How to Pursue the Truth (5)

Have some people heard some negative rumors recently? (Yes.) What was your reaction when you heard these rumors? Were you afraid? Were you curious? Do you want to know what these rumors are all about? (We do not want to know, because we already know that the great red dragon often fabricates rumors out of nothing. No matter what it says, it is false. Therefore, we are not interested in the details of these rumors and do not want to try to figure out the devilish words it says.) The great red dragon fabricates all sorts of rumors to mislead and corrupt people, and many people, after hearing the rumors, are misled. Some people become afraid and dare not accept the true way; some who have accepted it also become doubtful and no longer want to believe in God. These people, before hearing the great red dragon’s rumors, seemed to have faith in God without any doubts and were willing to follow God and do their duty. But after hearing the rumors, they immediately develop doubts and no longer have the heart to follow God and do their duty. In particular, some of those who are arrested by the great red dragon, under the coercion of its cruel torture, give in and deny God’s name, and some of those people sign the “Three Statements” and are even forced to verbally insult God. There are quite a few such people. You have all heard a lot of rumors and negative propaganda and have also seen that after the great red dragon arrests believers in God, it brainwashes them—indeed, quite a few people have been misled. Furthermore, it also uses those who betray God to render service for it, having them monitor the church and follow and tail believers in God. In order to eradicate religious belief and eliminate God’s church, the great red dragon treats the suppression and arrest of God’s chosen people as important national work, as a political mission, and carries it out with great thoroughness and effort. This causes many believers in God to feel afraid, so they dare not believe in God and dare not do their duty. Especially after hearing the rumors fabricated by the great red dragon, many people are misled. As for these rumors, God’s house has long since summarized them and discerned them, so there is no need to discuss them here. If you truly encounter being arrested, and the great red dragon uses these rumors to try to brainwash you, forces you to take a stance, and forces you to sign the “Three Statements,” what should you do? You now know that the rumors fabricated by the great red dragon are all false, misleading, and deceptive. Although your attitude is to not listen to, not look at, and not believe them, if these rumors were placed before you, causing you to hear them, see them, and even think they were factual, would you be swayed? What would you think in your heart? Would you want to know the truth about the facts? Would you want to verify them? As for the great red dragon fabricating rumors to mislead and intimidate people, or using rumors and atheism to brainwash people and conduct ideological work, do we need to fellowship the truth to inoculate people? Is this a necessary item of work? Some people say, “The great red dragon has been fabricating rumors about us for so many years, especially the rumors about Christ, about the man used by the Holy Spirit, and about the church and the church’s work. We have never clarified them, never come forward to make our attitude or viewpoint clear, never made any defense—is this appropriate?” Some people, from the time they began to believe in God until now, have never been able to clearly discern the various rumors of the great red dragon and the religious world. In their hearts, they have always had a question mark concerning these things. This question mark doesn’t mean complete disbelief, nor complete belief; instead, it means that they take a middle-ground stance to view these matters, thinking that these things might all be rumors fabricated by the great red dragon, or they might be facts. Does this “might be” reflect a perspective of seeking the truth? (No.) This is a perspective of believing that the rumors need to be verified and confirmed, or a perspective of waiting and observing, waiting for informed people to disclose some real circumstances. Tell Me, what consequences do you think will result from people having either of these two perspectives? Are such people in danger? Which of these two perspectives can enable people to stand firm? (Neither of these two perspectives can enable people to stand firm. If someone has this “might be” thought, it shows that they are still not certain about the true way and still have elements of skepticism within them. In this case, rumors become a great temptation for them. If people cannot be certain about the true way, cannot believe in the truth, and cannot see through to the essence of the great red dragon, they are actually in great danger.) These people, to this day, are still not certain about the true way. What is their essence? (In essence, they are disbelievers.) They are disbelievers. Are there many people who hold either of these two perspectives? Certainly, there are quite a few. When these people hear rumors, they develop doubts about God in their hearts and want to get to the bottom of the rumors, to figure out whether they are true or false. However, because they do not know how to seek the truth to resolve this matter, in the end, they simply let it remain unresolved. In fact, this problem still exists in their hearts, and does not get resolved. When you hear these rumors, do you seek the truth? Do you seek the truth to dissect and discern the rumors, or do you examine the rumors one by one to distinguish whether they are correct or incorrect and see whether they are actually true or false? After you hear the rumors, you think in your heart only that they are untrue, that this is purely the great red dragon fabricating rumors and carrying out a smear campaign, but you do not refute them based on the truth and facts, and actually you still have some doubts in your heart and simply use these doctrinal statements to resolve your doubts. Can thinking like this enable you to stand firm? Is this seeking the truth? Does this show you understand the truth and have gained the truth? Has the problem been resolved at its root? (No.) So, do you want to use the truth to resolve this problem, so that you can discern these rumors, not be misled, have no questions whatsoever in your heart, and completely eliminate your doubts, suspicions, and guardedness toward Me? Some people think, “From the time we began to believe in God until now, we have been listening to Your sermons and accepting Your watering and shepherding, and we have made some gains and progress. But we have not actually lived with You or had real contact with You as a person. So, we are totally in the dark and uninformed about what kind of person You are, what Your personality and character are like, and what kind of life You lead.” That is, when it comes to the various manifestations and revelations of the humanity of this flesh, as well as My life, and My attitude and specific manifestations in dealing with people and matters, people have always attached question marks to these things and harbored misgivings toward them. In one regard, people harboring these misgivings stems from people themselves not being 100% certain about the incarnation of God, and in another regard it stems from people being influenced by the rumors of the religious world or the great red dragon because their understanding of the truth is too shallow. Thus, you have many speculations about Me. Of course, the content of these speculations is certainly not positive or proper; it certainly contains some dark and negative elements. Harboring these speculations—is this a good thing or a bad thing for you? Is it an encumbrance, a bondage, or an impetus? What do you think? (If people have these negative speculations in their hearts, it is not a good thing but an encumbrance. It will cause people to be guarded toward God; it will not do anything to help their belief in God.) What impact do these negative things have on you? What consequences will they cause? In certain environments, are these things dangerous for you? (Yes.) Since these things are an encumbrance and not a good thing for you, should you use the truth to resolve them? Or should you set them aside, not bother with them, and not think about them, waiting until some issue actually arises to address them? What is your attitude? (When I heard rumors, I did set them aside and did not bother with them. But just now, through God’s fellowship, I have realized that when these problems arise, they must be resolved with the truth. Otherwise, one cannot lay down this encumbrance in one’s heart, and in certain situations, it can lead to bad consequences, even to being skeptical of God and denying God, which is very dangerous.) Although you say out loud that these are rumors, if you never truly discern these rumors or have the correct attitude toward them, and always carry these negative things in your heart, then you will often be constrained by them. These rumors will be a ticking time bomb for you, ready to explode at any moment and any place. The consequences of this will undoubtedly be unimaginable, and you will be blown to smithereens. Aren’t those who sign the “Three Statements” the ones who have detonated the bomb and blown themselves to smithereens? After they sign the “Three Statements,” the great red dragon still does not let up. It demands that they must verbally say a few things that insult God, and only then can the matter be considered settled. Although they are unwilling in their hearts, they feel they have no choice, and capitulate to Satan to avoid imprisonment. After verbally insulting God, they feel that their hope of receiving blessings is gone, that they are completely done for. They no longer need to think about whether those rumors are true or false, and the worries, concerns, timidity, and dread they have carried for many years of believing in God completely disappear. At the same time, their hope for salvation is also shattered. Tell Me, even if people are skeptical of God incarnate or of this stream, should they insult God? (No.) When the great red dragon tells you to insult God, why do you obey it? No matter who it is, even if one denies the true way, denies this stream, they still should not insult God. What kind of people are those who insult God? (People who can insult God are those who have evil humanity and also those who have a particular hatred for the truth and submit to Satan’s influence.) Tell Me, if people truly believe in their hearts that God exists, believe that God is the Creator, that humankind was created by God, that human life is granted by God, and that God is sovereign over all things, would they insult God? (No.) They never would. No matter the circumstances, they would not insult God. Even if they are skeptical of the name Almighty God or of this stream which is the work of Almighty God, they would absolutely never insult God. So, the kind of person who can insult God not only denies this stream and denies Almighty God incarnate but they also deny God’s work and the truth expressed by God. To what category do people of this type belong, then? (They are devils; they are people who deny God in their hearts.) People of this type are part of the gang of Satan and devils; they are not God’s chosen people, not God’s sheep—they are non-human. Some people, after being arrested by the great red dragon, because they do not understand the truth and have no discernment, become doubtful when they hear rumors. They develop doubts about God incarnate, and under threats, inducements, and the coercion of cruel torture, they deny God’s name, deny this stream which is the work of the Holy Spirit, and deny the church. This already amounts to betraying God. But some people can even insult God—this is utterly lacking conscience and reason, it is unforgivable, and it is committing an unpardonable sin. When you insult people, or attack, judge, or defame them, in legal terms this would at most be defined as the offense of defamation or, in the most severe cases, a personal attack. It is not really serious and does not result in death. However, when someone can insult God, the nature of the problem changes. It is no longer simply insulting God—it is blaspheming against God! What does it mean to blaspheme? It means directly attacking, defaming, insulting, or slandering positive things, the truth, or God—these all constitute blasphemy. God is holy, God is supreme, God is sovereign over all humankind, God is the One who provides life for humankind, and God is the source of human life. God’s essence, identity, and status are supreme. God is perfect, good, and holy, He is faultless and beyond reproach. Precisely because God is holy, perfect, and supreme, and because God is the source that provides life for humankind, any slander, attack, or insult directed toward God by created humankind constitutes blasphemy. You ought to understand what “blasphemy” is now, right? (Any attack, insult, or slander directed toward God constitutes blasphemy.) If the word “blasphemy” is to be explained, it means slander, judgment, or condemnation of positive things, and it is especially the slander, judgment, or condemnation of the truth or God. This is called blasphemy. Therefore, the word “blasphemy” can only be used to describe humankind’s slander, insults, attacks, or judgment toward God—this is relatively apt. When people judge, insult, attack, or condemn other people, if it does not align with the facts, it is, at most, defamation. If it aligns with the facts, then it does not constitute defamation. However, people’s judgment and condemnation of God is a twisting of the facts and turning truth into falsehood—this constitutes blasphemy. What is the nature of people daring to condemn God? Does God have sin? (No.) God is holy, God is without sin, so any slander, attack, judgment, or insult directed toward God is called blasphemy. Those who insult God think, “As long as I say a few things that insult god, I can be released and escape danger. Given the circumstances, god won’t remember this.” From a human perspective, it’s just a few insults, which don’t seem to be a big problem. But how does God view this matter? That you can insult God shows that you have already denied God in your heart. It is only because you harbor hatred in your heart toward God that you can insult Him. Whether you proactively insult God or are forced to insult Him by others, it is a manifestation of denying God and hating God. Therefore, this sort of behavior and action is blasphemy, to a T.

Some people can never let go of various rumors, always thinking that they might be true. They always want to verify whether the rumors spread by the great red dragon that is the ruling party, the religious world, and nonbelievers—especially those rumors and remarks posted online—are true. If God were to never make His stance known or His house were not to provide any clarification, they would fully believe these rumors were true, and would deny God and betray God—what is the problem here? Just on what basis do they believe in God? If their belief is based on whether the rumors are true, then that is a huge mistake. In fact, many rumors have already been very clearly dissected and refuted in the sermons and fellowships, and films of God’s house; there is no need for Me to go into detail here. So which types of rumors do you still want to verify? Let’s lay this topic bare today. If you want to verify rumors, I’ll tell you what I have to say about them, so that some people won’t keep thinking, “Are You hiding something from us that You don’t want us to know? We always feel like we can’t fully figure You out. Although we have followed You and heard so many truths, we still feel uncertain in our hearts about whether the rumors are true or false, so we always have the idea and thought of verifying them.” If you want to verify them, say so boldly. Let’s openly talk about this matter. I’ll tell you what I have to say about them—there’s nothing to hide. Does anyone want to verify them? (No.) Is the reason you don’t want to verify them established on the foundation that you don’t believe the great red dragon’s rumors, or is it because you have an attitude of, “I don’t want to bother with this matter—I’ll just let it be”? Or is it because you are afraid that after verifying the rumors, you will be disappointed and unable to face the result, and you don’t know if you can stand firm, and you don’t want to face such consequences? Regardless of what the content of these rumors is, whether or not you want to verify them, whether or not you want to hear what I have to say about these rumors or My comment on them, and regardless of what your attitude is, I have only one attitude: If you understand the truth, you will naturally be able to discern these rumors; if you do not understand the truth and do not seek the truth, then I have no comment. This is because I have spoken so many words expressing the truth; I have no need to explain these rumors to you—this is not the work I should do. Can you still not discern the rumors even after listening to so many sermons? If you cannot, it means you do not understand the truth. No matter how much is said to someone who does not understand the truth, it is useless—it is like speaking to nonbelievers; no matter how much you say, they will not understand. Therefore, I have no comment when it comes to any rumors! I do not want to explain anything, nor do I want to say anything, nor do I want to justify or defend anything. No matter what is being said in the outside world, I have no comment! Have you heard this clearly? (Yes.) “No comment”—this is a kind of attitude. Additionally, what is it that I want to say to you regarding this matter? It is that, no matter when, God’s identity and essence will not change, God’s status will not change, God’s disposition will not change, God’s authority and power will not change, the fact that God is sovereign over humankind and provides life for them will not change, the fact of God’s incarnation will not change, and the fact that God is the truth, the way, and life will never change. Are these words sufficient to resolve your doubts? (Yes.) This is all I have to say to you about this matter. If you understand, then accept it. If you do not understand, then take your time to ponder it. If you still have doubts in your heart and these words cannot resolve your doubts, then there’s nothing more I can do. Just let things take their course. This is all I can say and do for you. Is this approach appropriate? (Yes.) Can these words have a certain effect on people? When faced with various complicated matters, if a crack appears in the relationship between you and God, or if you develop serious doubts about God, and these words cannot resolve the problem you are currently facing, then you are a disbeliever. What you accept is not the truth but Satan’s lies and whatever devilish words Satan speaks. It’s just like with Adam and Eve at the beginning—God said, “You may eat of every tree in the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” They kept God’s words in their hearts after listening to them. But when Satan said to them, “God said you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—this is not necessarily true. If you eat it, you will not surely die,” Adam and Eve immediately became doubtful. They abandoned God’s words and believed the serpent’s words. They suspected that what God said was a lie. Because of what the serpent said, they no longer believed God or obeyed God but completely followed the serpent’s lies. It is plain to see what the final consequence of this was. While believing and accepting what the serpent said to them, they were also denying what God had said, thinking that what God said was a lie. They no longer believed that God’s words were true, and they no longer believed in God’s identity and essence. Instead, they were skeptical of God, suspecting that He had ulterior motives in regard to them and was deceiving them with lies. Conversely, they believed that what the serpent said was true and that the serpent was speaking for their benefit. The final consequence was that they were seduced by the serpent and corrupted by Satan. They strayed from God’s care, lost God’s protection, and embarked on a path of no return.

Has the problem of rumors been resolved for you? If it has not been resolved, slowly process it yourselves. As for how to treat rumors, I have already fellowshipped plenty. If there are still people who cannot see through various rumors and cannot discern them, fellowship about this and resolve it yourselves. Although this matter does not count as a major one, in people’s daily lives it is something that can often disturb their minds and disturb their lives. Although some rumors do not go so far as to take your life immediately, they are also a kind of harassment to you, like a pesky fly that does not bite people but disgusts them—they emerge from time to time to disturb you. Especially when you are weak, when you face failure or setbacks, or are negative, these rumors and devilish words will emerge to disturb you, to torment you in your heart, pulling you back, making you sink down little by little. It is in just this way that some people have withdrawn and stopped believing. You see, the people sent to B groups or to ordinary churches are in great danger—but are the people who do duty full-time not in danger? Some of them are also in great danger. Which group among them? The group of people who continually fail to understand the truth. However many of God’s words they have heard, they do not understand them. In their hearts, they are always doubtful: “Why can I not make out which of God’s words are the truth? Everyone says that the truth is the way, the life—why do I not feel it is the life? I have also heard many of God’s words, but the life within me has not changed; I am still me, I have not changed!” They never understand what the truth is, never understand God’s work, and they always remain unclear about visions. Such people are in danger. People of this kind, when hearing rumors, never seek the truth to discern them; they only know to evade and reject rumors. If they can evade them, they luckily avoid disaster; if they cannot evade them, they are captured by Satan. Tell Me, is it a coincidence that such people can be captured by Satan? (No.) Those who never understand the truth, who never understand what believing in God is—are these people God’s sheep? Can they understand God’s words? (They cannot.) These people never understand God’s words, nor do they seek the truth; and they are always concerned with: “When will God’s day come? When will we enter the kingdom of heaven?” Regarding the things people ought to understand in believing in God, they have understood none of them. Just how muddleheaded can they be! Tell Me, when I speak to this kind of muddleheaded person, what feeling do I have in My heart? Is it honor or sorrow? Or is it a feeling of indignation? Seeing these people makes Me irritated. What can these muddleheaded fools gain by believing in God? After the great red dragon arrests and brainwashes them, they are revealed and eliminated. These people do not understand the truth in the slightest, and God’s house does not want such people. It is through the great red dragon that they are revealed and eliminated. Tell Me, is this unloving? (No.) If such people were not arrested by the great red dragon, and without these rumors misleading them, would they always cling to the church? What circumstances can cause them to withdraw? (It is precisely through the rumors of the great red dragon. After they hear the rumors and believe them, they withdraw.) It is precisely through the demonic claws of the great red dragon, this foil, that they are captured and end up no longer believing. In fact, these people cannot comprehend the truth, cannot do any duty, and cannot render any service. In God’s house, they are merely making up the numbers, freeloading and waiting for death. Each one of them is in a pathetic state, yet they claim to be followers of God, to be God’s chosen people—are they not disgraceful? Those who follow God must at least be humans, not dead people without spirit, not beasts. They must be people who can understand the words God says. Only those who can understand God’s words and understand the truth are God’s sheep. Only God’s sheep can sincerely do their duty and follow God. Those who are not God’s sheep are not sincere followers. They infiltrate the church with a purpose, which is to gain blessings. There is no God in their hearts. No matter how many years they believe, they can never possibly have a God-fearing heart. Devils, Satans, and those possessed by filthy demons and evil spirits also know that this is the true way, and they also desire blessings. But does God want such people? (He does not.) Various evil spirits and filthy demons possess animals, and after they undergo many years of cultivation and become supernatural beings, they always want to turn into humans. They are unwilling to remain as filthy demons, evil spirits, or various animal spirits; they want to rise to a higher level—to be human. Similarly, these muddleheaded fools also want to elevate their rank, wanting to be God’s chosen people. Tell Me, does God want such people? He does not. Even if they infiltrate the church, it will be in vain; they must be cleansed away no matter what. Once they are cleansed away, God’s house will be pure, and the church will be pure. Those who remain must at least be people who acknowledge God’s identity and essence, who acknowledge that God is the truth, the way, and the life, and who can willingly render service for God. Can those muddleheaded fools achieve this? They fall far short of achieving this. They are all dead people without spirit, yet they always want blessings, always want to enter the kingdom, always want to go to heaven. Their ambition and desire are not small, but they do not even look at what they are—they overestimate themselves! It is right that such people are eliminated. Do you feel it is a pity? (No.) From the beginning, God said, “What I want is excellence in people, rather than greatness in their numbers.” This is God’s required standard for His chosen people, as well as a requirement and principle regarding the number of people in the church. “What I want is excellence in people”—here, does “excellence” refer to the good soldiers of the kingdom or to overcomers? Neither is accurate. “Excellence,” to put it accurately, refers to those who possess normal humanity, those who are truly human. In God’s house, if you can do duties that a human ought to, if you can be used as a human being, and if you can fulfill a human’s responsibilities, duties, and obligations without others pulling you, dragging you, or pushing you, and you are not useless trash, not a freeloader, not a loafer—you can shoulder the responsibilities and obligations of a human and shoulder the mission of a human—only this is being up to standard as a human! Can those loafers and those who do not attend to proper tasks shoulder the mission of a human? (No.) Some people are unwilling to shoulder responsibility; others cannot shoulder it—they are useless trash. Those who cannot shoulder the responsibilities of a human cannot be called human. Look at those who are intellectually disabled, idiotic, cerebrally palsied, or physically paralyzed—can they be called standard human beings? (They cannot.) Why not? Such people have no ability to live, no ability to survive, and no ability to care for themselves. They rely entirely on others for assistance and care, live without the ability to support themselves, and are unable to shoulder the responsibilities and obligations of a human. Those who are unable to shoulder their own duty in God’s house are not normal humans, and God does not want them. Whether you are a leader or worker, or doing specific work involving professional skills, you must be able to shoulder the work you’re responsible for. Beyond being able to manage your own life and survival, your existence is not merely about breathing, not about eating, drinking, and having fun, but about being able to shoulder the mission God has given you. Only such people are worthy of being called created beings and worthy of being called human. Those in God’s house who always want to freeload and always try to bluff their way through, hoping to finagle themselves through to the end and gain blessings, cannot shoulder any work or any responsibility, let alone any mission. Such people must be eliminated, and it is not a pity. This is because what is being eliminated is not human—they are not qualified to be called human. You may call them useless people, loafers, or idlers; in any case, they are not worthy of being called human. When you assign them work, they cannot complete it independently; and when you assign them a task, they cannot shoulder their responsibility or fulfill the obligation they ought to—such people are done for. They are unworthy of living; they deserve death. God sparing their lives is already His grace, it is an exceptional favor.

Regarding the topic of rumors, we will stop here. If you still have any problems, you can bring them up and fellowship on them or seek the truth to resolve them by yourselves. We will not speak about it anymore, okay? Does anyone have any objections? (No.) If there are any problems that I have not discussed, then you can think of a way to resolve them by yourselves. In this matter, I have fulfilled My responsibility. Suppose someone says, “We have not yet received the answer we want; are those rumors true or false? Please give us a clear answer.” Even if I give you a clear answer, what problem could it resolve? That’s why I say you should find this answer by yourselves. I have no comment on this. It all depends on whether you have discernment. Those who have obtained the truth will never be misled. In fact, these rumors have revealed many people. Those who have believed in God for years but have not obtained the truth have all been revealed—this is God’s wisdom. This is My answer. Do you understand? (Yes.) So, what is it that I want to tell you? What I want to say is all in the volumes of The Word Appears in the Flesh and in all the sermons. These words are what I want to say to you. Aren’t they enough? (They are.) If some people still insist, saying, “Then, regarding the rumors, do You have any answer?” I say no, I still have no comment. I’ve already said a lot of what I want to say in all the sermons. If you are willing to seek the truth, and you can accept and abide by these words, then your problems will be resolved. If you do not accept these words, then your problems will forever remain problems. I have fulfilled My responsibility; it has nothing to do with Me anymore. Have you heard clearly? (Yes.)

Let us continue to fellowship on the subject of “How to Pursue the Truth.” During this period, we are still discussing content related to “letting go” within “How to Pursue the Truth,” talking about the major topic of “letting go of the barriers between oneself and God and one’s hostility toward God.” The first aspect of this topic is letting go of one’s notions and imaginings about God. In this aspect, we have discussed people’s notions and imaginings about God’s work, which involves a relatively complex issue: the distinctions between innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions. There are many details in this. When people face issues in daily life, they always confuse concepts and cannot distinguish clearly just which category some issue belongs to or how to differentiate them. For example, regarding certain manifestations, people cannot distinguish whether they relate to humanity or innate conditions. And for some other manifestations, people cannot tell whether they are issues related to corrupt dispositions or humanity. People cannot distinguish these matters. People often regard certain problems and flaws of innate conditions as corrupt dispositions, or regard certain defects and problems of humanity as corrupt dispositions. Sometimes, even when it’s a revelation of a corrupt disposition, they instead regard it as a revelation of an innate condition that cannot change. Therefore, people often feel very unclear about issues of innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions during the process of believing in God, and cannot distinguish them. Last time, we fellowshipped on a part of this and of course gave some examples, but I feel it was not specific enough. Today, we will take the issues within these three categories and fellowship on them more specifically. I will talk about some specific manifestations and examples, and then you will discern which category they belong to: innate conditions, humanity, or corrupt dispositions. If you cannot discern them, we will explore them together. How does that sound? (Good.) Last time, we fellowshipped a bit more on innate conditions, so your discernment in this regard is of course somewhat clearer. However, there are still some things that are relatively borderline or similar to aspects within humanity, and people still cannot distinguish whether they should be categorized under innate conditions or humanity. I will propose some manifestations or some behaviors and actions, and then you will say which aspect they should be categorized under. What is the benefit of fellowshipping in this way? Once you know which aspect some manifestation belongs to, you will know how to approach it and how to handle it.

Let’s start with the first manifestation: being diligent in doing things, meaning one is very hardworking. Which aspect does this belong to? (This is a manifestation of one’s humanity.) Then, is this a merit or a defect of humanity? (A merit of humanity.) Being very diligent and hardworking is a merit of humanity. Being fond of tidiness and cleanliness, and maintaining hygiene—what kind of manifestation is this? (A merit of humanity.) (This is a good living habit, it falls under one’s innate conditions.) Is it an innate condition? Isn’t this a merit and a strong point of one’s humanity? (Yes.) Just now someone said it was an innate condition; this is incorrect. This involves one’s humanity, as well as living habits; it is, of course, also a merit and a strong point of humanity. The next manifestation: Some people are lazy; they like comfort and hate labor, and do not like to work. When not working, they feel particularly at ease, but when they start working, their mood worsens—they become fretful, irritated, and angry. When there is work to do, they feel sluggish, lacking energy, and do not want to work. However, when it comes to eating, drinking, and having fun, they have boundless energy. Laziness—what kind of problem is this? (Bad humanity.) At the very least, this is a defect of humanity, a flaw and a significant problem in humanity. It does not yet rise to the level of bad humanity. If such people like to boss others around and exploit people, making others do the work while not doing any themselves, what kind of problem is this? (Bad humanity.) When asked to do some work, they find all kinds of reasons and excuses to evade it; they simply do not want to work. They do not openly state their intentions but instead use various methods, tactics, or lies and scams, trying to make others do the work while they avoid it to enjoy leisure. What kind of problem is this? (A corrupt disposition, a wicked disposition.) Is it merely a corrupt disposition? People who like to exploit others and boss others around, first of all, have bad humanity and vile character. Secondly, their cunning methods of bossing others around expose their deceitful, wicked disposition. Their manifestations of liking to exploit and boss others around show both that they have bad humanity and that their corrupt disposition is severe—deceitful and wicked. You see, some manifestations merely reflect bad humanity or a certain shortcoming in one’s humanity, and do not rise to the level of corrupt disposition. However, some manifestations, based on the foundation of vile humanity, directly involve corrupt dispositions. Therefore, no manifestation is that simple. Some manifestations do not involve just one issue, but two.

Superficiality—what aspect does this fall under? (This is a defect of humanity.) Correct, this is a defect of humanity. If it is merely about loving to doll oneself up, to make oneself look pretty, and liking to receive compliments about being good-looking, beautiful, handsome, or youthful—wanting others to have a high opinion or positive view of one’s appearance—then this is limited to being an issue of humanity. What sort of issue of humanity? Clearly, it is not a merit but a defect. Some people may say, “Everyone has a love for beauty—how can this be a defect?” So why do I say superficiality is a defect of humanity? Since superficiality is a defect, its manifestations are not legitimate. Superficiality is not about looking proper, dignified, devout, or serious, giving others an impression of dignity and decency; it is not on the level of looking proper, rather it is more excessive and severe than a legitimate focus on looking proper. When people are superficial, they pay particular attention to dolling themselves up and showcasing themselves, getting others to focus on their image, to the point of even being somewhat shameless—in other words, these people are influenced and constrained by appearance in many matters. This is a defect of humanity. For example, some people feel embarrassed to go out without wearing makeup. They feel embarrassed to meet others unless they spray some perfume on themselves. They are always preoccupied with these matters, always wanting to doll themselves up excessively to make other people think highly of them and like them. This is being overly superficial—at this point, it becomes a defect. This defect has already gone beyond the scope and required standards of normal humanity. Being too superficial is a defect of humanity. That concludes our discussion on this manifestation.

The next manifestation is loving to take the limelight. What type of manifestation is this? (It is a shortcoming of one’s humanity; it is liking to push oneself forward, liking to show oneself off.) Then, is there a corrupt disposition within this? (Yes, because if someone loves taking the limelight, they then want to show themselves off, wanting to stand out.) Loving to take the limelight and always wanting to showcase oneself—what kind of problem is this? Is it because they have leadership ability, or because they understand the truth and have a sense of burden? If they have a sense of burden, have work capabilities, and can shoulder an item of work, this is not loving to take the limelight. Then what kind of problem is loving to take the limelight? In one aspect, it is a defect of one’s humanity. People of this type love to take the limelight. Wherever they go they love to show themselves off, afraid that they will not be seen by others. They also speak in quite a showy, exaggerated, and loud way. The more people there are, the more eager they are to speak, always wanting to have a place in the crowd. Loving to take the limelight cannot be considered a manifestation of bad humanity. It does not involve a person’s character, and it is merely a defect of humanity, a kind of flaw or problem. Why do I say it is a flaw or problem of humanity? Because it is a manifestation of lacking reason. These people constantly seek to take the limelight, but are they really capable of shouldering the work? Why do they always want to take the limelight? Is it because they are driven by ambition and desire? Is it because they love status, being exalted, and making themselves the center of attention? Is it because they love having prestige among people, being superior to others, and love leading others? (Yes.) Isn’t the humanity of this kind of person exposed? What kind of humanity is it? It lacks reason. Isn’t this a defect of humanity? (Yes.) In one regard, it is a defect of humanity. In another regard, this kind of person does not just occasionally push themselves forward or show themselves off; rather, because they are driven by ambition and desire, love status, power, and having the final say, they love to take the limelight. So, doesn’t this involve a corrupt disposition as well? (Yes.) What kind of corrupt disposition is this? (An arrogant one.) This is arrogance. What gives them the right to take the limelight? What gives them the right to have the final say and lead others? Some people say, “I understand the truth and I have a sense of burden.” Even if you have a sense of burden, it is still necessary to look at whether you can do real work. It is not the case that just because you have a sense of burden and want to do it, you can actually do it well. There is no logical connection between these two things. Wanting to do it and loving to do it does not mean you can do it or that you are competent in leadership work. You love taking the limelight, you love status—does that mean everyone must elect you? What are the principles for electing church leaders? (It must be based on whether the person has work capability, whether they are someone who pursues the truth, and whether they are a right person.) At the very least, you must be a right person. You must have spiritual understanding, have the ability to comprehend the truth, and also have work capability. Only then do you meet the conditions for being cultivated and become a candidate for cultivation. You must meet all these conditions. If you do not meet any of these conditions, would everyone elect you to be a leader just because you love taking the limelight? That would never happen. So if you always love taking the limelight, always love to show yourself off, isn’t this arrogance? (Yes.) It is arrogance and overestimating oneself. Arrogance, from the perspective of humanity, is a lack of reason. If measured by the truth, this is a corrupt disposition, and it is a satanic disposition. The manifestation of loving to take the limelight is both a defect of humanity and a corrupt disposition, which also involves two issues. Although loving to take the limelight does not reach the level of having poor or bad humanity, it is nevertheless a specific manifestation of lacking reason and also a manifestation of an arrogant disposition. If a person merely loves taking the limelight, and they don’t suppress or torment people, and they don’t use the means of evil people to sow discord or form cliques, then this is only a defect of their humanity. However, if they exhibit the manifestations of evil people or antichrists, and also engage in some evil deeds, then this defect of humanity escalates—what does it become? Poor, terrible, and evil humanity—these aspects are used to characterize such humanity. Additionally, the manifestations of the corrupt dispositions such people reveal include both arrogance and viciousness; of course, there are more specific manifestations as well. So, such people’s humanity should be characterized based on the degree to which they reveal these corrupt dispositions. If they merely love taking the limelight, and they don’t show manifestations of evil humanity—without suppressing or tormenting people, without forming cliques and establishing an independent kingdom in secret, or using unorthodox methods to mislead people and make them obey—then this love of taking the limelight is merely a defect of humanity. But once such evil deeds are committed, this is no longer merely a defect of humanity. What kind of problem is it then? (It is poor, terrible, and evil humanity.) Exactly. It is no longer merely a defect of humanity, but rather, it is evil humanity. A love of taking the limelight is merely a defect of humanity. If such a person has spiritual understanding, a certain caliber, and work capability, would you choose them as a leader? (Yes.) Why would you choose them? (Because they are not an evil person.) Their love of taking the limelight is merely a revelation of a corrupt disposition. There is no element of evil in their love of taking the limelight, and they are not an evil person. As long as they meet the conditions for being a leader, they can be elected and cultivated further. Although loving to take the limelight is a manifestation of having poor reason in humanity, given that they can do work, have work capability, have spiritual understanding, have the ability to comprehend the truth, and in addition they are willing to do some work and be a supervisor, they can be elected. Why can they be elected? Because their humanity is up to standard, as is their caliber. As long as they are not an evil person or an antichrist, they would not torment or suppress people, and they would not try to establish an independent kingdom, they can be elected as a leader. But if their love of taking the limelight contains elements of evil humanity, should such a person be elected? (No.) Before they are even elected as a leader, they already start using devious means, secretly forming cliques, and tampering with votes. In order to achieve their goals, they pull shady maneuvers, and they are even capable of fabricating rumors and speaking ill of some good people who are relatively earnest in their pursuit of the truth and do their duties. They do many things that go against the truth and human morals, committing some evil deeds. Can you elect such a person as a leader? (No.) Why not? (Because their humanity is evil.) To be specific, it is because they are an evil person; they do not meet the principles of God’s house for using people. God’s house does not use evil people. What are the consequences if God’s chosen people fall into the hands of evil people? For one thing, they will be tormented and suppressed. For another, the church will scatter like loose sand and become disorderly. In this case, you would not be doing your duties but serving evil people, being controlled by evil people, and following evil people. What would the consequences of this be? Your hope of gaining salvation would be ruined. Do you understand now? (Yes.) So, if two people both love taking the limelight and both have arrogant corrupt dispositions, on what basis would you choose one to be a leader? (On the basis of their humanity.) That’s right, on the basis of their humanity. The revelations of various corrupt dispositions, like arrogance, deceitfulness, and intransigence, are universal; everyone is the same in this regard. So, where does the distinction lie? In people’s humanity. On the surface, some people are more unrestrained, while some are more conservative; some are relatively muddleheaded and slapdash, while others are relatively shrewd and meticulous. Some are more extroverted and cheerful, while others are more introverted. The external manifestations of people’s personalities differ, and their humanity essence is certainly not the same either. Some people have boundaries of conscience and morality, while others do not. Some are even evil, ruthless, and vicious—they kill without batting an eye and devour people, bones and all. They are capable of doing anything. Therefore, for evil people, tormenting others is nothing to them. If you fall into the hands of evil people, your good days will be over and you will thereafter live in darkness. If someone falls into the hands of evil people, it is the same as falling into the hands of the great red dragon. Have you experienced this? (Yes.) The most prominent and obvious manifestations of evil people in terms of their humanity are evil, viciousness, ruthlessness, an absence of moral boundaries, and no standards of conscience. Judging from their attitude toward God and toward the truth, they do not have a God-fearing heart at all. They are audacious and reckless, daring to do anything, with no boundaries of conscience. Regarding the truth, they do not accept it in the least. On the surface, they can exert effort and endure hardship in their duties, and they can also give alms. However, they do not have the slightest fear in how they treat God and the truth. Whenever it comes to bearing witness to God, bearing witness to God incarnate, bearing witness to God’s identity and essence, bearing witness to God’s deeds, or bearing witness to how God pays a price for humankind and how God uses His heart’s blood and His life to save humankind, they have nothing to say and do not want to speak. In their hearts, they despise God. But when they bear witness to themselves, they have plenty to say and speak endlessly. Loving to take the limelight is merely a defect of humanity. If such people do not commit evil, and have boundaries of conscience and morality, then provided they can understand some truths, they can generally measure matters according to the boundaries of their conscience; their conscience functions. For example, if they find someone of the opposite sex to be to their liking and want to approach them, because they have boundaries of conscience in their humanity and a sense of integrity and shame, they will naturally restrain themselves. Evil people, however, do not care about such things. If they like someone, they will forcibly approach them; if the other party does not consent, they will devise all sorts of ways to torment, subdue, or make trouble for them. People with boundaries of conscience are restrained by their conscience; there are certain transgressions they will not commit and certain lines they will not cross because they have a sense of integrity and shame. If they understand the truth, and their acceptance of it is relatively deep and strong, they will have a God-fearing heart. Because they dread and fear God, they generally will not cross certain lines. Therefore, having someone with boundaries of conscience as a leader is so beneficial for you. At the very least, they will not hurt you, much less hinder you or harm you, and they can also offer you some provision and help. Evil people, however, are different. They do not merely use words to mislead you; they also employ various methods to torment you, oppress you, and trample on you. If you do not obey them, do not listen to them, or have an argument with them over something, they will not only attack you but also condemn you, embarrass you, and even seek to subdue you. In this way, you will fall completely into their hands. The greatest difference between ordinary corrupt humans and evil people lies in whether their humanity is good or evil, and whether their conscience functions. Evil people have no conscience, so they also have no sense of integrity or shame and are capable of committing any kind of bad deed. Ordinary corrupt humans, while their humanity also has defects and flaws, are restrained by conscience and reason, so there are many kinds of lines they are incapable of crossing. Even if they do not believe in God, they will not commit certain obvious evils; they are incapable of committing such acts as sexual immorality or theft, for instance. Think about it: Before you believed in God, while you were in the world, could you engage in promiscuity if someone let you? What does promiscuity refer to? It refers to having multiple sexual partners, even being involved with several people of the opposite sex at the same time, without feeling any sense of wrongdoing or inner accusation. Could you do such a thing? (No.) Look at those promiscuous women, prostitutes, and lechers—they can do such things. Aren’t you different from these people? (Yes.) Where does the difference lie? It lies in whether one has the conscience and reason of humanity. Conscience and reason give you a sense of integrity and shame, so you will not commit acts of promiscuity and you have a standard: “Conducting oneself that way is not good; I will not be that kind of person. I will draw a clear line between myself and those people. Even if I were beaten to death, I would not engage in promiscuity.” If sold into that kind of situation, some people would say, “I would rather die than become that kind of person!” Some people endure humiliation and injustice, reluctantly going along with it, but they are unwilling in their hearts and will seize any opportunity to get out of the situation. Others, however, will seek out that kind of setting themselves, even if others try to stop them. They do it even if they earn no money from it—they simply enjoy engaging in promiscuity, and couldn’t care less whether it’s profitable. Aren’t these two types of people different? (Yes.) This is precisely the difference between people’s humanity. The difference in humanity is crucial. If you can see through the differences in the manifestations of humanity among different types of people, then you will be able to discern people. Therefore, evaluating a person cannot be entirely based on their corrupt disposition or on their manifestations and revelations for a short time or in one incident. Rather, the kind of person they truly are must be evaluated based on their humanity and their nature essence. That concludes our discussion of the manifestation of loving to take the limelight.

Let’s move on to another manifestation. Some people do things methodically, with a mental outline, and in an orderly manner; they can determine what to do first and what to do later through thought and consideration. They follow steps and have plans rather than doing things rashly. No matter what they do, they follow steps, even for the simplest task like washing clothes. They separate the clothes by color, washing dark and light items separately; they know how much water and detergent to use based on the amount of laundry, avoiding waste—all of this is planned, so organized, meticulous, and economical. What kind of manifestation is this? (This is a merit and a strong point of humanity.) Then can this merit represent that this kind of person has good humanity? (No.) This is merely a merit and a strong point of their humanity. It does not rise to the level of involving one’s character or the principles of self-conduct, nor does it involve a corrupt disposition. It is simply a lifestyle habit or an attitude toward life. Some people do things with a mental outline, with a plan; they can grasp patterns, and when the task is done, others find it satisfactory. These are people with good caliber. But for those with poor caliber, it’s different—they do everything disorderedly and chaotically, without a mental outline or planning, in a totally haphazard way that ends in a complete mess. What kind of problem is this? (A defect of humanity.) What does this defect of humanity involve? (Extremely poor caliber.) Such people with extremely poor caliber are simply referred to as brainless. Some people, when I say to them, “Are you pig-brained? How can you not understand such a simple thing?” respond with, “I’m brainless.” What does it mean to be “brainless”? It means having no caliber or poor caliber—this is a problem of caliber. What does this issue come under? Isn’t this an innate condition? (Yes.) If someone is innately brainless, is there any point in training them? Such people approach everything without planning or a mental outline. A simple task takes them all day, delaying important matters. This is having no caliber or having poor caliber. Nonbelievers often describe people with bad humanity as having no caliber. For example, when someone sees another person littering, being unhygienic, or shouting loudly in public, disturbing others who are studying or resting, they might say that person has no caliber. To Me, this is not understanding behavioral norms and lacking humanity—how can this be called having no caliber? Does “no caliber” refer to this? What does “caliber” refer to? It refers to the efficiency and effectiveness in doing things—this is called caliber. So, are people who do things without a mental outline of poor caliber? (Yes.) This is also a defect of humanity. Is this defect innate? Is it easy to change? Can it be changed through training? Can a pig be made to climb a tree? A pig is not cut out for that—it doesn’t have the caliber. Lacking a mental outline in doing things is a problem of caliber.

Doing things with a strong start but a weak finish—what kind of issue does this fall under? (A defect of one’s humanity.) This is a defect of one’s humanity. Some people, when beginning an undertaking, plan it quite well, initiate some grand moves, gather a group of people, create reports, assign tasks, and even make big statements of resolve, but as they proceed, all this evaporates, and they don’t follow up, supervise, or inspect what’s going on. If no one who understands the truth is there to provide supervision and guidance, the undertaking may fizzle out entirely, or undesirable consequences may even arise, leaving the work in total disarray. There are also people who can speak doctrines quite lucidly and clearly, but when it comes to actually doing things, they have no idea how to proceed and no concrete plan. When special circumstances or unexpected situations emerge, they do not know how to handle them, nor do they fellowship with others, or seek from or consult those above them. When they begin doing something, they seem confident and they make a grand start, as if they are about to accomplish something significant, but as they proceed, they lose enthusiasm and run off—it’s as if they vanish into thin air. When someone asks them, “What are you working on now? How is that task coming along?” they reply, “It’s not going to get done.” Yet they fail to report in a timely manner that they cannot get things done, delaying things for two or three months with no results. Isn’t this infuriating? (It is.) Such people are truly detestable! This kind of person has another problem in addition to doing things with a strong start but a weak finish: Everything they do becomes increasingly chaotic the more they do it. At first, they may have some mental outline, some ideas, and a bit of structure, but as they continue, their thoughts become muddled. They lose sight of why they started the task or what results they are supposed to achieve. When someone advises them to do some seeking, they say, “There’s no need to seek anything. Let’s just keep doing it this way—in any case, no one is sitting idle.” You see, they start off doing things with great momentum, like rolling thunder. But as they proceed, things trail off into nothing. It’s just all thunder and no rain—no results at all. If you don’t ask about, follow up on, or inspect the task, they’ll let it fizzle out unfinished, without even giving a report. Where did the resolve they expressed at the beginning go? It’s been forgotten. What about the initial plan they wrote? Gone without a trace. And those ideas they had at first? They’ve disappeared; they’ve been forgotten. This is just the sort of creature they are! This type of person, when you see their initial enthusiasm, seems like a real doer. But in actuality, they are utterly useless; they are simply not someone who does things in a down-to-earth manner; they are a restless person. They are only willing to take the limelight, but do not want to endure hardship and fear taking responsibility. Everything they do is left unfinished. What kind of humanity do such people have? (Poor humanity.) Tell Me, can this kind of person accomplish anything? (They cannot.) They always start strong but finish weak, in complete chaos—this is their style. No matter what duty they are doing, they start off quite enthusiastically, listening to music and humming along. But after a while, they lose interest and just drop the work and quit. What sort of creatures are they? Aren’t such people detestable? (Yes.) They recklessly take on tasks they know they might not be capable of accomplishing, trying to display their competence, bragging, and making big claims—don’t they know their own capabilities? If they can’t do the job or deliver results, why don’t they just say so? They shouldn’t delay things! Instead, they stay silent, holding up your work while trying to hoodwink you. Aren’t they of low character? (Yes.) Their character is far too low! Can such people be entrusted with handling things? (No.) Are they worthy of trust? (No.) Such people are untrustworthy. If they give you their word, would you dare to believe them? (No.) What kind of people are they? Aren’t they frauds? (Yes.) Although they don’t deceive you for financial gain or for sexual purposes, their way of conducting themselves and handling things is so detestable and loathsome. So, what is the root cause of why these people are so loathsome? They are of low character, do not know their place in their self-conduct, love to talk big, love to display whatever competence they believe they have, love to take the limelight, and love to show themselves off. They never stick to anything they do. At the same time, they overestimate themselves, and are ignorant of their own stature and what kind of tasks they can handle. Yet they still try to display their competence, boldly taking on any kind of important work. After taking it on, even when they don’t do it well and delay major matters, they remain indifferent; as long as they have the limelight, it’s fine for them. Aren’t they base, low people? (Yes.) Then don’t these people have very poor humanity? (Yes.) If you encounter such a person, would you dare to entrust them with major or important things? (No.) For example, if you have to go out to preach the gospel and you need someone to look after your young child, what kind of person should you look for to help? Would you dare to choose someone like this, who has no sense of responsibility, cannot stay the course, and is untrustworthy? (No.) Why not? Because they might lose your child. If you ask them how your child got lost, they’ll say, “I don’t know. I just dozed off for a moment, and the child was gone. How can you blame me for that? The child has legs and can walk on their own—they weren’t tied to me. You can’t blame me!” They even shirk responsibility! Isn’t this a shameless scoundrel? (Yes.) Matters of life and death absolutely cannot be entrusted to such people. In their self-conduct, they are restless, and they have no integrity or dignity. When problems arise, they have the nerve to resort to shamelessness and deny things. Although doing things with a strong start but a weak finish is merely a defect of humanity, this particular defect is an extremely serious issue—it is an issue of integrity. Some people love to take the limelight, and eagerly take on tasks, but they do not dare to take responsibility. As soon as they encounter difficulties, they immediately shirk the responsibility and distance themselves from the situation. They are completely irresponsible. They are also particularly restless and cannot stick to anything they do. When it gets as bad as this, it is no longer merely a defect of humanity—it is a matter of having a truly low character and poor humanity. Why do I say that such people have poor humanity? It is because they are untrustworthy—you wouldn’t dare to entrust them with anything. No matter what task you entrust to them, they agree readily, but the moment you turn around, they disappear, and you have no idea what they’re up to. It might even be several days before you see them again. If you don’t ask them how the task is progressing, they won’t report back to you, acting as if nothing happened. What sort of creatures are they? They are utterly irresponsible! They even fail the test and cannot be trusted when it comes to something minor like this. What else do you think they could possibly accomplish? (Nothing at all.) If you entrust them with looking after a child, problems could arise at any moment. The child might fall and get injured, eat something they shouldn’t, or, when going outside to play, wander off or be abducted by bad people—all of these are possible outcomes. Because they are irresponsible and of extremely low character, and they observe no boundaries of conscience in everything they do and act solely to satisfy their own selfish desires, ignoring everything else. When you entrust them with a task, they feel that refusing might make you lose face; in consideration of their own pride and to satisfy their vanity, they agree, but afterward, they take no responsibility whatsoever. They talk the big talk while failing to carry out the task well. This is what it means to be untrustworthy. Are such people good? (No.) Can people who do things with a strong start but a weak finish be elected as leaders? (No.) Why not? (They could damage the work of God’s house.) Exactly. When they speak and make promises, they seem to have what it takes, and people are willing to trust those who can talk big. But when it comes to actually doing things, their actions are unpredictable. Even if they mess up, they won’t inform you; and if any problems arise, they won’t give you an explanation of what happened. You are eagerly hoping for them to handle things well, but they end up making a mess of it and are even completely indifferent about this, not regarding what you entrusted them with as a serious matter at all. In their actions, they tend to be restless. Some of them do things solely based on their own interests, hobbies, and curiosity; some of them love to attract attention and only do things to attract attention and be seen. Such people are restless and irresponsible, and they are incapable of doing things in a down-to-earth manner. This is quite troublesome. This still hasn’t touched on whether they have spiritual understanding, can accept the truth, are submissive, or are people who pursue the truth—this still hasn’t touched on these aspects. Purely in terms of their humanity, such people are untrustworthy. Can such people be elected as leaders? (No.) People whose humanity is not up to standard do not even have value for cultivation. Why not? Because their character is too low—they lack even basic integrity and dignity. Therefore, they are not qualified either to be leaders or to be cultivated as leaders.

Next, let’s discuss being cautious in doing things. What kind of manifestation is this? (It is a merit of humanity.) Being cautious in doing things, not being reckless, and when matters arise, being able to approach them calmly and seek the truth—this is a merit of humanity. In this evil society, amid various groups of people with complex backgrounds, you need to approach with caution the emergence of various people, events, and things. Even when you are doing your duty in God’s house, there are some complex situations among the various things that you encounter, and you should approach them with caution. For example, when you encounter evil people causing disturbances while you are doing your duty, you should first learn discernment, and then approach the situation according to the truth principles. This is an attitude you should have toward your duty. What does being cautious in doing things involve? It involves a person’s reason. When you encounter matters you cannot see through, you need to be cautious. Even if you understand some truths, when you still cannot see through to the underlying essence and root cause of certain special matters, do you need to be cautious? (Yes.) Such situations even more so require you to be cautious. Being cautious is not being conservative or taking little steps, nor is it not daring to act or being afraid to take responsibility—it doesn’t refer to these things. The caution spoken of here refers to a merit of humanity. What are the specific manifestations of caution? It is when, while doing something, you first seek the truth principles, and then seek the specific steps of practice, specific path of practice, and desired outcomes for that task or that work. That is, you approach important matters and your own duty with a careful and cautious heart. Of course, some people are also particularly cautious when they approach various issues that they encounter in their daily lives; they are not careless, but instead incredibly cautious. This is not a bad thing; it can also be called a merit of humanity, not a shortcoming. Caution can be said to be a merit of humanity; having a cautious attitude can only benefit people, and it will absolutely not constrain or bind people in any way. If you dare not speak when matters arise, if you dare not do anything or interact with anyone—if you’re afraid of a falling leaf hitting your head—then this is being excessively cautious. Living in your own little world all the time, passing your days in an overly wary fashion—is this caution? (No.) Being afraid that if you go out shopping you’ll be cheated, being afraid that if you open up a store you’ll lose money, being afraid that if you buy a house it’ll end up being a stigmatized property, being afraid that if you buy a computer it’ll have viruses—being so bound by excessive fear that you dare not do anything and find it difficult to take a single step—these are definitely not manifestations of the kind of caution we’re speaking about here. These manifestations indicate that a person is ignorant, useless and timid, immature, and devoid of the ability to live independently. They are manifestations of poor caliber. That is to say, when such individuals are faced with this evil society and complex groups of people, they have no countermeasures whatsoever. They are always worried, fearful, and so afraid that they shrink back and don’t dare move forward. Either they are afraid of being tricked and cheated, or they are afraid of being harmed or murdered. They dare not interact with anyone or handle any matters. When they go to work, they are afraid that they won’t be paid their wages. Some women even dare not work for fear of being mistreated. Some people dare not even leave their homes, fearing they might encounter bad people, and they are afraid that if they buy things they will be robbed of them. In short, they are afraid of everything. Isn’t this being excessively cautious? This is being overly wary. Aren’t they crazy? Some people have this kind of mindset, they worry all day about this and that, and the result is that they dare not handle any matters or go out to meet people, and they can only stay at home. What kind of person are they? (A crazy one.) They are crazy; they are abnormal, they are a non-human. Lacking any ability to make judgments, having no principles or minimum standards in anything they do, this kind of person is a beast reincarnated, they do not have normal humanity, and their being overly wary is not caution. What does caution refer to? Caution means doing things in a measured, methodical, and rule-abiding manner, and, on the foundation of this principle, acting quite rigorously, and, when things happen, being calm, not hasty, reckless, or impulsive, and being able to seek the truth principles and seek out wise methods. This is called caution, and only this caution is a merit of humanity.

Loving to talk big and brag—there are many such people. This is also a trend of evil society. Many people speak with exaggeration, heedlessly make things up, and shoot off at the mouth. What they say does not align with the facts at all and they talk a lot of hot air. They still believe themselves to be capable, not having any sense of integrity and shame. Are such people worthy of trust? (No.) Do such people have integrity or dignity? (No.) Such people have no integrity and dignity, are not worthy of respect, and are not trustworthy. Then, can they be entrusted with handling important matters? (No.) So, what kind of problem is loving to brag? (It is a defect of one’s humanity.) It is a defect of humanity, but you also have to look at this person’s humanity—whether their humanity is evil and whether they can accept positive things. If they are merely scummy and, influenced by their family life or the social environment over many years, have developed a bad habit of loving to brag and talk big, speaking irresponsibly and without considering consequences, then this is merely a defect of their humanity. They are not bad; they are just at the level of being severely scummy. If such a person, besides loving to brag, also acts in quite a domineering and vicious way in interacting with others, and their purpose in talking big and bragging is to suppress others and make the things they brag about and exaggerate seem loftier than, better than, and high above the things that other people have done or possess, then this is no longer a problem of them being scummy. What kind of problem is it? (It is the problem of evil humanity.) This is the problem of evil humanity. So, is there a corrupt disposition involved here? (Yes.) What kind of corrupt disposition? (A vicious one.) They have an arrogant, vicious disposition. Some people love to brag simply because they are severely scummy. This is caused by their living habits and living environment. They simply do not understand what it means to speak truthfully, speak from the heart, discuss real situations, or talk about life and proper matters. They lack this awareness. Such education is absent in their family and school environments, and even more absent after they enter society. As a result, their innate scumminess is very severe. They are flippant and lack a proper demeanor, and just love to talk big and brag to show off and get others to think highly of them. In their hearts, they have no other ambitions, desires, or needs. If they only exhibit these manifestations, this is merely scumminess; this is a defect of their humanity. But if their bragging has an aim, and through bragging they present themselves as being highly capable and exceptionally able, as well as superior to, distinct from, and high above ordinary people, then this is no longer a problem of being scummy. Their love of bragging is guided by specific thinking, driven by a craving for status, ambition, and desire. They use bragging as a way to suppress and impress others, making others feel inferior to and not as good as them, and be deferential toward and obey them. This is the evil of their humanity. Their love of bragging is aimed at gaining the upper hand: “Whatever you have, I have too. Whatever you can do, I can do too. Whatever you know, I know too. Whatever you have seen, I have seen too. I am not inferior to you!” It is even the case that if you have eaten a particular food, they, despite obviously never having eaten it, will claim they have—and not only that, they will say they have eaten more of it, and that the food they ate was better than the food you ate. They will brag even about things that just didn’t happen. What is the purpose of their bragging? It is to outshine you, to compete with you, and to make you feel that they are better than you, that they are every bit as good as you. They are driven by an ambition and desire. So, is the manifestation of humanity that is driven by such ambition and desire merely scumminess, or is it evil humanity? (It’s evil humanity.) Is there a corrupt disposition involved here? (Yes.) Being driven by ambition and desire—this is a corrupt disposition. What kind of corrupt disposition? (Arrogance and viciousness.) Exactly. There are these two types of corrupt disposition: arrogance and viciousness. Additionally, there is also a bit of wickedness. That is, whatever you say, they always mull it over in their hearts, always try to make something out of it, and always approach it with wicked thoughts and extreme ideas. For example, if you say, “My family’s car is a Toyota; it’s a Japanese car,” they say, “Japanese cars are no good. German cars are better. The German car I used to drive not only had excellent performance but also ran for over ten years without breaking down—that’s far better than your car!” They absolutely have to outdo you. You say, “I didn’t even graduate from high school,” they say, “I graduated from high school. You’re jealous of me, aren’t you?” In reality, they didn’t even graduate from middle school, but they still want to outdo you. They enjoy the feeling of others being jealous of them, thinking highly of them, and looking up to them. You see, their response to information they receive from anyone is always wicked and extreme. They lack the thinking of normal humanity. A normal person, upon hearing that someone else has something good, might say, “That’s great you have that. Could you tell me about its specific features and advantages? I’d like to learn more about it.” Someone with normal humanity would respond in this way. But people who love to brag do not have normal humanity. They think, “Why should you have that and I don’t? Even if I don’t have it, I still need to say I do, and what’s more, I need to say mine is better than yours!” If you ask them to take it out and show you, they’ll say, “I won’t let you see it!” when actually they don’t have it at all. Is this wicked? (Yes.) In other words, when anything happens to them, or when they see or receive any information, their response is always extreme, inconsistent with humanity, and wicked, so there is also some wickedness in their disposition. To put it another way, when you converse or fellowship with them normally, and you feel you haven’t said anything that could provoke an unwarranted mental reaction, their mind is already filled with a multitude of thoughts. They are already jealous of you, and defiant and hateful toward you, while also wanting to suppress you. Their mind is consumed with these things. Wouldn’t you say this is wicked? (Yes.) Wicked people are not pure. Most of the expressions, words, and actions they reveal are inconsistent with the conscience and reason of normal humanity. It is possible that there is some aggression in their words; aside from containing aggression, some of their words may be untrue, and some may be boasts. This is because they have wicked thoughts within them, and, driven by these wicked thoughts, the words they speak are all lies, all originating from Satan and devils. Such people have no humanity; they are non-human. People who love to brag and talk big can be divided into two types. They should be characterized based on the essence of their humanity. That is, one must look at whether they are scummy and whether their humanity is evil to judge what problem they have. If they have evil humanity and are severely scummy, capable of committing many evil deeds, then they are not good people and should be characterized as evil people. However, if they merely engage in a bit of talking big and have a bit of scumminess, but cannot bring themselves to do any bad things, still have some conscience and reason, and can also do some good things, then they can still be considered people with good humanity. This is not a major issue, and if their caliber is good, they may even be elected to be supervisors or leaders or workers. Even though these two types of people all talk big and love to brag, it comes down to whether their humanity is good or evil. If they are merely scummy, this is a defect of their humanity and does not involve a corrupt disposition. However, if their bragging has intent and ambition behind it, then it indicates evil humanity, and does involve a corrupt disposition. In terms of their humanity, it is evil; the corrupt dispositions this involves are arrogance, wickedness, or viciousness. It involves both poor character and corrupt dispositions, doesn’t it? (Yes.)

Let’s discuss another manifestation: carelessness. Being careless in everything one does—what aspect does this fall under? (A defect of one’s humanity.) Such people view everything in a rough and general way, unable to grasp the key points. Everything they do is slipshod. They cannot do meticulous work, such as text-based work or document management. They cannot handle tasks that require precision either. When making clothes, they sometimes sew pant legs where the sleeves should go, sometimes make long sleeves into short ones, or make a 26-inch waist into a 24-inch waist. They make the clothing either too large or too small. No matter what they do, they are always so careless, so reckless, and so clumsy that they can’t get anything done well. Just how careless can they be? When going out to take care of something, they can even forget the things they are supposed to bring. For instance, when meeting a lawyer for a lawsuit, they forget to bring their ID card, as well as the evidence the lawyer requested. They leave behind many things. Sometimes, they don’t even know where they’ve placed their important belongings and don’t make an effort to remember. As a result, they often lose and forget stuff, and the things they do and their daily life are a complete mess. Such people are never earnest in how they treat their work or their duty. Whatever they do is always cursory and slapdash—they only ever get a rough impression of matters they observe, only ever get a rough understanding of words they hear, only ever say things in rough and general terms, and only ever retain a rough outline of things in their memory. As a result, they are unable to handle important or confidential work; they are not suited for such tasks. If their carelessness only involves their personal life or hygiene, without affecting other people or any important matters, then it is merely a defect of their humanity—whatever problems arise, they can just take responsibility themselves and that’s that. However, if it involves duty, important work, someone’s fate and prospects, whether someone stays or leaves, and so on, then such people are unsuitable for handling these matters because they are too careless. For one thing, they are not meticulous in these matters; they only take a rough look, being too lazy to use their brains or put in the thought and energy to handle them. For another, their style and approach to doing things are consistently cursory and slapdash, and they often lose and forget stuff. If this only involves their personal life, it is not a major problem. However, if it involves important work or confidential matters, they can mess things up or even cause a major disaster. For example, someone urgently needs to go to Paris, but due to their carelessness, they buy a plane ticket to Rome instead. They even feel quite pleased, saying, “The ticket I bought today was so cheap!” Others look at it and say, “Of course it’s cheap—you were supposed to go to Paris, why did you buy a ticket to Rome?” This is being far too careless! Such people view everything with a dismissive and perfunctory attitude. They just take a single glance at something to get a rough idea of it and that’s the end of it. This is precisely the kind of irresponsible attitude they have. Of course, this attitude is also characterized by not wanting to put their hearts into anything and by laziness—they are too lazy to put their hearts into anything, to use their brains, or to apply thought when handling any matter. Careless people like this are unsuitable for important work, especially tasks involving text-based work, document management, or work involving confidential professional skills. Then, if such people become leaders, can they be up to the task? (No. Their work is never done properly; it’s always done roughly and in broad strokes, and it’s always left incomplete. They cannot do real work.) Such people lack detail in their work; they are always cursory and slapdash, handling things in a superficial, perfunctory manner. Their words are also always vague, and they tend to use terms like “roughly,” “perhaps,” “likely,” or “possibly.” Such people cannot accomplish anything. Many items of work in God’s house, such as administrative work, personnel work, work related to church life, and gospel work, involve specific details. When faced with detailed work, such careless people get a headache and feel confused, and they feel stifled; they are unwilling to engage in such detailed work. They have this lazy attitude, so when it comes to doing work, they always think, “Doing a rough job is fine; after all, this is close enough to what the work arrangements say.” They always maintain this “close enough is fine” attitude—can the work be done well like this? (No.) When they assess people, they also do so roughly—they assess leaders and workers roughly, and they assess the supervisors of each team roughly too. When someone asks, “How long has that supervisor believed in God?” they reply, “More than three years, it seems.” But a person who has believed in God for three years might not even have established a foundation yet—can such a person be reliable as a supervisor? Careless people simply cannot see through this. That’s why their speech is always peppered with terms like “roughly,” “likely,” “perhaps,” “possibly,” and “it seems”; they simply never use precise wording. When someone asks, “Has he ever served as a leader while believing in God?” they respond, “Seems like he hasn’t, because I haven’t heard him mention it.” You see, they never treat anything scrupulously. If you press them for details, they simply rely on feelings and impressions. They won’t say, “I’ll immediately go ask about it and confirm.” They just don’t treat it scrupulously. In everything, they consider it fine as long as it’s “roughly right” or “close enough.” Some people say, “Why should one have to live so meticulously?” While this is true in one regard—for matters related to fleshly life, you can be a bit rough—when it comes to church work, you cannot be rough. Being rough in work impacts its results. Good results in any item of work are only ever achieved because of specific planning, arrangements, follow-ups, supervision and urging. If tasks are carried out in a rough, cursory manner, no work can ever yield results. Therefore, carelessness is a defect of one’s humanity, and such careless people are not up to important work; in particular, they are not up to doing the work of leaders and workers. No matter what the matter is, such people only ever hear a rough outline and then assume they understand it. For example, in the work of establishing churches, how to establish a church, how many people are required to establish one church, how many churches form a district, how many districts form a region—the work arrangements of God’s house have specific rules for all of these, with additional specific rules for special circumstances too. However, careless people neither seek nor try to learn about these rules, yet still claim to know how to proceed. When asked to provide details, they respond, “It’s just establishing churches. Once there is a certain number of people, you establish one.” But when asked, “How specifically should it be established?” they don’t know and cannot provide the details. If they are a new leader and don’t yet know how to establish a church, that would be understandable. The problem is that they don’t know but they also aren’t scrupulous about it, and don’t study, and don’t seek either. Can such people do church work well? (No.) For such people, we have only two words—“step down!” They are not up to leadership work. No work is more complex than work involving people. If you lack a cautious and responsible heart, and your work is rough and not done meticulously, then no matter how good your caliber is, you will still not be up to the role. Being too careless, doing everything only roughly, focusing only on the outline, focusing only on going through the motions, not focusing on details, not knowing to treat things scrupulously—this all means you are absolutely not up to the work of leaders and workers. Understood? (Yes.)

Carelessness is a defect of humanity. Then, being meticulous and scrupulous in doing things, and also being able to grasp the core, key points, being able to identify where problems lie and see through to the essence of problems—is this a merit of humanity? (Yes.) The attitude of meticulous people in doing things is fairly proper; they are quite meticulous and earnest in doing things, they are able to quiet themselves and not be rash—this is a merit of humanity. Although a person possessing this merit of humanity can undertake full-time work, if they are too slow in doing things and the efficiency of their work is not high, then the results will not be very good. What does this involve? It involves caliber, one of the innate conditions. Do you think that anyone who is meticulous can necessarily do good work? This view is incorrect. Some people are too meticulous in doing things, to the point of being a bit neurotic. For example, when washing vegetables, they wash the front side of the leaves and then the back side, remove every yellow leaf, and cut out every insect hole, ensuring that the vegetables are washed completely clean. Being very meticulous in doing things is a merit of humanity, but if one is excessively meticulous to the point of being unprincipled, and doing overly trivial things, then it becomes unnecessary and inefficient. This indicates poor caliber, being unable to accomplish things, and being incapable of shouldering work. Some people who are meticulous in doing things grasp the principles, grasp the core, key points, act quickly and nimbly, with swift judgment, and are able to solve problems rapidly—this is having good caliber. Being meticulous in doing things does not equate to being efficient in doing things, nor does it equate to achieving good results in doing things. It only means being able to remain focused patiently, being quiet, not being rash, and not being ostentatious, and not being reckless. At most, this is only a merit of humanity, and falls short of good caliber. Some people are quite meticulous in doing things, appearing quite conscientious, neither rushed nor flustered, and quite quiet. However, they are inefficient in handling matters, unable to prioritize things based on importance and urgency. They latch onto some insignificant task and work on it endlessly, making others feel anxious and exasperated, wanting desperately to give them a good kick. They work too slowly, with no efficiency at all—they are simply good-for-nothings! A person with normal survival ability works ten or twenty times faster than them. They do things too slowly, and no matter how much they do, they cannot find a method, cannot find principles, don’t have the knack, and lack efficiency. A task that should take one hour can take them a whole day, a task that should take one day can take them five days, and a task that should take five days can take them ten days, which makes you feel both angry and exasperated watching them. Some women are sluggish in handling matters. Knowing full well that they need to go out to take care of something soon, they still insist on washing their hair. In washing their hair, they can’t find a method. Instead of washing all their hair at once, they wash it strand by strand, and after half an hour they are still not finished. Aren’t they crazy? Because of washing their hair, they end up delaying proper matters. The more pressing the matters are, the less urgency they feel, and they even focus on handling those insignificant matters, delaying the important ones without feeling anxious or worked up. If you urge them, they even have a pile of excuses: “How can I just leave these proper things undone?” When you see such people, what do you think to yourself? You would want to give them a kick so badly. Don’t such people deserve to be kicked? (Yes.) For people like this, even if there is work to be done, there is no need to have them do it. They work too slowly and are too inept! When you see such people, who do things at a snail’s pace, do you feel anxious? (Yes.) They say, “I am meticulous in my work!” I say, “What use is your meticulousness? Others are not much less meticulous than you, but they do more work than you and do it better. Can your meticulousness achieve results? This is the key. If you are meticulous in doing things and also achieve efficiency and good results, then that meticulousness has value. But if you are just meticulous in doing things and in the end achieve neither results nor efficiency, is that useful? It’s useless!” Some people are extremely meticulous in making clothes, but they can never get the sizes right. They cannot judge accurately whether the clothes would suit the intended wearer, they cannot tell if the sleeves are too long or too short, or if the clothes are too tight or too loose, they don’t know the standard cuff width, and they don’t know if the collar is suitable. The clothes made by such people will certainly not be up to standard. If one is both meticulous and principled, this truly is a merit of humanity. But if one is merely meticulous and has no principles, is unable to grasp the key points, and always makes a fuss over trivial matters and pointlessly ruminates on them, this is annoying. The word “meticulous” is generally considered a positive term by most people, but not all instances of meticulousness are merits. It depends on the situation. Some people are meticulous in a blind way without any principles. This is not meticulousness but being neurotic and unable to grasp the key points; it indicates poor caliber, and it’s being unable to find a knack for doing things and unable to grasp the principles. Therefore, in My view, although meticulousness as a manifestation or way of doing things is a merit of humanity, you also need to look at the caliber of the person. If caliber is not taken into account, then having a meticulous attitude in doing things is nevertheless good. If one has both caliber and efficiency in doing things, and can abide by principles, and is meticulous on top of that, this meticulousness is truly the icing on the cake and genuinely a merit of humanity.

Let’s talk about another manifestation: loving to show off. What kind of issue does this fall under? (Corrupt dispositions.) For example, some people type very quickly. In order to let others know they have this strength, they intentionally hit the keyboard very loudly, as if to say, “Just listen to the rhythm of my typing, and you’ll know how fast I type!” Some people are university graduates, so they habitually say things like, “Back when we were in university,” “our university professors,” “our university campus,” and so on. What kind of manifestation is this? (Showing off.) This is called showing off. Some people buy a new car and are afraid others won’t know it’s a high-end famous brand. After getting out of the car, they don’t leave but instead one moment they are looking to see if there are fingerprints on the windows, and the next moment they are checking whether there are scratches on the paintwork. Why do they keep hanging around the car? It’s just to let others know that the car is theirs. What kind of manifestation is this? (Showing off.) Some people have a high-end phone. To let others see it, even when the phone is out of power, they still pretend to be on a call. What is this called? (Showing off.) Why do they show off? Isn’t vanity at play here? Some people wear a mink coat, and even after entering a very warm room, they don’t take it off. When someone asks them, “Aren’t you hot?” they reply, “No. I’m wearing mink—it’s very warm!” They assume others don’t know anything about it! When taking it off, they make sure to flash the label, parading it to people: “Not only is this coat mink, it’s also from Such-and-such, a high-end designer brand. You don’t even know it!” If others don’t know it, what are you even showing off? Isn’t that showing off for nothing? Some people even parade themselves to Me, saying, “You’re wearing a duck down jacket? You should wear a mink coat—it’s very warm!” I say, “It is warm, but that coat is very heavy!” They wear a mink coat and even parade themselves before Me. Tell Me, aren’t such people who love to show off shallow? In terms of their humanity, they have two problems. One is that they are particularly superficial. When it comes to external possessions and material things like the food they eat, the clothes they wear, and the items they use, they want to make a show of all of them. They cannot suppress the desire to show off and always want to display these things to others, letting others know that the clothes they wear and the things they use are all high-end and exceptional. What does it matter if others know? Even if others see it and don’t think highly of them, they still make a show of it. Isn’t this shallow? (Yes.) They’re shallow and childish—this is the other problem with people who love to show off. Tell Me, what can they gain from showing off like that? Is it just to make their presence felt? Is this necessary? Isn’t it superfluous? (Yes.) Back in the 1980s and 1990s, if the soles of someone’s leather shoes wore down unevenly, they would nail on iron taps, which made a loud sound when walking. Some people had to nail iron taps onto brand-new leather shoes before even wearing them, just to let others know they owned a pair of leather shoes. This gave them confidence and made them feel a sense of enjoyment. They believed, “Having others’ attention is a good thing. It proves that I have charm and that my existence is validated. So, I have to share my fortes, strong points, and the good things I own with everyone.” Is this really sharing? This is called flaunting. Aren’t there quite a lot of people in this world who love to flaunt? (Yes.) People all think this is quite normal, don’t they? No one disdains such people, nor does anyone regard them with a strange look, because the world is full of such people who are obsessed with all sorts of material and monetary pleasures, and the pleasures of status. Therefore, this world glorifies these things. In God’s house, such people make others feel revolted and disdainful. Why? Those who believe in God, from the beginning of laying a foundation to gradually understanding the truth and the value and meaning of being human, begin to care less about material pleasures and some of the world’s superficial things. Their inner drive to pursue external possessions diminishes, the goals and direction of their pursuit change, and the needs of their inner world become different. They develop a different perspective on material needs, feeling that such things are all empty and cannot satisfy the needs of their hearts. Therefore, their tendency to show off and flaunt all sorts of things lessens. What are some things that believers in God might at most show off or flaunt? They might flaunt things like their skills or strengths. For example, some people who love singing always want others to hear their voices. They say, “Listen to how good my voice sounds!” They are afraid that others won’t know they sing well, and they constantly want to show themselves off in this regard. In summary, loving to show off is a defect of humanity. It is a manifestation of immaturity, childishness, and shallowness in humanity. When people only understand some words and doctrines and have not truly gained the truth or entered into the truth reality, they are very likely to display the flaw of loving to show off, and this defect of humanity is not easy to overcome. This is because, before people have gained the truth, the things they can show off and flaunt are their capital and self-assurance for living. You have confidence in your self-conduct and motivation in doing things all because you rely on things like appearance, bearing, strengths, level of education, qualifications, or professional skills to live. Therefore, most people, to varying degrees, display the flaw of loving to show off, and it is not easy to overcome, not easy to rebel against. When people understand the truth and enter into the truth reality, have a certain stature, and care less about things unrelated to the truth, they come to see that there is no need to show off or flaunt, and that these things do not represent that a person has humanity, nor that a person has stature; and of course, even more so, that they do not represent that a person has been saved or is able to submit to the truth and to God. Therefore, for some people who used to love showing off, as they understand the truth and enter into the truth reality, this desire gradually fades, and this defect of humanity is unconsciously overcome and disappears. Take, for example, someone who wears a slightly expensive T-shirt. When it accidentally gets a little dirty, they become very anxious. Someone else says to them, “Why are you so anxious? Won’t it be fine if you just wash it?” They reply, “Do you know this shirt cost 200 yuan?” They insist on mentioning the price to let others know; only then do they feel satisfied. If that person understands the truth, they can approach such matters correctly when they encounter them again. They won’t mention the price, and at this point, their vanity will be restrained to some extent. Won’t this show that their humanity has become comparatively mature and is no longer so shallow or childish? (Yes.) Their love of showing off, this defect of their humanity, will thus be overcome.

The next manifestation is disdaining the poor and favoring the rich. Some people, when they see someone who is wealthy, immediately curry favor with them, saying things like, “Your skin is great. You look good. You’re so noble, even your spit is worth more than us poor folks!” When speaking to rich people and those with standing and status, they are especially gentle. But when they see a farmer, they always want to make fun of them, and their words, directly or indirectly, belittle them. They have completely different attitudes toward the poor and the rich. They are willing to cater to the needs of the rich, even to the extent of willingly becoming their slaves. But with the poor, it’s a different story—when the poor face difficulties and ask for help, they ignore them. Their treatment of people with low standing and low social status is entirely different from their treatment of those with high social status. This is disdaining the poor and favoring the rich. What kind of problem is this? (A defect of humanity.) Is it a defect of humanity? What kind of problem within humanity is this? (Having a low character.) It is a problem of character within humanity—having a low character. When they see rich people, they become submissive underlings, acting in an overly servile manner. When they see poor people, they want to act like they are the master. What sort of creatures are they? Treating people this way shows that they have no principles! Poor people are just a little short on money and have slightly worse living conditions—how have they offended you? Do poor people necessarily have bad humanity? Do rich people necessarily have good humanity? Do people who disdain the poor and favor the rich measure and view others based on the truth principles? Clearly not. They believe that whoever has money is noble and great, and whoever is poor is lowly and inferior. Their standard for measuring people is money. Are such people good people? How is their humanity? (Their humanity is bad.) When they see a rich person, they put on a fawning grin; when they see a poor person, their face immediately darkens—their face changes so quickly! They are willing to even carry a chamber pot for a rich person, but unwilling to even pour a glass of water for a poor person. What kind of creatures are they? Aren’t they of low character? (Yes.) Is it good for such people to be leaders? (No.) Why not? In what ways are they unfit for the role of leaders? (They have no principles in how they treat people, and their selection and use of people are not based on the truth principles but rather on whether someone has social status and money. If they become leaders, they will promote those with status and money. If these people who get promoted are evil people, then evil people will hold power in the church, and that will be a disaster.) Such people are not fit to be leaders. For one thing, they are of low character, and they have no standard of conscience in what they do. For another, if they were made leaders, they would turn the church into something like society—the church they lead would become a social group. They would promote those who are wealthy and influential, who have standing, status, and connections, and who thrive in society, making them team leaders and supervisors, while trampling underfoot those farmers, poor people, and those who are poorly educated and not good at speaking pleasant-sounding words who have good humanity, have caliber, and who pursue the truth but are of low social status. Wouldn’t this make the church just like society? What difference would there be? In society, isn’t it those who are wealthy and have status who hold power? Isn’t it those with standing, connections, power, and influence who hold status and take the limelight across all levels, fields, and groups in society? If God’s house were like society, would it still be God’s house? It would no longer be God’s house and could not be called a church—it would be a social group. The consequence of people who disdain the poor and favor the rich becoming leaders is exactly this. Such people become lackeys of anyone with status. Tell Me, do people who act as lackeys have any principles? Do they have boundaries in their self-conduct? (No.) Such people have no principles or boundaries in their self-conduct. When faced with a dangerous environment, they could turn Judas. If their country were to fall, they would become traitors. If they became government leaders, they would become national betrayers. This is exactly the kind of creatures they are! Therefore, they are not fit to be leaders. This is because they would not do real work and would harm the brothers and sisters, trampling underfoot all those who genuinely pursue the truth and have humanity while promoting those with evil humanity, who hold status and are prominent and influential in society; this is directly opposed to the principles of God’s house for promoting people. If such people were to reign and hold power in God’s house, could the work of the church proceed smoothly and unobstructed? (No.) The work of the church and God’s chosen people would be ruined at the hands of these people. These people would collude with one another, use each other, and support each other. Brothers and sisters who pursue the truth would be marginalized and excluded—they might even all be assigned to B groups or cleared out, leaving them no way out. Couldn’t this be the case? (Yes.) What are the relationships among these people like? When they come together, they call each other buddies, put their arms around each other, and boast about their glorious histories in society, talking about what they can do for each other and then asking what the other can do for them, mutually using one another. How are these people any different from people in society? When they are together, they do not eat and drink God’s word, do not fellowship about the truth, do not fellowship about their personal experiential understanding, do not talk about knowing themselves, and do not dissect their corrupt dispositions. Instead, they only talk about how successfully things have gone for them in society, the things they have done that put them in the limelight, their glorious histories, which officials they have wined and dined with, which officials they’ve curried favor with—all they talk about are these things. Are these people believers in God? They compete with each other over status, background, abilities, and means, while also colluding with and using one another—this is how their relationships are. If you are an ordinary person or a farmer who cannot do anything for them, they see you as worthless, someone who is completely beneath their notice, and you are pushed aside. What do they talk about when they are together? They discuss which brand of clothing has released a new item, what new car has been launched, who bought a diamond of several carats, whose property was auctioned, whose stocks dropped or rose, whose company went public, who ingratiated themselves with government officials, who colluded with what gang, who gave how many gifts and spent how much money to get something done—it’s all these things. Tell Me, isn’t this disgusting? If they are always talking about these things in the church, wouldn’t church life and the church’s work be disturbed and ruined by them? Tell Me, can such people be chosen as leaders? (No.) They are opportunists. Once you discover such people in the church, you should expose them and cleanse them away—God’s house does not retain such people. Opportunists in God’s house are just there to muddle through and finagle blessings. They do not accept the truth at all and do not accept any positive things. Moreover, these people do their duty without any sincerity; they do not want to expend themselves at all and only want to gain benefits. If there are no benefits, they won’t do anything. While the brothers and sisters are focused on doing their duties and working diligently, they set aside their duties and busy themselves with personal matters, even indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun. They also often go online and spend a lot of time researching things they like or want the most, such as fashion, beauty and hairstyling, and high-end health products. Wherever they go, they swagger around and deceive others; they seek out people of their kind, and when they find someone similar, they immediately hit it off with them. They cannot get along with true brothers and sisters, and in the church they are misfits and non-humans. When you see such people, you must stay away from them. Furthermore, if most people or your leaders have no discernment and still regard them as truly believing brothers or sisters, you must step forward to expose them and cleanse them away. Do you understand now? Why must such people be cleansed away? (Because such people easily cause disturbances in the church, bring in a negative atmosphere, and can influence others in doing their duty and pursuing the truth.) Exactly, they wreck the atmosphere of the church. They do not pursue the truth themselves and also influence others, holding them back. For doing work worth one dollar, they demand ten dollars in wages. Using such people isn’t even as worthwhile as raising a dog. At least a dog can guard the house and be loyal to its owner! It doesn’t pull shady maneuvers behind the scenes, and you don’t have to worry about it causing trouble later on. What would the consequences be if the church permitted people who disdain the poor and favor the rich? Could they help God’s chosen people? Could they be beneficial to others? (No.) Once they are revealed and seen through by others, they should be cleansed away. If they are allowed to remain, they will only disrupt and disturb, only create trouble, and only bring calamity to the church. If you wait until they cause a major disaster, and just clear up the mess after, that would be very troublesome. We don’t want trouble; we’d rather save ourselves the worry. There are plenty of tasks and duties that people should do—don’t invite these troubles.

There is another type of person: those who like to curry favor with those who have power. Are people who curry favor with those who have power good or bad? (They’re bad.) In what ways are they bad? This kind of person is deeply snobbish. When they see someone with status, they constantly make every effort to curry favor with them; they take the initiative to speak with them and open up to them, serve them food, wash their clothes, and clean for them. There’s nothing they aren’t willing to do. If you have no status, they pretend not to see you, and if you take the initiative to approach them, when they see you, their expression immediately turns sour. Are such people good? What aspect does this kind of problem fall under? (This kind of person is of low character and has poor humanity.) Their humanity is bad and their character is low. To what extent is their humanity bad? (They have no integrity or dignity.) Are people who actively curry favor with those who have power good people? (No.) Then what kind of people are they? What is the character like of people who like to curry favor with those who have power? They have two different faces when dealing with the same person. They are not afraid of being seen through by others and even freely let these sides of themselves show. Do these people have any sense of integrity or shame? (No.) Can these people who have no sense of integrity or shame be categorized as evil people? (Yes.) Why can they be categorized as evil people? They have two different faces in how they treat others. Let us analyze the root of these two different faces. These people particularly love status, and they love people who have standing and power. When they see people with status, they are all smiles, completely obedient; they fawn on and curry favor with them without any scruples, and shamelessly flatter them. Regardless of if their aim is to ingratiate themselves with those people, or if they have the ulterior motive of wanting to be valued and promoted, their attitude toward others is problematic and violates the truth principles. Why, then, do they have this kind of attitude toward people with status? (For the sake of their own interests.) This proves that they particularly love status. They themselves lack ability, or do not have the qualifications, the conditions, or the opportunities to attain status. However, by currying favor with and drawing close to those with status, they are able to satisfy their desire for status. Therefore, they can curry favor with and flatter others without any scruples or shame. Their character is quite low. They do not care what kind of person the one with status is, nor do they discern whether this person’s humanity is good or bad, or whether this person is evil. As long as this person has status or money, even if they are an evil person, they will still curry favor with them. Aren’t they completely without principles? (They are.) For them, whatever people with status say is correct and good, and whatever way in which they speak is acceptable. As long as someone has status, they are good to that person. They are completely lacking in principles and they are abnormally good toward that person. They truly have no sense of integrity or shame to speak of. They do not care about how others view or evaluate them. It doesn’t matter to them what others think of them. They think to themselves, “I just like people with status. I just want to be good to them. What’s wrong with having status? You who have no status aren’t worthy of my kindness!” People like this have no principles or dignity. They do not care how others see them, nor how God evaluates them. These are people of low character. In acting this way, their conscience feels nothing, and their reason has no standard for judgment. They have no minimum standards, and they are spineless in how they conduct themselves. When encountering someone with status, they immediately shrink and grovel and become like a slave, assuming the position of their submissive underling. Whoever has status becomes their master. Do such people have integrity or dignity? (No.) They are even capable of engaging in the most repulsive flattery toward people with status, and they dare to do so in front of any number of people. They do not care about others’ views or how others see them, and they only aim to satisfy their own desires. This is how they act toward people with status. But what happens when a person with status loses it? Then they switch faces. How do they treat this person then? (They immediately start ignoring them.) Their face immediately darkens, and their attitude becomes completely different: “You’ve lost your status, and you still want me to be good to you? Dream on!” If a person who has lost status asks them to pour a glass of water, they ignore them. If they ask them to lend a hand, they ignore them. If they want to have a heart-to-heart talk with them, they say, “Are you worthy? Do you have the qualifications to speak with me? Who do you think you are?” How vicious their disposition is! Is it a crime to not have status? Does someone change once they have been removed from their official position? Are they not still the same person? Why is it that they are now unworthy to speak with such people? Why can’t such people lend them a hand? Even if it were an animal in difficulty needing human help, out of a sense of conscience, people should still help, look after it gently, and care for it—how much more so for a human being, then? Yet they lack even this shred of human kindness. In addition to these manifestations, some people go even further. They think to themselves, “Before, I was good to you because you had status. Now that you’ve lost your status, you still expect me to respect you and allow you to save face, to avoid putting you in awkward positions during conversations, and to obey your orders like before? Fat chance! You should be grateful I’m not stepping on you!” Just what sort of creatures are they? When someone is in difficulty, not only do they ignore them, but they also step on them behind their back, looking for opportunities to bully and suppress them. What kind of people are they? (They’re evil people.) Their true face as evil people emerges in this way, doesn’t it? Toward people with status, they behave like submissive underlings, meticulously proper, greeting them with smiles. They are great at sycophantically agreeing with other people. If some official says that potatoes can be grown on the moon, they will chime in, “Potatoes grown on the moon are really delicious!” But when that official loses their status, their attitude completely changes. No matter what the former official says now, even if it is correct, they will not listen. Even if this former official has genuine understanding, they ignore it and refuse to accept it, only finding them disagreeable. In their hearts, they think, “You have no status, so nothing you say carries any weight. Even if what you say is correct, what’s the use of it? Even if you have the truth reality, I still don’t like you. I just enjoy stepping on people without status—if I don’t step on them, it’s a wasted opportunity!” What sort of creatures are they? If you have no status, they find you disagreeable. No matter how good you are to them, it is useless. No matter how you place them on equal footing with you and treat them according to principles, it cannot change their attitude toward you. Do such people have humanity? (No.) What is the manifestation of their lack of humanity? Isn’t it viciousness? (Yes.) The disposition of people who love to curry favor with those who have power is extremely vicious, and I find such people simply disgusting. In the eyes of such people, when you have status, your flaws and defects are all seen as merits and strong points. But when you have no status, your strong points and merits are all seen as flaws and defects. Nothing you say carries any weight, and they find everything about you disagreeable. They always want to bully you, to step on you, and to suppress you. They have a vicious disposition, don’t they? (Yes.) They bully those without status however they like. They feel that not bullying meek people is a sin. Even if you do not provoke them, they will actively find fault, bully you, and step on you, looking down on you with tremendous contempt. It is as if having no status is a sin, rendering you unworthy of living or being in their presence; as though you’ve brought trouble upon yourself and deserve misfortune if you have no status. What sort of creatures are they? Should such people be allowed to stay in the church? (No.) Can people who are especially fond of currying favor with those who have power be chosen as leaders? (No.) Why not? This is just how they behave toward people with status—if they themselves were to gain status, wouldn’t they become authoritarian, making themselves supreme? That would be disastrous! They would disregard the work arrangements of God’s house, the church’s administrative decrees, and the suggestions of the brothers and sisters, and even suppress those without status no matter what they said or did. The church would be ruined by them. People like this have an extremely strong desire for power, and once they get what they want, the consequences are unimaginable. People who curry favor with those who have power are particularly vicious and of especially low character. What are the main characteristics of their corrupt disposition? (Viciousness.) Wickedness, viciousness, and an aversion to the truth. What is especially wicked is how they use two entirely different faces for dealing with the same person, changing extremely quickly. Isn’t this wicked? (Yes.) Even if people without status do not provoke them, they will take the initiative to attack, bully, and trample on them. Isn’t this vicious? (Yes.) Regardless of whether the other person has status or not, they cannot act according to principles or treat them fairly. When you tell them, “In God’s house, the truth holds power, and people are treated fairly,” do they accept it? (No.) It just goes in one ear and out the other, and they think, “What fairness? People are simply either high or low, noble or lowly. Those with status are noble; those without status are worthless trash!” This is their logic and principle for viewing and treating people. They do not accept the truth principles and still speak their twisted reasoning. Aren’t they averse to the truth? (Yes.) They approach status and power using their own logic and principles for worldly dealings, and their own perspectives on worldly dealings, and use their own principles and methods for worldly dealings to handle these matters, in place of the requirements and principles of God’s house for how to treat people. Isn’t this not accepting the truth, openly opposing the truth? In their hearts, they think, “If you have status, then you are the boss in my heart.” God and the truth have no place in their hearts. What kind of disposition is this? Being so overbearing and so foolishly obstinate—isn’t this not accepting the truth? Isn’t this being averse to the truth? (Yes.) This is precisely such a disposition. In terms of their humanity alone, such people are of low character, are utterly disgusting, and not worth associating with. But in terms of their disposition, it is not merely a matter of whether they are worth associating with. These people have vicious, wicked dispositions, and they are not targets for salvation. They will all be punished and die; their deeds amount to a capital offense. These people blindly curry favor with those who have power and display the servile demeanor of lapdogs, which is disgusting. In the position of church leaders, such people are a danger. If you choose such people as church leaders, you will meet with calamity. Some district leaders, being foolish and unable to see through people, even designate this type of person as a candidate for church leader, resulting in the brothers and sisters in the church being deceived. People of this type, who are good at sucking up to others, and currying favor with those who have power, and who outwardly appear very zealous and obey the leaders’ every word, are easily selected as candidates. This is because some leaders and workers like those who suck up to them, and are obsequious, and they cannot see through to the consequences that this type of hypocritical person will bring to the church once they become a leader. Often, once such people are selected and gain status, their malicious side immediately comes out and they begin to disturb the church. The leaders who selected them regret it when they see that the people they chose are evil people, but they cannot remedy the consequences their actions have brought to the church. This is entirely the consequence of leaders and workers having corrupt dispositions and acting without principles. Those who revere status and power are not people who love the truth. They curry favor with anyone who has status, and they put on a fawning grin whenever they see leaders and workers. Some leaders cannot withstand this temptation; they become overjoyed when they see people with a fawning grin and want to promote them to show off their own capability. In fact, when those people fawn on them and give them a fawning grin, they have sinister motives, but these leaders think that those people are truly good. Once those people become leaders, they submit to no one, and they ignore the very leaders who promoted them. Only then do those leaders realize that these people are not good, and that they promoted wrong people. In such a situation, what should be done? Shouldn’t this situation be remedied? (Yes.) How should it be remedied? (These people should immediately be exposed and then dismissed.) These people cannot do real work; they are just muddleheaded people who only know how to curry favor with and suck up to those who have power. The leaders should dismiss them immediately, and regret that at the time they were blind in both eyes and heart and unable to discern people, choosing the wrong people. Now, there’s still time to immediately remedy the situation. Are you now able to see through such people who curry favor with those who have power? (Yes.) Such people are no good.

Next, let’s talk about manifestations involving innate conditions. Having an exceptional memory—what aspect does this manifestation come under? (Innate conditions.) Having an especially good memory, remembering things accurately, memorizing articles, passages of God’s words, hymns, or a work arrangement especially clearly and accurately—what aspect should this fall under? (Good caliber—an innate condition.) This is an innate condition. As for which specific aspect of innate conditions it belongs to, I think it should not fall under caliber. If it is merely having a good memory, being able to remember things, remembering a lot, remembering accurately, and remembering things firmly, this at most falls under the category of innate strengths, talents, and abilities. As for whether someone’s caliber is good or not, that depends on how their comprehension ability is. If someone has exceptionally good memory, being able to memorize a section of lyrics, a segment of knowledge and doctrine, or a professional skill especially well, especially quickly, and especially firmly, but what they memorize is merely some prescriptive and inflexible things, which do not involve the truth principles and which cannot be applied or implemented in real life or work—if they simply have good memory—then this is only a strength and ability within their innate conditions, it does not rise to the level of involving their caliber. As we discussed earlier, what is caliber? (Efficiency and effectiveness in doing things.) If you have good memory and also good caliber, what kind of manifestations and characteristics should you have? It is that, regarding the things you hear, on the basis of being able to remember accurately, you can also grasp the key points, find the principles, find a path of practice and a plan for implementation, and then are able to actually apply these in real life and work, doing things efficiently and effectively. It means that the words of God and the truth principles you have memorized do not stay at the theoretical level, but are implemented in the performance of your duty and become your truth reality, producing results in the work that people can see and improving the efficiency of the work. This is not only having a good memory but also having good caliber. It is not the case that having a good memory equates to having good caliber. Rather, having comprehension ability, being able to seek the truth and find the principles of practicing the truth when things come upon you, and implementing work without deviation and doing so accurately, quickly, and effectively—only this is having good caliber. Good caliber is not about understanding some doctrines and then being able to spout lots of them. Rather, it is about understanding and grasping some truth principles, and then being able to flexibly apply them in your work and duty, making them a part of your real life, and transforming them from theory into reality, which allows the truth principles to have an effect on and achieve results in people, bringing people benefits and advantages. This is what it means to have caliber. If you get stuck at the level of understanding words and doctrines and you cannot implement the work, and you cannot find the principles or the means—that is, if this aspect of the truth principle always remains just a theory for you, and you have no way, no method, and no path to turn it into reality—this is what it means to have no caliber or to have poor caliber. No matter how good your memory is, even if it surpasses that of ordinary people to the point of being almost an extraordinary ability, that does not mean you have good caliber. What does good caliber refer to? How is caliber measured? (It is judged by whether a person can understand the principles of work and implement those principles properly to achieve results.) It is judged by efficiency and effectiveness, right? (Yes.) Some people can remember work arrangements quickly and accurately, and they can also understand them theoretically. However, when it comes to implementation, if someone asks them, “How should this work be done? Do you have ideas, plans, or steps?” they reply, “No, I don’t know how to do it.” This is not having caliber. At most, this is merely a strength in one area. I remember that when we first fellowshipped on this topic, we discussed this issue. You may have forgotten, and this time you again categorized exceptional memory under caliber. Always misunderstanding a person’s strengths and talents, and always categorizing a certain strength or talent under good caliber, is a grievous error. If this issue is resolved and you understand what a strength is, what a talent or ability is, and what true caliber is, it will be beneficial for discerning people and for your own life growth. At the very least, it can help you rein in your arrogant disposition a bit, so you no longer mistakenly believe you have excellent caliber simply because you can sing or dance well. So can you still evaluate this matter this way now? (No.) Then, what do people who can sing actually need to possess to have good caliber? (They need to have comprehension ability, know what way of singing is in line with principles, and also have perceptiveness.) Perceptiveness is very crucial. You see, all these people know some music theory, but the effect of their singing varies. Some people can feel out and seek out a path for singing. They listen to various songs, different melodies, and different singing styles from various people, and listen out for what singing techniques are moving and enjoyable. They find a certain feeling from this process and then continue to explore and train based on that feeling. After some time, they feel that their singing has improved, and others are willing to listen to it. Gradually, they compare this with the theories and confirm that this path of practice is correct. They are able to discover the path of practice to change their way of singing and correct their previous incorrect singing methods. They can then further implement and apply the good, correct, positive elements they have worked out into their own singing. They can perceive what way of singing is correct and what way is incorrect, and what way of singing produces a good feeling and what way produces a bad feeling. This is having good caliber. If they only have theoretical knowledge but cannot integrate the theory into their actual singing, and their comprehension is distorted, then their caliber is not good. Look at some people who sing—when others point out that they are using a false voice, they can accept it and, after one or two years of training, correct it. Although they are not very proficient at singing yet, they are already singing with their authentic tone and voice. On the other hand, some people sing in a false voice, and this is clear to anyone who hears them, but they still think they are singing with their true voice, their authentic tone and voice, unable to discern the difference. This shows an absence of caliber and an absence of perceptiveness, an inability to perceive things. This is the difference between caliber and a strength. If you are talented at singing, that is your strength; it is an innate condition. However, whether you can sing well and perceive the essence, principles, and essentials in this field, this profession, is a matter of caliber. If you can perceive the essence, essentials, and principles, then you can become a singer, a master vocalist. If you enjoy singing, learn it quickly, and accurately master melody, rhythm, and pitch, this can only be called an innate strength and being good at this particular professional skill. However, due to your very average and limited caliber, you will always remain within the limits of just being good at it. You will be unable to reach the level of mastering the essentials and you will be unable to become a true singer and master vocalist. This is the limitation imposed by your caliber. People with good caliber have potential and room for development, while those with average or poor caliber have no potential or room for development. So, no matter what area your strengths are in, if your caliber is poor, you will inevitably be limited by your caliber. No matter how talented you are in a certain area, how much you like it, or how great your interest is, you will have no potential for development due to your poor caliber, because you cannot surpass your caliber. Do you understand? (Yes.) Now that I’ve said this, will you lose confidence in singing? I am simply speaking to the matter at hand, using one of your strengths as an example to fellowship about the distinction between caliber and strengths. However, God’s house does not require you to become true master vocalists, to sing with a certain high degree of precision, to develop a particular singing style, or to achieve great success in singing. These are not required. Just make good use of your existing caliber and strengths—that’s fine. As long as there is expression of true feelings and sincerity, that is sufficient. Now, don’t feel discouraged or give up just because I said some of you have poor caliber or very average caliber with little room for development. That is unnecessary. Will you feel discouraged? (No.) You must regard this matter correctly. If I did not use your situations as examples, you might not get it, might not have a thorough understanding, and whatever I said you would not take it to heart. To help you understand thoroughly, I had to give a few examples so everyone can have a better understanding. In this way, your understanding of the distinction between caliber and strengths will also become more accurate. Do you mind this way of fellowshipping? (No, we don’t mind.) It is good that you don’t mind. Regard this correctly. Practice as you should. Putting your heart into it, and practicing toward a good goal and direction will always be better than not making progress or being stuck in your old ways. Even though your caliber is limited or poor, you still need to make an effort to practice and strive to achieve the most that you can within the scope of your limited caliber. We must devote all our hearts and all our efforts, doing this duty and carrying out this work with an attitude of responsibility and loyalty. This is the principle of practice you should follow. You mustn’t become negative or give up just because your strength has no development potential and you will not be able to take the limelight in the future. That is not acceptable, and it is clearly not the truth principle you should follow in treating this matter. Do you understand? (Yes.)

Within each of these three areas—innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions—there are many specific details that need to be understood. Is it necessary for us to fellowship on these matters? (Yes.) For many aspects, people only have a superficial understanding and cannot explain them clearly. They may have some strengths and then think they are of noble character, believing themselves to be honorable and free from corrupt dispositions, with good humanity and high caliber. All of this stems from people’s inability to discern these various issues clearly. The more these kinds of issues involve details, the more there is to fellowship about; it cannot be covered in just one or two sessions, but requires multiple fellowships. Alright, we will stop the fellowship here for today. Goodbye!

October 14, 2023