not develop in a positive direction, but a malignant one. For example, I say that I don’t scheme against people, and some people say, “If You don’t scheme against people, how can You do such great work? When You’re engaging and dealing with people, You have to scheme. If You don’t know how to scheme, You can’t toy with people, and You will not be up to the job.” I say that if you can say such things, you are finished. Your thoughts and viewpoints are not only distorted, but even more so, they are wicked. It is impossible for you to embark on the right path, because your humanity lacks the element of loving the truth and loving positive things. It is impossible for you to embark on the path of salvation.

When I converse with people within normal humanity, the issue of the conversation not flowing smoothly often crops up. What do I mean by not flowing smoothly? Sometimes, when I’m engaging and chatting with someone in a perfectly normal way, they overcomplicate or overthink things, and the conversation just can’t continue. If it can’t go on, what do I do? I just stop engaging with that person—I find someone who can engage with others, who knows how to communicate and chat, who has the thinking of normal humanity, and then chat and engage with them instead. In My contact with you, the most common situation I see is that people feel, “Your identity and status have too great an influence when You talk and communicate with people. You’re God incarnate, and we’re created beings. If we say something wrong, we are likely to assume equal status and offend God’s disposition. Plus, as God incarnate, Your work is to save humanity, and You represent God Himself, so Your responsibility or the work You undertake can only be expressing truth to address the issue of corrupt humanity’s salvation. You should only talk about work, or topics that stem from divinity. You can’t talk about normal human life—matters of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, or talk about how such-and-such a person is. If You do talk about how they are, You are judging them or have ulterior motives.” Because people hold these notions, they classify God incarnate as a non-human being. So, when I’m engaging with people who lack normal thinking and normal humanity, and I talk a bit about everyday matters or daily necessities, some put up a mental barrier, thinking, “What’s the point of talking about this? It’s not spiritual! Also, do You have ulterior motives for bringing this up?” If I discuss an individual’s situation, some wonder, “Is this judging or scheming against people behind their back? Do You have something in store for them? Are You going to promote them or eliminate them? Are You going to keep using them or dismiss them?” If I talk about someone’s issues, some think, “Do You dislike or feel repelled by that person? Did they do something to hurt You? Did they say or do something to offend You?” Especially when discussing sensitive topics involving leaders and workers, some are even more afraid to engage, saying, “You’re talking about these for work, but we won’t discuss them with You. These are sensitive topics. Once we say something inaccurate, You will expose and prune us, and You will see the revelation of our corruptions and be left with a bad impression of us, which would be inappropriate.” There are also times when I bring up certain topics, like asking, “Who in your family believes in God?” This topic is a sensitive one in mainland China. In the mainland, however, this is not considered sensitive to ask certain individuals who you’ve dealt with for a relatively long time and are quite familiar with—overseas, even less so. But if I ask this, some people don’t even dare to answer. They ponder, “Are You trying to dig into my background by asking who in my family believes?” If I ask, “How many people are in your local church? Who’s the church leader?” they think, “Oh no, are You trying to find out about the church? I can’t talk about this with You. If I say something and the church leader finds out, there’ll be trouble.” See, they’re guarded even when talking about church matters, and they’re afraid to say anything. Many people do not dare to discuss topics relating to church leaders and church work, or to say what’s on their minds freely. One of the main reasons for this is fear of exposing the church’s situation and offending the leaders and workers, and at the same time, fear of unintentionally revealing their own thoughts and views and being pruned or exposed. This is something they don’t want to see happen. So, when I’m engaging with many people, even ordinary communication can’t flow smoothly. When I’m engaging with and handling things with nonbelievers whose minds and backgrounds are complicated, once I’ve finished handling things, I leave quickly—I can’t form deep relationships or get too close. But when I’m engaging with brothers and sisters, I find most people are like that too: I can’t get too close or build deep relationships. It’s not that I consider Myself superior and am unwilling to engage with most people; rather, when I try to approach them or make contact with them, they subconsciously shy away or avoid Me. Why do you avoid Me? If you say something wrong, I won’t condemn you or make a big deal out of it. If you’re a leader or worker, we can fellowship the truth and chat about any aspect you don’t understand. If you’re an ordinary brother or sister and you really do say something wrong or have some erroneous thoughts and views, then it depends on whether I’m willing to talk to you about it. If I see that your caliber is poor and that you lack comprehension ability, and you can’t see through anything, then I don’t want to chat with you, and even if we did chat, it wouldn’t yield any results. However, if your caliber is good, you have comprehension ability, and you can see through some things, then chatting with you can yield results, and it won’t be a waste of breath. No matter who I chat with casually or what problems I discover, in My heart I will firstly not condemn them, secondly, I will not curse them, and thirdly, I will not determine their outcomes. Acting that way would be baseless, and I do not do foolish things. In terms of normal humanity, sometimes when I run into someone familiar, I just want to talk a bit and chat. If you’re willing, I’ll talk with you. If not, I won’t force you. Some people are afraid to chat with Me. No matter what I say, they’re guarded against Me and do not express their views, fearing they’ll say something wrong and give Me something to hold against them. If I see you’re unwilling to speak what is in your heart, I’ll stop at the appropriate point. If you’re always guarded against Me, always afraid I’m scheming against you, then I won’t be inclined to talk with you. Tell Me, is this rationality of Mine normal? (Yes.) When I talk and communicate with someone, there’ll always be some kind of context. For example, if you’re responsible for animal husbandry on a farm, we’ll talk about animal husbandry. If you’re a church leader, we’ll discuss church matters, matters relating to the brothers and sisters, what the current states of the brothers and sisters are like, or how church life is. If you’re a gospel preacher, then we’ll talk about gospel work. This is engaging with people within the scope of normal humanity, and this is part of My work as well. Some matters don’t involve church work but are still the general affairs of God’s house. It’s normal to chat about these things when we meet. You’re handling matters and doing your duty in God’s house, so when we meet, I should greet you and chat with you, and see if you have any difficulties. Sometimes, during casual chats, I ask something like, “The temperature has dropped the past couple nights—has your place been chilly?” Some don’t want to hear this, thinking, “We’re adults; do we need You to worry about us?” Good intentions go unappreciated, right? Other times, when I go to the kitchen, I ask, “How are this year’s vegetables? Are there enough to eat? What vegetables or foods do you like?” These are very normal things, aren’t they? (Yes.) But people’s hearts are too complicated, and in some cases, there isn’t a smooth flow even when I engage and communicate with them in a normal manner. Why is this? This happens because people are always afraid of exposing their issues and their true situations. And what are others afraid of? They fear that: “If I reveal my true situation, You’ll expose me in Your sermons at gatherings, using me as a target.” Why can’t you be a target? When I fellowship on the truth concerning your problems, that resolves them. Isn’t this something extra that you have gained? Isn’t this your good fortune? This is a good thing. It proves I take you seriously and have some regard for you. Is this correct? If I took no notice of you and you weren’t in My heart, and if I discovered any problems with you but paid them no heed and did not give you guidance and fellowship, then could you understand the truth and solve your problems? Would you be happy with that? If you were satisfied with that, thinking, “None of the issues God exposes relate to me, so this proves that I have no problems,” if you experience God’s work in this way, you would not be someone who pursues the truth. Some people, after years of faith, have never been pruned at all, they have never served as a foil even once, yet they feel proud and fortunate, thinking they’re very good, that they have no problems, and that they’ll certainly be saved. Isn’t this very troublesome? Such a person definitely cannot gain salvation.

People with the thinking of normal humanity, when communicating and engaging with others within normal humanity, will follow the sense of conscience and reason of normal humanity. With this sense, they have a minimum standard and principles in how they treat others. When you talk and engage with people within the thinking of normal humanity, on the one hand, people can sense that you have an awareness of the conscience of humanity. On the other hand, you act with a sense of propriety so you are not disagreeable to others. And another important point is that when you communicate and interact with others, they will benefit from the words you communicate and gain some things that humanity needs. This is what we call engaging and communicating with people. What is meant by communicating? In plain terms, it’s having a casual chat. Most people don’t know how to have a casual chat; as soon as they speak, they are prone to arguments and verbal spats, or they show off and lecture others to have them obey. Those with a bit of eloquence want to preach to others and act as their teacher as soon as they open their mouth. These manifestations are all revelations of corrupt dispositions. People with corrupt dispositions cannot have casual chats with others normally. Even if they speak normally for a while, it can’t last. At some point, they’ll start arguing, getting red in the face and completely caught up in it. This is not normal casual chatting. A normal casual chat is definitely not debating right and wrong, or quarrelling and bickering, much less judging or condemning people. Let’s define a casual chat. It is the exchange and sharing of information—this is what we call a casual chat. Is this definition accurate? (Accurate.) In what way is it accurate? The exchange and sharing of information is built on the foundation of the conscience and rationality of normal humanity. Look—how do people with conscience and reason chat and communicate? They don’t argue, and they are able to respect one another, benefitting the other person. After hearing what the other has shared, they gain some new information. Then, they in turn tell the other person some information that they know, so that the other person also benefits and, within their humanity, gains experience, insight, and knowledge. Sharing information they know with the other person based on the principles of respecting that person and getting along harmoniously on an equal footing, and then receiving information shared with them by the other person—isn’t this mutual help? This is built on the foundation of equality, mutual assistance, harmony, and fairness. This is what is meant by communication and casual chatting. Tell Me, is My definition accurate? (Accurate.) Practicing chatting and communication based on this principle is correct. If communications and chats are full of scheming, arguments, struggles, plots, tricks, traps, and tests, and if what is revealed is all corrupt dispositions, if it is all mutual suppression, with each person showing off, competing with one another, vying to see who speaks more loftily or says more, then this is not normal communication. It’s not communication within the scope of the conscience and rationality of normal humanity. This communication is not an exchange and sharing of information, but rather overt and covert struggles and verbal spats. Isn’t that so? (Yes.)

To achieve communication with others without scheming, you must learn to communicate within the scope of the conscience and rationality of normal humanity. The purpose of communication is to help others and also to receive help and benefits from them. This is normal communication, and in this way you can achieve communication without scheming. Look at the communication and chatting of nonbelievers; can it achieve the effect of normal communication? (No.) When corrupt people communicate and chat, are the content, motives, and tone of their communication normal? (No.) Their communication is simply like cocks fighting or dogs fighting. Can their communication proceed smoothly? (No.) They can’t even manage not to scheme against others or argue with them. Communication requires a heart of love, a desire to help each other, and a willingness to learn from one another’s strengths to offset weaknesses to flow smoothly. When I communicate and chat with you, it’s not enough for Me alone not to scheme; you also have to practice according to this principle, not scheming and not being suspicious. If I don’t scheme but you’re constantly scheming, and not only scheming yourselves but also suspecting that I’m scheming, then our communication can’t flow smoothly, nor can we achieve true, beneficial interaction or get along in harmony. Some people, when they see Me coming, quickly find a place to hide. If they really can’t avoid Me, they reluctantly greet Me, but in their hearts, they don’t want to meet Me, thinking, “What a pain. You’re here to find out about our actual situation again. After doing so, You’ll fellowship truth principles again and embarrass us. What should we do?” If you’re unwilling to meet or engage with Me, and you feel exhausted inside while you are engaging with Me, and you always feel I’m trying to scheme against you, then you can avoid Me when you see Me approaching. If you feel that when you engage with Me, I don’t scheme and what it brings you is ease, joy, freedom, and relaxation, then let’s meet, chat, and catch up on how things have been recently. If you ask Me, “How have You been lately?” I will answer honestly. If I ask you, “How have things been recently? Have you made any life progress? Have you made any gains from doing your duty?” and you can also answer honestly, that’s very good. Every meeting can proceed in an agreeable atmosphere. If it’s not right for people to always hide from Me when they see Me, is it right to always engage in insincere flattery to intentionally curry favor with Me? (No.) Why is it not right? (Liking to curry favor amounts to falseness and deceit. It’s better for us to speak more authentically, and we just need to treat God with a normal mentality. For one thing, we should be candid with Him. For another, we shouldn’t curry favor, deliberately try to ingratiate ourselves with God, or deliberately try to cozy up to Him.) With Me, there is only one requirement: When I see you, don’t hide from Me, and when I’m not looking for you, don’t pester Me. Do what you should be doing, and make everything normal. I won’t affect your performance of your duty, and you shouldn’t affect Me. Both hiding from Me and pestering Me are not principles people should follow when being in contact with Me and engaging with Me. So what is the principle? It is to communicate within the scope of the conscience and reason of normal humanity, and to be able to converse candidly and speak the plain truth; whatever I ask, you should answer truthfully. Why can people not manage to speak the plain truth? For example, suppose that I ask you, “How many people did you gain in preaching the gospel this month?” and you don’t want to answer. If I see that you are uncomfortable, I won’t press further. I don’t want to put people in a difficult situation, and I never force anyone to speak. Some people, no matter what others ask them, always ponder, “What do they mean by asking this?” They don’t want to answer directly, very afraid of answering incorrectly and causing themselves problems. If you’re always speculating and scheming like this, then we can’t communicate. You don’t need to always scrutinize the meaning of My questions, nor should you scheme against Me. If you can be simple and open yourself up to talk about what’s in your heart, then we can communicate with each other. Is this easy or not? (Easy.) It’s easy to say, but it might be a bit difficult to actually do. It’s not as easy as it sounds. For example, it could be that I once asked you a question, and you didn’t tell the truth at the time—you lied. That contact and communication failed. Having failed, what should you do? Strive to be brave enough to admit it next time we meet: “I lied last time. From now on, I’ll speak the plain truth.” Then I will encourage you—I’ll applaud you and give you a thumbs-up: You have succeeded in practicing the truth and being an honest person. Isn’t that great? (Yes.)

When it comes to fellowshipping on the topic of not scheming, no matter how many examples are given, what’s being told to you is one principle. Do you know what that principle is? (Don’t use the perspective of corrupt humankind to measure God or be suspicious of God.) That’s right. Don’t treat God with the perspective of corrupt humankind. So, what principle should be followed? (Treat God as God.) Is it not okay to treat Him as a human? Is it not okay to treat Him as a normal, ordinary person? Regardless of whether you treat Him as God or as a human, the most important principle for interpersonal engagement is to be candid with each other. When I speak and do things with you, I don’t scheme against you, and you should also be candid with Me. So, if someone schemes against you, should you also scheme against them? (No.) If someone schemes against you, you should also treat them according to principles. That’s the right way. It’s not just that I don’t scheme against you, so you are candid with Me, without scheming or suspicion. Rather, even if others scheme against you, you can still act and handle matters according to the truth principles. This is abiding by principles. Some people say, “They schemed against me—how can I not retaliate? If I don’t show them what’s what and just let them bully me like this, then won’t I lose out? Am I that easy to push around?” Tell Me, does their reasoning make sense? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—this makes sense among the people of the world. But if gauged by the truth, this statement is wrong. Their scheming against you is an evil deed. If you retaliate in turn, using the same method to scheme against them, in God’s eyes, the essence is the same; both are evil deeds. God won’t say that because they schemed against you, you fighting back is completely justified and in accordance with principles, and not an evil deed. God doesn’t look at why you schemed against them; He looks at whether your act itself is a scheme, whether it’s an evil deed, and at whether you treat this matter by gauging it by the truth or by human moral views. If the matter is gauged by human moral views, then “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” would be deemed appropriate. They schemed against you first, so it’s reasonable for you to retaliate and scheme against them by using the same means, and they should accept such consequences. If measured from a human perspective, using human moral views, it’s not wrong. And if gauged by the law, perhaps it’s not illegal. But in God’s eyes, this runs contrary to the truth. Anything that runs contrary to the truth is an evil deed and is condemned in God’s eyes. Even if you fighting back is legitimate, God will not refrain from condemning you just because you fighting back is reasonable and morally justified. God will look at the way you treat them after they scheme against you. If you treat them in the same way, God will condemn you. But if you treat them according to the truth principles and treat them fairly and justly in the manner God taught you, then even though morally people may have notions and condemn you, and legally you may be convicted, in God’s eyes, God says that in this matter you acted in accordance with principle and that it’s not an evil deed—He will not condemn you. If you can treat people according to the truth principles, this is practicing the truth. You shouldn’t treat Christ according to your notions and imaginings or based on your corrupt dispositions, or use plots and tricks against Him. It should be like this in how you treat people as well. If you can treat Christ, this ordinary person, correctly, then in the same way you can also treat others correctly. No matter who a person is, you should adopt the right attitude in how you treat them. This way, your principles and methods for treating people will be correct. If you make an error in your attitude toward people or your thoughts and viewpoints regarding how to treat them, you will promptly reflect on yourself according to God’s words and correct your thoughts and viewpoints, while at the same time constantly regulating your behavior, and gradually, your thoughts and viewpoints regarding how to treat people and your principles for conducting yourself and acting will increasingly conform to the truth. When the truth principles become your life, your corrupt disposition will have been cast off and transformed, and you will be able to treat people fairly and justly, and in a manner which accords with God’s intentions. If they don’t scheme against you, you think it’s right for you to not scheme against them. But if they scheme against you, and you can refrain from scheming against them, instead seeking the truth and treating them according to the truth principles, isn’t that progress? Isn’t that transformation? (Yes.) If they scheme against you and you also scheme against them, aren’t you walking the same path as the one who schemes against you? In that case, what’s the difference between you and the people of the world? Your views on people, things, conducting yourself, and acting haven’t changed. They’re not based on God’s words or the truth principles, but on the principles of the people of the world: Whoever schemes against you, you scheme against them—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You are no different from people of the world, from nonbelievers. If, regardless of whether someone schemes against you or not, you never scheme against them but rather treat them according to God’s words and according to the truth principles, then this stance and perspective are correct; this is practicing the truth. In the Age of Grace, what did the Lord Jesus tell people? If someone strikes you on your right cheek, what should you do? (The Lord Jesus said, “Whoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39).) Some people say, “If they hit me, I’ll hit them back! If they hit my left cheek, I’ll hit their left cheek. If they hit my right cheek, I’ll hit their right cheek. This isn’t condemned either morally or legally.” God says, “Wrong. If they hit your left cheek, turn your right cheek to them also. Don’t hit back.” Can you do that? Regardless of whether God’s requirement is acceptable in human eyes—perhaps to some people, this is a foolish saying, a silly practice—this is God’s requirement of you. Can you do it? You say, “I can’t do it. If they hit my left cheek, I must hit them back, or my pride and dignity will be gone, and I will have utterly lost face.” No matter whether this statement of yours stands up among corrupt humankind, if in God’s eyes your statement is wrong, your viewpoint is wrong, and your behavior is wrong, then your behavior is condemned in God’s eyes. What’s the reason it is condemned? It’s because you didn’t listen to God’s words, you didn’t follow God’s way. God told you that if someone strikes your left cheek, you should turn your right cheek to them also. Did you do that? God just asks you: Did you listen to God’s words? Did you practice according to what God instructed you? If you didn’t practice like this, then you didn’t follow God’s way and you are a person who rebels against God; you are not a person who practices the truth, and not a person who views things and conducts themselves according to God’s words. In that case, God doesn’t like you, you are not a person who God accepts, and in God’s eyes, that slap you returned is an evil deed. Perhaps you will always think it’s completely justified, that it’s a necessary means to protect your dignity and rights. But in God’s eyes, that slap means that you have not followed God’s way, nor do you want to, that you do not listen to God’s words, and that in your eyes, God’s words are just doctrine, empty words. You only preach God’s words but never practice them. God will characterize you as a person who doesn’t follow God’s way. So can you then still gain God’s acceptance? If you don’t follow God’s way, God’s words can never become your life. However much you argue your own reasoning, with God, He won’t listen. God won’t say, “Someone hit your left cheek without reason, and you are quite pitiable. To protect your dignity, you can hit back. After hitting back, you can pray and confess your sin, and God will forgive you and not condemn you.” God didn’t say that. God said if someone strikes your left cheek, you turn your right cheek to them also. If you can do that, you are a person who follows God’s way. If you can’t, in God’s eyes, you are a person who rebels against God, a person who doesn’t practice God’s words or follow God’s way, an evil person. What is God’s attitude toward evil people? God says, “Depart from Me! I do not know you.” God doesn’t want such people. Understand? (Understood.) The same applies to scheming. You say, “They schemed against me, so what’s wrong with me scheming against them?” You scheming against people is simply wrong. In what way is it wrong? It’s wrong because scheming itself is an evil deed, not a good one. So, when they scheme against people, God condemns them. If you do the same, God will condemn you in the same way. You should act in a way that is free of scheming, in a way that God accepts. Your duty is to practice according to the path and principles for practice that God has told you, not to argue your own reasoning or to protect your personal dignity or face. Your personal face, status, and dignity are not important. What is important? What’s important is whether God’s words are implemented in you, whether God’s words have become your life, whether you have lived out God’s words, and whether God’s words have been fulfilled in you. Understand? (Understood.) Some people say, “They swore at me, so I’ll swear at them back.” Is it right to say this? (No.) Others say, “They’re always petty toward me, so why can’t I be petty toward them? If I don’t, won’t I look silly?” Is it important how others see you? (No.) People always fuss over face, always afraid others will see them as silly and stupid. Actually, how others see you doesn’t matter. What matters? When they see you as silly, as stupid, when they mock you, how do you react? Do you react with impetuousness, with human methods and means, or according to the principles God has told you? Have you practiced according to God’s words? Have you held fast to your duty? Just because they laugh at you and call you silly, you throw a tantrum and give up your work, “You see me as silly, so I won’t do it anymore!” You’re not doing it for them. If you gave up your duty, what would God say? “Because someone called you silly, you gave up the duty I entrusted to you. You have no loyalty!” God will see it this way. If you truly have God in your heart, if you truly have loyalty to God, then if someone laughs at you and calls you silly, you should first ponder: “You say I’m silly, you say I’m stupid, and you laugh at me behind my back. I won’t argue with you and I won’t hold it against you. I am foolish and my caliber is poor, but God has exalted me and doesn’t disdain me. This duty wasn’t given to me by you, it was given to me by God: It’s God’s commission for me. It doesn’t matter if you think highly of me or not. I’m not doing my duty for you to see. Doing my duty is my calling. I must do my duty well, and must be loyal to God. I must cherish this duty, and live up to God’s exaltation and trust in me. I must be devoted to my duty. I can’t abandon my duty and let God down because you called me silly. That would make me truly silly.” Isn’t thinking this way in accordance with principles? Isn’t this letting go of impetuousness? This is not reacting with impetuousness. When you can act this way, you will truly have changed, and have stature. You will not be constrained by people, events, or things. No matter the circumstances, you will keep God’s words and the truth principles firmly in mind, and not treat any matter with impetuousness, emotions, or moods, or personal preferences, desires, or ambitions. God’s words will be the highest and greatest things in your heart, and when anything happens, you will first seek God’s words, “God’s words say this, so I’ll hold fast to them. It doesn’t matter if others see me as silly. What matters is how God sees me. Although I’m foolish and my caliber is poor, God has still entrusted me with a duty to do. What a great exaltation from God I’ve enjoyed! This is a blessing!” If you can treat the things you encounter according to God’s words, you will know how to practice in accordance with the truth principles.

Let’s continue talking about the matter of not scheming. In daily life, people are often schemed against by others in various things that befall them. Some vie with you for fame and gain, some debate right and wrong with you, some even argue with you over a single word, some judge you and undermine you behind your back, and some trip you up and act unreasonably toward you. When faced with various people’s schemes, how do you handle them? You must firmly adhere to one principle: “No matter how others scheme against me, I will not scheme against them; I will stay away from them! I must understand what God’s intentions are and what lesson He wants me to learn. I must stand firm in my position and practice God’s words and hold fast to my duty. Acting according to the principles of God’s words will never be wrong and will never lead to loss. No matter how highly others think of me, that’s not a crown or a reward; it’s a calamity!” If you adhere to such a principle, it can keep you from doing evil and from being condemned by God. If, throughout your life, you can stand firm in the position of a created being, fulfill the duty of a created being, and accomplish the work entrusted to you by God with all your heart and mind, and you devote all your thoughts to doing your duty—regardless of whether you’re so into it you neglect food and sleep or you tax your mind—you do the work God has entrusted to you well, and you achieve doing your duty in a way that is up to standard, then you will live a life of value. In this life, we should not seek to do great things, to carry out any undertakings, or create some miracle. We are just insignificant people and should read more of God’s words, seek to understand the truth in the things that come upon us, fulfill our responsibilities, and do what we ought to do well. We should ensure that we can conform to the truth principles in every matter, that the duty we do conforms to the principles required by the work arrangements, and that when we carefully examine the motivation, purpose, and principles of each thing we do, they all conform to the requirements of God’s words, and can withstand scrutiny and God’s examination. Each day, you do your duty normally, with peace and joy, always living before God. When you have something to say to God in your heart, you pray to Him; when you don’t have any words to pray, you can still draw near to God in your heart, and when you pray you receive God’s enlightenment and guidance, and are moved by Him. You can also be loyal to God when doing your duty, and conduct yourself in an open and upright manner. How wonderful that is! In treating people and engaging and communicating with them, you generally have fewer and fewer blemishes and transgressions. No matter how others scheme against you, you do not react with impetuousness. Whenever you feel unable to overcome your impetuousness, you pray to God; when you are weak, you also pray to God. When the Holy Spirit moves you a bit, you will gain the strength to overcome it, and you will leap over the hurdle. Every time you face people’s scheming, attacks, retaliation, and so on, it’s like crossing a hurdle, like overcoming a difficulty. Ultimately, you can overcome all these schemes, overcome people’s attacks, retaliation, and struggles against you, not reacting based on impetuousness or corrupt dispositions, but being able to adhere to principles. Then you are truly an overcomer. How wonderful that is! However, suppose that you live in impetuousness and corrupt dispositions all day long. When someone schemes against you or says something unpleasant, you take it to heart, are extremely bothered by it, become agitated, your eyes blaze with anger, and you fly into a rage. Or, after you hear unpleasant words, you feel uneasy in your heart, your mouth breaks out in sores, you lose your appetite for food and drink, and you cannot sleep at night. Then, you become distant from God. You live either in impetuousness or in emotions, spending every day in misery, unable to normally eat and drink God’s words, unable to normally do your duty, your heart preoccupied and tangled up with these matters of right and wrong. Once entangled, it’s very difficult for you to break free, and sometimes you cannot do so for several months. If it is a major matter, such as marriage or a lawsuit, then the scheming is even more severe, and once you get tangled up in these things, months—or even years—just slip by, squandering the best years of your life. In the end, your whole life is wasted—you won’t have done your duty well, and you won’t have gained the truth. Doesn’t that mean you’re completely ruined? If you’re constantly living in disputes, scheming, struggles, and pettiness, can you still do your duty well? Not only will you not do your duty well, but in scheming and struggling, you will also accumulate many evil deeds. Living in the schemes and struggles between people, how many bad things will you do, how many presumptuous words, rebellious words, words that violate the truth, and words that resist God will you say? These are all classed as the words of devils. Even if some words are not spoken out loud, they are processed in your mind; you hate, abuse, and curse people in your heart. These things are all as plain as day in God’s eyes. God sees what your designs are, how you plan, and how you practice when things come upon you. Living in these schemes and struggles, you never know to reflect on yourself and repent and confess your sins to God, nor do you know to seek the truth in these matters, instead blindly “enjoying” them. Although you are physically and mentally exhausted, you never reflect on yourself or pray to God and accept God’s discipline and guidance, accept God’s words into your heart, and let God reign. You never resolve to practice God’s words. This proves you are not a person who sincerely believes in God and pursues the truth. Those who sincerely believe in God and pursue the truth focus on how to practice the truth and live out a human likeness in their hearts, valuing God’s approval above all else. This enables them to shun struggles and schemes; their hearts can often draw near to God and they can live before God. As a result, their duties bear ever greater fruit, they feel that living this way has value and makes some contribution to humankind, and so they have true peace and joy in their hearts. Because they can fulfill the duty of a created being, every day they live has true value and meaning. But if you live in various kinds of struggles and schemes, then you are accumulating sins each day that you are alive. Not only do you fail to live out the value and meaning a created human being should have, but you also accumulate sins for your future. In God’s heart, He spurns you more and more, and becomes increasingly disappointed in you. If God sees that His concern and expectations for you are about to come to naught, how would God feel about you? If the things you do make God more and more disappointed, make God more and more disheartened, until one day you truly do not turn back and God wants to give up on you, then tell Me, what value and meaning does your life and faith in God have? What hope is left in your life? Just because others scheme against you and judge you, in order to fight for your pride, and to reclaim your own face and dignity, you get caught up in strife with people and delay your proper affairs. Sometimes, just because someone says something unpleasant or gives you a certain look that offends you, making you lose face and hurting your self-esteem, you even become resentful in your heart and get endlessly tangled up in disputes with them. And what happens in the end? You waste all your precious time on these things, ruining your chance to attain salvation and gaining no truth at all. As a result, God spurns you, no longer pays you any attention, and you are completely ruined. So, what am I trying to tell you by fellowshipping these things? Choosing how to conduct yourself, choosing what way to conduct yourself, is very important. Living among people, each person will often face schemes, struggles, gains and losses in personal interests, and various voices of praise, criticism, judgment, and condemnation; everyone will face these things. I have also lived in this world to this age, and I don’t live in a vacuum either. I also face these things, but My heart will not scheme. Look at Me—how have I lived? These things do not affect My life or My work in the slightest. Every day, I only focus on doing My work. Living until now, I have not been affected by the external environment. My identity and status, My worth in people’s eyes—none of these have been affected. Not only that, but I’m even worried you will mistakenly think I am very lofty, very extraordinary, and very distinct from others, so I have to give some actual examples of My normality, practicality, and ordinariness in a more specific way so that you do not idolize Me and do not have some unrealistic imaginings and notions about Me. Only after I have said these do some people see that I am just an ordinary, normal person, and then they become indifferent to Me. I do not care about these things. As long as you can accept these words I speak, that is enough; I have no other requirements. If you were to spend all day staring at Me, scrutinizing Me, reading My expression, it would make Me uncomfortable. I do not like people idolizing Me or fawning over Me, and much less do I like people always thronging Me. I like quiet. You see, haven’t I lived quite well these years? Then why don’t you try living the same way? See if you can survive without vying for fame and gain, without vying for status, without protecting your own dignity, without contending for any authority in words. If you act, live, conduct yourself, do things, and perform your duty according to God’s words and God’s requirements, see how your life will be—see if you will gain joy and if you will have peace in your heart. Try a different way of living, practice according to the truth principles, and have clear goals, and then you will see a bright future ahead. If you are always keeping score of who is scheming against you, who affects your status, who has a higher reputation than you, who is talking about you behind your back, and so on, living in the midst of these things, then there is no path ahead for you, only darkness. You will always be lost, feeling, “My life is tiring, there is no happiness, I have no blessings!” You do not enjoy the blessings God gives you, but keep burrowing into hell. Tell Me, can you have blessings? Can you have joy and peace?

How do you feel about fellowshipping on these topics? (Good.) In what way is it good? (We feel it can resolve the difficulties we encounter in real life and the corrupt dispositions we reveal. God has also pointed out some specific paths for us: how to avoid struggling and scheming against others, and how to be free from the constraints of people, events, and things and live in the light.) What is the main purpose of fellowshipping on these principles? It’s not just to help you escape a life of struggling with others; the key is to enable you to live within normal humanity and live a life of normal humanity. If you act according to God’s words, you can achieve submission to God, make His words and the truth your life, attain salvation, and fear God and shun evil: You can become such a person. Understood? (Yes.) It’s not just to escape a life of scheming and struggling with others; if it were only for that, you wouldn’t gain the truth. Tell Me, without gaining the truth, what is the goal of a person’s practice? Wouldn’t it still be hollow? Living in this society, among people, you’ll always have your own thoughts and views when things come upon you; it’s impossible to have no thoughts or views at all, as if you’re living in a vacuum. Such a situation does not exist. When no one schemes against you or struggles with you, you can manage not to scheme against or struggle with others. But when someone schemes against you or struggles with you, what do you do? Does merely shouting slogans like “I won’t struggle with them, I won’t scheme against them” solve the problem? (No.) So how should the problem be solved? Some people shout slogans, saying, “Aren’t I too old to still be scheming? God’s work has progressed so far, yet I’m still scheming? What’s the use of scheming about those things?” Can these words solve the problem? (No.) Most people, when things come upon them, still can’t let go in their hearts and still scheme and struggle with others. So how should this problem be solved? It should be solved by resolving the issues of people’s thoughts and views, and their corrupt dispositions, according to God’s words and the truth principles. After you receive a correct thought or viewpoint, your perspective, attitude, and stance on such matters change. Your feelings about such matters will be different; you will feel that struggling with others is meaningless—it wastes your energy, impedes the work, causes inner discomfort, and there is no joy or peace in this. Then, when you read the condemnation of such matters in God’s words, the view on these matters in your heart will completely change, your emotional state will be different, your urge to struggle with others will lessen, your anger will diminish, and your impetuousness will disappear. If others struggle with you, relentlessly provoking you, you will not be affected, feeling that it’s not a big deal and there’s no need to struggle with them. Even onlookers couldn’t stand to look on, saying, “They treat you like that, how can you not feel anything? Are you foolish?” You say, “I used to take such matters very seriously; it would have felt as if the sky were falling in. If I didn’t make things clear to them, or if they didn’t give me an explanation, I would certainly not let it go easily. But now it’s different. I don’t scheme or struggle with others anymore, not because I’m older, but because in God’s words I’ve seen through to the corrupt essence of mankind. Their behavior is the typical revelations and manifestations of an evil person, an antichrist, a Satan, as exposed in God’s words. I used to have these manifestations too, but now, in God’s words, I see that this kind of true face, this kind of disposition, is too ugly and disgusting; God loathes it! Now I myself loathe it, and in my heart, I am unwilling to live in that corrupt disposition. So when they struggle with me again, I just feel fed up and disgusted with them, and have no interest or desire to struggle. In God’s words, I’ve also found the principles of practice, and I know how to treat such people.” What do God’s words say? On the one hand, God’s words expose and characterize such people; on the other hand, God tells people that the principle for treating others is to treat them fairly. If they are true brothers and sisters, and they reveal corrupt dispositions, we should treat them with love, fellowshipping the truth to resolve their transgressions and corrupt dispositions, so that they no longer resist God or transgress. Perhaps through help, their problems will be solved. If they do not accept help, cannot accept the truth, but can perform their duty and do not disturb the church’s work, then they should be allowed to remain in the church doing their duty. If they do not do their duty properly and still struggle and scheme with others, causing a disturbance, then they should be cleansed away according to the administrative decrees of God’s house and the principles of God’s house for treating people. Wouldn’t our hearts then be at peace? God’s house has principles and paths for dealing with bad apples. How to discern and deal with these people, how to treat these people—there are principles and paths in God’s words for all of this. If people practice according to God’s words, it will be handled easily and joyfully, they won’t feel that it’s a difficult matter, their hearts will not be disturbed at all, and it will be resolved very naturally. If they had encountered such matters a few years ago, they wouldn’t have been able to get past them, wouldn’t have known how to resolve them. But now, with a few years of life experience, this matter is no longer a difficulty for them; they can resolve it. Suddenly, they find their stature has grown and they have truly changed. How do most of these people feel then? “Before, I always felt my caliber was poor, and I often rebelled against and resisted God, as if I were beyond saving. Now, by handling this matter, I feel I have no difficulties, that I can solve problems, and have hope.” What hope? (The hope of gaining salvation.) When you see the hope of gaining salvation, do you see light or darkness ahead? (Light.) This fulfills that saying—light is beckoning to me. Right? (Yes.) When your stature can reach this level, you will truly feel that practicing the truth actually doesn’t require shouting slogans; it’s that easy and joyful. As long as you accept God’s words, as long as you accept the truth principles that come from God, practicing the truth is that easy, and your stature grows without you noticing. When you feel your stature has grown, that you have changed, that your years of believing in God have borne fruit and not been in vain, if someone then speaks presumptuous words, saying, “What have I gained from believing in God? In the 20 years I’ve believed in God, all I’ve done is suffer and exert effort; I have forsaken and expended so much, yet haven’t enjoyed a single blessing—just endless exhaustion!” you will despise them in your heart, “This person has no conscience, and only speaks devilish words! Judging by how pathetic they look, they truly haven’t gained anything—all they can do is be unreasonable and obstructive, and the only things they can say are presumptuous words!” They always say, “What have I gained from believing in God?” Then what exactly do you hope to gain by believing in God? Are you hoping to gain material grace and blessings, or are you hoping to gain the truth and achieve salvation? This is the path one should choose in believing in God. Which path are you actually walking? If you are a person who pursues the truth, and you put all the truths you understand into practice and make them your reality, then you will have gained eternal life, and, having experienced God’s work in the last days, you will not have believed in vain. If you only focus on enjoying grace but do not gain the truth and life, and you complain against God, saying, “What have I gained?” this proves you are not a person who pursues the truth. No matter how much grace you enjoy, if you haven’t gained a bit of truth, then your faith is too pitiful; it shows you are a blind person. Now, God expresses the truth to supply people with life, speaking new words every day, so many that people can eat, drink, and enjoy them into eternity. There are too many truths that should be practiced and entered into; many truths cannot be fully experienced even in a lifetime. Those who have believed in God for many years and pursue the truth have gained so much, and in such abundance. But if people do not pursue the truth, do not love the truth, and do not practice the truth, they will always feel they have gained nothing. Those who enjoy the truth feel truly filled to overflowing with these words. Now, whether in terms of truth or material blessings, what God bestows upon people is abundant; it can be said that God’s house is a land flowing with milk and honey. The words of God eaten and drunk in gatherings are so abundant; experiential testimonies, movies, hymns, dances—all are there, in abundance. Material things—food, clothing, and items for everyday use—are also abundant. In addition, the service rendered by the great red dragon which God has set up, the performances of antichrists and false leaders, and the exhibition of various kinds of negative things before people every day, allow people to learn lessons and grow in discernment. If you can’t learn a whole lesson in one go, God will continue to set up environments, people, events, and things for you, only removing them when you’ve learned enough. Therefore, if you can accept God’s work, if you are a person who loves the truth, you are attending a bountiful banquet. A few years of faith will bring you great progress and real change. God has personally shepherded, watered, and led His chosen people for these years. All who can accept the truth can feel they have gained so much, and they have had some true changes. In particular, those who do their duty full-time have changed even more. You can feel that when following God, the path becomes brighter and brighter, and you have true faith in gaining salvation and entering the kingdom of heaven. But if you always refuse to accept the truth, and you’re unwilling to practice the truth in your heart, you won’t be able to feel that you have any hope of salvation. You’ll keep asking those around you, “Do you think I have spiritual understanding?” If someone says, “You don’t seem to have spiritual understanding,” you will think, “It’s over, I have no hope!” Actually, it’s not that you have no hope; it’s that you do not pursue the truth. If you understand the truth and can also practice the truth, you will gradually gain spiritual understanding. Once you have spiritual understanding, you will understand more and more truths, and you will be able to share some experiential testimonies in every aspect. You will feel enriched and very fulfilled inside, and feel that you have gained so much from following God. Right? (Yes.) If a person does not practice the truth or accept it as their life, in their heart they will always feel lost and aimless, without true faith. They will always ask those around them if they have any hope of gaining salvation. Some also constantly ask others if they have spiritual understanding, taking whether or not they have spiritual understanding as proof of whether they have hope. Tell Me, are such people foolish? (Foolish.) Whether you have spiritual understanding or not, you should strive for the truth—and not only strive to understand it, but also strive to practice it. Once you can understand the truth and practice the truth, won’t there be hope of attaining salvation? Isn’t that so? (Yes.) You should consider this issue.

That’s all for our fellowship today. Goodbye!

September 7, 2024