127-B-1
“If you
believe in God, you must obey God, put the truth into practice, and
fulfill all your duties. Additionally, you must understand the things
you should experience. If you only experience being dealt with, being
disciplined, and judgment, if you are only able to enjoy God, but you
are unable to feel when God is disciplining you or dealing with you,
this is unacceptable. Perhaps in this instance of refinement you are
able to stand your ground. This is still not enough; you must march
forward. The lesson of loving God is endless, and there is never an end
to it. People see believing in God as too simple, but once they gain
some practical experience, they realize that belief in God is not as
simple as people imagine. When God works to refine man, man suffers, his
love of God becomes greater, and more of God’s might is revealed in
him. The less man’s refinement, the less his love of God, and the less
God’s might is revealed in him. The greater his refinement and pain and
the more his torment, the deeper his true love of God will be, the more
genuine his faith in God will be, and the deeper his knowledge of God
will be. In your experiences you will see that those who suffer great
refinement and pain, and much dealing and discipline have a deep love of
God, and a more profound and penetrating knowledge of God. Those who
have not experienced being dealt with have but a superficial knowledge,
and can only say: “God is so good, He bestows grace upon people so that
they can enjoy Him.” If people have experienced being dealt with and
disciplined, then they are able to speak the true knowledge of God. So
the more wondrous God’s work in man is, the more valuable and
significant it is. The more impenetrable it is to you and the more
incompatible it is with your notions, the more God’s work is able to
conquer you, gain you, and make you perfect. The significance of God’s
work is so great! If He did not refine man in this way, if He did not
work according to this method, then God’s work would be ineffectual and
without significance. This is the reason behind the extraordinary
significance of His selection of a group of people during the last days.
It was said before that God would select and gain this group. The
greater the work He carries out within you, the deeper and purer your
love. The greater the work of God, the more man is able to get a taste
of His wisdom and the deeper is man’s knowledge of Him. During the last
days, 6,000 years of God’s plan for management will come to an end. Can
it possibly end just like that, so easily? Once He conquers mankind,
will His work be over? Can it be so simple? People imagine that it’s so
simple, but what God does is not that simple. No matter what part of
God’s work it is, all is unfathomable to man. Were you able to fathom
it, then God’s work would be without significance or value. The work
done by God is unfathomable; it is too much at odds with your notions,
and the more irreconcilable it is with your notions, the more it shows
that God’s work is meaningful; were it compatible with your notions,
then it would be meaningless. Today, you feel that God’s work is too
wondrous, and the more wondrous it is, the more you feel that God is
unfathomable, and you see how great God’s deeds are. If He only did some
superficial, perfunctory work to conquer man and then that was it, then
man would be incapable of beholding the significance of God’s work.
Although you are receiving a little refinement now, it is of great
benefit to the growth of your life—and so such hardship is of the utmost
necessity to you. Today, you are receiving a little refinement, but
afterward you will truly be able to behold the deeds of God, and
ultimately you will say: “God’s deeds are so wondrous!” These will be
the words in your heart. Having experienced God’s refinement for a while
(the trial of[a]
service-doers and the times of chastisement), some people ultimately
said: “Believing in God is really difficult!” This “difficult” shows
that God’s deeds are unfathomable, that God’s work is possessed of great
significance and value, and is highly worthy of being treasured by man.
If, after I have done so much work, you had not the slightest
knowledge, then could My work still have value? It will make you say:
“Service to God is really difficult, the deeds of God are so wondrous,
God truly is wise! He’s so lovely!” If, after undergoing a period of
experience, you are able to say such words, then this proves that you
have gained God’s work in you. One day, when you’re abroad to spread the
gospel and someone asks you: “How is your faith in God?” you will be
able to say: “God’s actions are so marvelous!” As soon as they see you
say this, they’ll feel that there’s something within you and that God’s
actions truly are unfathomable. This is truly bearing witness. You will
say that God’s work is full of wisdom, and His work in you has truly
convinced you and conquered your heart. You will always love Him because
He is more than worthy of mankind’s love! If you can speak to these
things, you can move people’s hearts. All of this is bearing witness. If
you are able to be a resounding witness, to move people to tears, that
shows that you truly are one who loves God. That’s because you are able
to act as a witness of love for God and God’s actions can be expressed
through you. And through your expression, other people can seek out His
actions, experience God, and they’ll be able to stand steady in whatever
environment they find themselves in. Only bearing witness this way is
genuinely bearing witness, and this is exactly what is required of you
now. You should say that God’s actions are extremely valuable and worthy
of being treasured by people, that God is so precious and so abundant,
He can not only speak, but even more He can refine people’s hearts,
bring them enjoyment, and He can gain them, conquer them, and perfect
them. From your experience you will see that God is very lovable. So how
much do you love God now? Can you really say these things from your
heart? When you are able to express these words from the depths of your
heart you will be able to bear witness. Once your experience has reached
this level you will be capable of being a witness for God, and
qualified for it. If you don’t reach this level in your experience, then
you will still be too far off. It’s normal for people to have
weaknesses in refinement, but after refinement you should be able to
say: “God is so wise in His work!” If you are truly able to take in
practical recognition of this, it is precious, and your experience is
valuable.
127-B-2
What are
you pursuing now? What you should be pursuing is whether you are
capable of expressing the deeds of God, whether you can become an
expression and a manifestation of God, and whether you are fit to be
used by Him. How much work has God really done in you? How much have you
seen, how much have you touched? How much have you experienced, and
tasted? Whether God has tested you, dealt with you, or disciplined
you—no matter what, His actions and His work have been carried out on
you, but as a believer in God, as someone who is willing to pursue being
perfected by Him, are you able to express God’s actions through your
own practical experience? Can you live out God through this? Are you
able to provide for others through your own practical experience, and
expend yourself for the sake of God’s work? In order to bear witness for
God’s actions you must be able to express what His actions are, and
this is done through your experience, knowledge, and the suffering you
have endured. Are you someone who bears witness for God’s actions? Do
you have this aspiration? If you are able to bear witness to His name,
and even more, His actions, as well as live out the image that He
requires of His people, then you are a witness for God. How do you
actually bear witness for God? Seeking and longing to live out God,
expressing God’s actions through your words, allowing people to know and
to see His actions—if you truly seek all of this, God will perfect you.
If all you seek is to be perfected by God and be blessed in the very
end, then the perspective of your faith in God is not pure. You should
be pursuing how to see God’s deeds in real life, how to satisfy Him when
He reveals His will to you, seeking how to bear witness to His
wondrousness and wisdom, and how to demonstrate His discipline and
dealing on you. All of these are things you should be trying to figure
out now. If your love for God is solely so that you can share in God’s
glory after He perfects you, it is still inadequate and cannot meet
God’s requirements. You need to be able to bear witness to God’s
actions, satisfy His demands, and experience the work He has done on
people in a practical way. Whether it is pain, tears, or sadness, you
must experience it all in practice. This is all so you can be a witness
of God. Under the dominion of what exactly are you now suffering and
seeking perfection? Is it to bear witness for God? Is it for blessings
of the flesh or for future prospects? All your intentions, motivations,
and personal goals to pursue must be put right and cannot be guided by
your own will. If one person seeks perfection to receive blessings and
to reign in power, while the other pursues perfection to satisfy God, to
truly be a witness of God’s deeds, which of the two means of pursuit
would you choose? If you chose the first, then you are still too far off
God’s standards. I said before to let My actions be openly known across
the entire universe and that I would reign as King in the universe. On
the other hand, what you have been entrusted with is to go bear witness
for God’s deeds, not for you to be kings and appear to the whole
universe. Let the entire cosmos be filled with God’s deeds. Let everyone
see them and acknowledge them. This is spoken of in relation to God Himself, and what human beings should do is to bear witness to God. How
much of God do you know now? How much of God can you bear witness to?
What is the purpose of God perfecting man? Once you understand God’s
will, how should you show consideration toward His will? If you are
willing to be perfected and are willing to bear witness for God’s deeds
through what you live out, if you have this driving force, then nothing
is too difficult. What people need now is confidence. If you have this
driving force, then it is easy to let go of any negativity, passiveness,
laziness and notions of the flesh, philosophies of life, rebellious
disposition, emotions, and so forth.”
127-B-3
We have just read the article of God’s words “Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement.”
In this article, what exactly is God trying to communicate? Everyone
may have a clear understanding of it. In the last days, God’s work
involves judging mankind, chastising mankind, purifying mankind and in
the end, perfecting mankind. Is this something that is very simple?
Those with experience all say that it is not something that is simple.
Those who are judged by God and in the end, are perfected, will go
through many processes. Through these processes, these people will
experience a lot of suffering. God’s plans are not necessarily congruent
with man’s conceptions. However, those who have undergone the suffering
involved in God’s trials and refinements have an understanding of God’s
work afterward. God uses many different methods to cleanse and perfect
man. He does not only express words. Afterward, there are trials and
refinements, dealing and pruning, and the service of Satan’s forces.
These things let man understand the work of God. God also uses the
service of Satan’s evil forces to force man to seek the truth, to seek
God’s will. In the end, those who undergo this process will achieve an
understanding of God’s wisdom and almightiness. Experiencing God’s work
involves all these things. After experiencing so much suffering, you
turn around and try and explain just what it means to experience God’s
work. Do you still dare to speak letters and doctrines? You will speak
no doctrinal words. Now, if someone asks you, “How have you experienced
God’s work?” You can say, “To experience God’s work is not a simple
matter, it cannot be described in a single sentence. In brief, you must
suffer a lot, endure many refinements. Many of the things that God does
are incongruent with the conceptions of man!” Firstly, God utilizes the
service of the great red dragon to perfect man’s faith, to reveal man,
and to eliminate man. Also, God utilizes all sorts of false leaders,
antichrists and evil spirits to create discord within the church. This
causes God’s chosen people to learn how to differentiate, rely on God,
seek the truth and seek God’s will. At the same time, there should be
someone to lead them to fellowship about God’s word and experience the
judgment and chastisement of God’s word. Additionally, a man must
personally practice seeking the truth and follow principles while he is
fulfilling his duty. By doing this, he will be able to appropriately
fulfill his duties. There are so many different situations to experience
and pass through! In this light, is experiencing God’s work as simple
as people think it is? When God started to express the truth, He made
known to the public how Peter underwent trials and refinements and
attained perfection in the end. In seven short years, Peter endured
hundreds of trials and refinements before he was able to obtain an
understanding of God, produce a heart that truly loves God and bear
beautiful and resounding testimony for God. Taking into account Peter’s
achievement and our own limited experience of God’s work, is it enough
to just understand letters and doctrines and be able to communicate
them? To speak them is shameful, and it indicates that you have nothing
and do not have any reality.
“If you believe in God, you
must obey God, put the truth into practice and fulfill your duties.
Additionally, you must understand the things you should experience. If
you only experience dealing, discipline and judgment, if you only enjoy
God, but you are unable to feel when God is disciplining you or dealing
with you, this is unacceptable. Perhaps in this instance of refinement,
you stand firmly where you are. This is still not enough, you must march
forward. The lesson of loving God is endless, and there is never an end
to it.” If “there is never an end to it,”
then is there an end to suffering? To experience God’s work one must
suffer, it is not a comfortable matter. In the Age of Grace, believers
sought the Lord’s grace. They called on the Lord for whatever situation
they encountered. They asked the Lord for solutions. If they were sick,
they asked the Lord to help them resolve it, to cure them. When they
encountered difficulties, they asked the Lord for solutions. In whatever
they lacked, they prayed to the Lord for a resolution. Now, is this
believing in the Lord? If they believed in the Lord in this manner, even
if they believed for generations, they would not be able to obtain
truth and life! In the last days, after we experience the work of God
incarnate, we all have come to an understanding of what it means to
experience God’s work. At this point, we can say we have some reality of
it. If someone then asks you, “What does it mean to experience God’s
work?” How would you respond? If you say, “To experience God’s work is
to experience the judgment and chastisement of God’s words along with
dealing and pruning,” is this right? It barely scratches the surface.
The words seem to make sense, but if they came out of your mouth, what
would others say? You’re only talking theory, there is no connection to
reality. Instead, if you say, “I have experienced the many different
manners of God’s work and they all lead to the perfection of man. There
is no way that anyone can describe this in a single sentence. You must
endure a lot of suffering. A lot of these manners are not congruent with
the conceptions of man. However, if you avoid or reject this, then you
would have failed to experience God’s work, or at least it would have
stopped,” well, now, you have a little bit of reality. Whatever
situation you come upon, it is imperative that you seek the truth, learn
to submit and seek God’s will. No matter what, do not rely on your own
notion or imagination to believe in God! Whoever relies on their own
notions, imagination or ancestors’ traditions will fail. I’ll give you
an example. Someone said, “I want to pursue the truth, I want to
understand the truth.” Is this a simple matter? What does it mean to
pursue the truth? What is the truth? Another person said, “The word of
God is the truth, everything that God says is the truth.” Is this answer
correct? The words are correct, but if you said this, then you do not
grasp the truth. It is only something that you learned to say, it is not
your reality. If you say these things, do you really understand the
truth? “It is correct to say that God’s word is the truth, but what part
of the truth of God’s word do you actually understand? What part of the
truth do you understand? Tell me!” If people ask you in this way, you
will have nothing to say. That is why you must, under no circumstance,
speak letters and doctrines, or echo the viewpoints of other people. If
you do this, then you will be disgraced. Isn’t this the case?
127-B-4
Nowadays
many people are filled up with letters and doctrines and spiritual
theory; if this kind of person were permitted to give a sermon, they
would be able to preach for days on end. Would you say that they possess
the truth? Some people said “No.” Why not? Because letters and
doctrines are not obtained from your experience. When you talk about
these things, are they part of what you are? Do you actually live them
out? Are you truly familiar with them? If you are not truly familiar
with them—or worse yet, if you have not lived them out—then what kind of
problem is there if you expound these doctrines? Isn’t this being
hypocritical? Isn’t this cheating others? Isn’t this deceiving God?
Aren’t these kinds of people providing false testimony? And aren’t
people who provide false testimony telling lies? If this is true, then
isn’t there a problem with people who expound letters and doctrines?
Nowadays there are a lot of people who just stop here, and they believe:
“I have professed my faith in God for more than ten years, soon it will
be twenty years, I am aware of many aspects of the truth, and I can
preach many sermons, so I have obtained it, I have the reality.” Are
there a lot of people who believe this to be true? So what is it that
these people truly have, is it reality or are they doctrines? It is
difficult to say.
At this moment, if you had to provide testimony
to a religious figure, and you had to talk about an experience you had
with receiving God’s judgment and chastisement, what actual experiences
do you have? Could you talk about anything? Some people wouldn’t know
what to say. Some people have a little bit of experience, so they might
be told, “Write an essay about your testimony!” But no matter how they
try they won’t be able to write anything, they could waste a whole
afternoon, they could wrack their brains and still come up with nothing.
What they write would be all doctrines and empty talk, and after
finishing their writing what you read would not be actual experience.
Eventually, they would be worked up into a frenzy and they would say,
“This is no good, maybe I don’t have any actual experience in this!”
When you get serious and try to write a little bit about something real,
you find that you are at a loss for words! What is wrong with this? Do
these kind of people have the reality of the truth? They do not have it.
But some people might say: “That’s not right, I am not without my
hardships, I have learned through experience, and I have come to some
understanding through my experience!” Then how come you can’t find words
for it? You have learned things through experience, that I do not deny,
and surely you have suffered your own hardships. When some people are
faced with pruning and dealing, they will cry and cry. Are you saying
that this is not suffering? When some people experience setbacks and
failures there is no resounding testimony, but they will have heavy
hearts for many days. Is this not experience? Is this not suffering? It
is. No one can deny that, it is a fact! But then how come they come up
with nothing as soon as we start to talk about writing or expounding
upon an actual experience? This illustrates that people have not
obtained the truth, doesn’t it? In this way we have arrived at a
conclusion: There are some people who have experienced the lessons of
failures and setbacks, and they have been pruned and dealt with. It is a
fact that they have suffered some hardships, that cannot be denied, but
they still have not arrived at a true understanding of God, and they
have not come to a true understanding of the actual facts and essence of
their corruption. After they have gone through a real experience, they
do not genuinely search for the truth, they do not receive the
illumination and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. So, although they
have the experience, they have not obtained the truth, doesn’t this
conform to the facts? It conforms to the facts. We must speak fairly and
objectively. To experience God’s work is to go through hardships. It is
not possible to never experience any suffering, but how many people are
there that have obtained the truth? How many people are there that have
come to a true understanding of God? How come there are so few that
have reached this point? What problem does this point out? If people do
not search for the truth, any hardships they suffer will be in vain! Is
this something you can say? I think it is something you can say. In some
people’s minds they think that whoever has suffered more has been
ensured to receive more of the truth, and that they certainly have life,
is this correct to say? Truth seekers who have experienced more
hardships will obtain more things, and people that do not seek the
truth, even if they spend their whole life in prison, will not obtain
the truth, isn’t this how it is?
To whom are these words of God spoken to? They are spoken to those
people that truly believe in God and experience and submit to God’s
work, for these people love the truth, because people that truly believe
in God love the truth. For people that love the truth, the more they
suffer, the more they are refined, and the more they will acquire. That
is because they have a deeper understanding of God, and this is the
truth. As for people that do not seek the truth, it’s not as though they
don’t experience many hardships, so why is it that they don’t acquire
anything? How come they do not obtain the truth? According to the word
of God, these people have missed the opportunity for God to perfect
them. Since they do not seek the truth, they have missed many
opportunities for God to make them perfect. If according to someone’s
views they wanted to say, “It doesn’t matter if someone seeks the truth,
as long as they experience God’s work and are able to get through
hardships, they will be guaranteed to attain perfection.” Is this a
sound argument? It really is not sound. Then what should we base what
we say on? What we say should be based on the results of one’s
experiencing God’s work. If someone hasn’t achieved any result at all,
and though they have believed in God for many years and suffered through
many hardships, yet they have not obtained the truth or come to an
understanding of God, and they do not love God and obey the will of God,
then what kind of person are they? They are a person who does not seek
the truth. So they are lacking in their pursuit of the truth, they have
suffered hardships, they have experienced many things, but since they do
not seek the truth they have suffered many hardships in vain, in vain!
Does this kind of thing happen a lot? It can be compared to when you go
through persecution and tribulations. Some people are arrested and cry
and cry, shedding tears as they pray; others sit in a prison cell,
praying every day, and once they emerge from their prison, you cannot
see how great their faith has grown. Some people acknowledge that “God
is real. When I was praying in my prison, God performed a miracle, and
He gave words to me, really!” But this has no effect on them when they
perform their duties. They are disobedient now just as they were before.
They do not take their work seriously, just as they didn’t before. For
these people it seems like their faith may have increased a little, but
do they have love of God? Some people sat in prison cells for many years
and suffered many hardships, so now they feel that they have seniority
in their faith in God—“I can be a leader!” However, they cannot say
anything about the reality of the truth. Apart from their personal
experience of sitting in their prison, they cannot tell how they
experienced God’s judgment and chastisement, how they came to know their
corrupt essence, and what they know about God’s disposition. They
cannot talk about these actual things, so how can they help God’s chosen
people enter into life? What is the issue here? Some people believe in
God for 20, 30 years, and so everyone might say “He’s believed in God
for so many years certainly he has experience, we should choose him as
our leader!” But the result might be that after they are chosen, they
are unable to communicate anything about the reality of truth. What is
the issue here? We can see what is happening here very clearly. If
someone does not seek out the truth, no matter how many years they hold
on to their faith, no matter how many hardships they suffer, it will all
be in vain. They will not receive the perfection of God. Isn’t this the
truth of the matter?
127-B-5
Nowadays
there are a lot of people that go abroad with the aspiration that “I
will perform my duty and pursue the truth!” But when they are performing
their duties, do they have any faithfulness to God? Do they have any
principles when they handle affairs? There are not many that are able to
attain that. As soon as they suffer in the flesh, even if the words
aren’t in their mouth, there are complaints in their mind. Soon they
become inactive, and simply just go through the motions. Should they
seek the truth at this time? Should they reflect on themselves? When
some people perform their duties they are indifferent to how they
perform them, even though they should attach the most importance to the
work of God’s family and consider God’s intentions, instead they put the
pleasures of the flesh ahead of everything else. They don’t even know
where they would rank their duty, and their work brings no results. Is
this having faithfulness to God? God entrusted you with important work,
but you don’t consider God’s intentions, you just consider your flesh.
Is this being someone who pursues the truth? This is not being someone
who pursues the truth. And as a result these people will someday receive
serious punishments. They betrayed God and did not do practical work,
so they have disappointed God! Some people used to be especially
arrogant and self-righteous, and they would think to themselves, “The
reality of the truth? I have it! Bearing witness? I’ve done it!
Understanding God? I do!” But when they have to fulfill their duty by
writing an essay about an experience where they bore witness to God, or
by talking about their understanding or by serving as leaders and
workers, it becomes very clear that they don’t possess even a sliver of
the reality of the truth. What kind of person is someone that clearly
possesses none of the reality of the truth, who still does not obey
anybody, and who is especially arrogant and self-righteous? Isn’t this
someone who is hypocritical? This is being hypocritical! People who are
adept at using words and doctrines are hypocritical, they cheat God and
deceive God’s people. It’s just like those Pharisees of the past who put
it upon themselves to explain the Bible to others. They explained in a
very clear and logical manner, but ultimately they didn’t allow
themselves to enter the truth even a little bit. These kinds of people
want to make others worship and submit to themselves, but in the end it
will become clear through the revelation of God that they are all
hypocritical Pharisees, and they will suffer the curse of God. Within
the word of God there is a sentence that goes, “you will suffer
more seriously than the Pharisees when rebuked by Jesus, more seriously
than the 250 leaders that had resisted Moses, and more seriously than
Sodom under the scorching flames of its destruction.” What kind
of people is this sentence referring to? It’s referring to those people
who are adept at speaking letters and doctrines, and the punishment
that these false leaders and antichrists will receive will be worse than
those 250 leaders that were destroyed in the Age of Law. So, as for
people who nowadays are adept at speaking letters and doctrines to cheat
God, this is a very serious problem, it is very strong resistance to
God! Why do we say that they are strongly resisting God? If we compare
this to the context of the Pharisees, the Pharisees posed as good
people, they resisted God, but at that time these people had not
experienced God’s work of judgment and chastisement. And God had not
expressed the full truth of revealing the corruption of man, and
purifying and saving man. Under this context, these people were merely
trying to abide by the law of God, so posing as a good man and abiding
by the rules was a very common thing. Since God’s work had not yet
attained a level where man had a true understanding of God, man could
only recognize the existence of God and know God’s actual requirements
of man, but he didn’t have true knowledge of the disposition of God and
what God has and is. You could say that the knowledge attained by the
laws that were issued at that time was very superficial. But nowadays
it’s different, God has issued forth all the truths regarding the
judgment and cleansing of man. He has disclosed the entire truth about
the substance of corruption of mankind. If someone reads these words and
does not become aware of themselves and is still able to be arrogant
and conceited, then does the judgment and chastisement of God’s word
have any real result on this person? Does it have any real result on
someone who is adept at speaking letters and doctrines? It does not,
because if there was a real result, these people would be unlikely to be
so arrogant and conceited, right? Some people say, “But these people
also say that ‘Our corruption goes deep, we are Satan the devil.’” Does
this count as true understanding? Simply being able to utter these words
is of no use. Some people often speak in this way, but as soon as they
finish claiming that they themselves are Satan the devil, if another
person says, “You have no humanity,” they won’t put up with it, they’ll
get angry and respond, “I don’t have any humanity? It’s you that doesn’t
have any humanity!” It won’t take long to make someone angry if you
straight up tell them that they don’t have any humanity. But before
telling someone this, they may admit in their own words that they are
Satan the devil, which means that they themselves admit to having no
humanity. We can understand this to be so, but as soon as one person
starts telling them that they have no humanity, they will get angry and
throw a fit. This is sufficient enough to prove that this person was
faking it, they were pretending and cheating people when they claimed to
be Satan the devil, it was a label they were wearing on the outside,
but on the inside they had not conceded to being Satan the devil. From
this situation it can be seen that all those people who are adept at
speaking letters and doctrines are cheating others and cheating God, so
isn’t this kind of person someone who is hypocritical? This is a
hypocrite. All those who do not possess any of the reality of the truth,
but who still often make others listen to their words and doctrines are
all hypocritical Pharisees. These people do not possess any of the
reality of the truth. These people often use their words and doctrines
on others and talk about spiritual theories and teach lessons, but are
their words true words or false words and lies? Is speaking letters and
doctrines actually the same as telling lies? They are very serious lies!
They are lies that cheat God and confuse man by their very nature, they
are in direct resistance to God!
In the past when we have
experienced acting as honest people, we have had some principles. First,
we can’t tell lies. Second, in our hearts we can’t be cunning or
deceitful. We believe that if we act in accordance with these two
principles, if we do not tell lies and in our hearts, we are not cunning
or deceitful, and we do not trick people, this is being an honest
person. But nobody is aware of what are all the details that are
contained within the scope of telling lies. In external affairs we know
the difference between telling the truth and telling lies, but what
about for spiritual affairs? For your entry in life, if the things you
have said are not just the things you are and the thoughts you’ve had,
these are all words and doctrines. So aren’t these lies? I believe that
these are very serious and flat-out lies, and that they deceive God and
delude God’s chosen people. Is this something we can say? Yes, it is; to
speak letters and doctrines is to tell lies. For the things we have
discussed today, some of you may have come to a sudden realization:
“That’s right! That’s the way it is. So now how can we fellowship about
the truth? I don’t have the words for it, I don’t have the reality, so I
shouldn’t say anything, because as soon as any words come out of my
mouth I will be telling a lie. So, it’s better to not make any sound,
that way I won’t tell a lie, and at least then I’ll be an honest
person.” Is this the right way to think about it? “What can I say if I
don’t have any reality? I have no reality and am not allowed to speak
letters and doctrines, so what can I say? I should keep my mouth shut!”
Is this actually the right thing to do? It’s difficult to say, but it is
not okay to follow the rules blindly.
127-B-6
Someone
says: “I do not possess the reality of the truth, you want me to speak
the truth, but what should I say? I have nothing to say.” Should people
with nothing to say speak? If someone with nothing to say speaks, isn’t
it annoying? Is it nonsense? What do you do if there is nothing to say?
Should you force yourself to speak or say nothing? If there’s nothing to
say, then don’t say anything—shouldn’t it be that simple! If there is
nothing to say, what are you going to drivel on about? If there is
nothing to say but you insist on speaking, aren’t you insane? Are you
not speaking nonsense? Are people willing to listen? Are you all willing
to listen to a mental patient talk? Someone says they are not. Why not?
Because these aren’t true words coming from their heart, they are all
nonsense, they do not contribute anything to anyone, isn’t that right?
What kind of people are those who don’t think? Human vegetables. If you
visit those human vegetables lying in the hospital, they’re only able to
breathe, some maybe can eat, but they don’t have anything to say, why
is that? They don’t have thoughts, and people without thoughts are human
vegetables. Now this problem has been solved, people without thoughts
are people with nothing to say inside, they shouldn’t speak, because
when they do it is nonsense.
Another person asks: “He who does not
possess the reality of the truth shouldn’t speak, but if we have some
thoughts and understanding may we speak?” If you have thoughts and
understanding, you can speak. Why is that okay? Because these are true
words! So long as they are true words, they ought to be spoken if they
are beneficial to others, but they should not be spoken if they are not
beneficial to others. Is this principle okay? It’s just like if in your
heart you want to find a partner, then you tell everybody: “I’ve been
thinking, I want to find a partner.” Is this something you can say?
Someone says no. Why not? Because it is not beneficial to others, it
makes no contribution. Then is it okay to lay your heart bare to someone
else? Laying your heart bare is okay, but don’t do it at gathering, to
do so would be useless, it would bring no contribution. If you talk with
someone that you are close to and say: “Lately I’ve been thinking, I
want to find a partner, what do you think I should do?” “In that case we
should seek out the truth, and try to grasp God’s intention! What is
the context, should you look for one?” This is correct, when talking to
someone you are close with you can talk about these kinds of things,
because this is a problem, and when a problem emerges you have to search
for the truth, and if you do not communicate then the problem cannot be
solved. People that seek the truth must search for it regardless of
what problem falls before them. Only by seeking the truth will you be
able to understand God’s intentions and God’s requirements for people,
and only in this way will you be able to come to some understanding of
God. As soon as you become aware of God’s intention, you will come to
some understanding of God. In this thing you become aware of God’s
intention and so in this thing you come to some understanding of God; in
that thing you become aware of God’s intention and so in that thing you
come to some understanding of God. And if through seeking the truth in
many things you become aware of many of God’s intentions, you will then
come to a more deep and multi-faceted understanding of God. So, many
problems must be communicated, and as long as they are true—do not tell a
lie—they can be communicated. Some problems can be brought up in large
gatherings, and some problems should be talked about in private with
those brothers and sisters that understand the truth, not every problem
should be talked about in a large gathering. You shouldn’t say something
that doesn’t make a contribution to others, this is something you
should talk about in private with leaders or someone who understands the
truth; it is okay to communicate this with them. If something doesn’t
make a contribution to others, even if they are true words, they
shouldn’t be spoken; is this not a principle for being an honest person?
These are all principles that ought to be observed. If you are fully
aware of these principles of the truth but you do not observe them, then
you won’t be principled in your actions, and when you aren’t principled
sometimes you may act wildly, and this may sometimes bring troubles,
which will disturb other people and interrupt the work of God’s family,
which falls short of God, right? So what is the principle for speaking
the truth? You can say things that contribute to others, and if they are
true words you can speak them; but if they do not make a contribution
to others then you should search for the truth in private, you can’t
speak of them face to face with everybody. This is the principle for
speaking the truth.
Then how do you go about speaking the truth
during gatherings? Someone asks, “I do not have a true understanding of
God, and I also do not have the reality of the truth, so should I not
speak?” How do you solve this problem? Should they or should they not
speak? If you don’t have the reality of the truth, does that mean you
don’t have thoughts and knowledge? When we fellowship about the words of
God, should we talk about our own understanding, our own acceptance? It
is okay to talk about our own understanding and acceptance, this does
not represent someone having the reality of the truth, but these are not
lies. How you accepted and understood at that time, this is something
you should talk about boldly and without restriction. However, if you
have not reached full acceptance, if your acceptance is partial, and
your thoughts are naive, then you ought to thoroughly think it over
until you come to a pure acceptance and receive some real light. Then
the things you talk about can benefit others. If you talk about all
kinds of different things that you are feeling without structure or
order, nobody can make sense of even the main ideas, will this
contribute to others? It won’t. If your knowledge and your acceptance
emerges in a structured way, then when people hear you speak they will
think, “Your acceptance is straight and pure. In comparison with your
acceptance, mine is somewhat partial, I should accept things in the way
you do.” You see, if your acceptance is pure, it will shine brightly, it
will illuminate other people, and benefit other people, isn’t this so?
Now, if you have true thoughts, true insight and true acceptance, should
these things be talked about? They should be talked about. Everyone can
obtain great benefits while fellowshiping about this kind of things,
and come to a pure acceptance and true knowledge. We should communicate
with each other, complement each other, help each other and use the
strengths of others to make up for our weaknesses, and then everyone’s
knowledge will be increased. These are the results that can be achieved
through church life. If every time we gather together we communicate in
this way, eventually everyone will come to a pure acceptance and
understanding of the words of God, isn’t this progress? Isn’t this kind
of progress God’s blessing? This is God’s blessing.
127-B-7
Suppose
someone says, “Today I feel I’ve been enlightened some. The way the
brothers and sisters have communicated with me really has accomplished
something for me. I really feel I’ve gained something. I understand a
little of the truth, have a bit of light, some genuine understanding.
But it’s too little. How great it would be if there truly were a person
who understands the truth and could communicate it clearly all at once,
so I could understand the truth thoroughly! “Is this a valid statement?
It’s not valid. Why is it invalid? In experiencing the work of God, no
one achieves a thorough understanding of God’s words and the truth. I do
not have such an understanding at all. I am like you, just a step
ahead, with only some of the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and
illumination to guide me. It’s not that I all of a sudden entered into
reality and experienced very deeply, no such thing. God’s work is
realistic. So I say while we are experiencing the work of God and live
our lives in the church, there is no one who can thoroughly communicate
the truth, we can just communicate some light at most. That genuine
understanding is already something quite good. So don’t always think of
this process based on the notions and imaginations that corrupted people
have. Even what I’m telling you now about knowledge of the truth is so
limited, we can say it’s too shallow. If you don’t believe me, just wait
ten years and then look back on what I am communicating to you now.
You’ll think, “Oh, looking back on it now, all that communication then
was so inadequate, so superficial.” So I say, do not imagine God’s words
and the truth in such a simple way, as if someone after believing in
God for many years will fellowship about the truth so clearly all at
once. Who can genuinely understand truth with perfect clarity? No one
can achieve this. Even though I have a lifetime of experience, I
wouldn’t dare say my experience of any truth is absolutely complete,
that my understanding is perfect, not at all. Even though I’ve had a
lifetime of experience I am still just an infant, just someone with a
stature that’s none too big. God’s demands on people are not the
loftiest, but practical and realistic. If you imagine that what God
demands of people is so far above us, then it becomes impossible for
people ever to meet these demands. In that case, you have misunderstood
God, for God is a practical God. Whatever God demands of people, is as
realistic and genuine as it can be. His demands on people are not too
lofty; so long as you try with all your might, you can meet these
demands. What is the problem if people imagine God’s demands to be too
high? What is the mistake they are making? Such people certainly have no
understanding of God’s work, no understanding of how practical God’s
work is. Beyond that, God is the Lord of creation, God is thoroughly
familiar with the corrupted human race, knows all too well what level of
achievement humans can attain, and is completely aware how high humans
are capable of reaching. So God’s demands on people are quite reasonable
and absolutely not so high that they are beyond reach as people imagine
them to be.
I’ve said this in the past. I’ve said that we should
have some entry into every truth and that is meeting God’s demands. But
it’s not okay if you don’t have any; you must gain some entry and have
some basic likeness of a real man. To be absolutely holy, to be without
imperfections or flaws is just people’s imagination, and God has no such
demands of people! Then there are other people who say, “In the Bible,
God says, ‘you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.’”
They speak based on this sentence in the Bible, what they say is also
true. God’s words testify to that. So how do you explain this, what do
you think? True, God spoke these words, but is the standard for the
holiness in “you shall be holy” the same as the standard for God’s
holiness? They could never possibly be the same. If you attained God’s
holiness, the same as God, then you would become God! Then just what are
God’s demands on people? To make you into a real man, to be able to
obey God, no longer resist God or judge God, but be able to have true
love for God and a God-fearing heart, that’s all. You may consider those
things to be meeting the standard for the demands that God makes on
humans, and this is the standard for humans achieving holiness that God
spoke of. Fear God and shun evil: that is what is considered holiness.
Just as when Job feared God and shunned evil, and God said he was a
perfect and upright man. Consider whether he was as perfect and upright
as people imagine. He was not. What the conceptual imagination of people
demands of humans, people will never attain. But then why did God say
that Job was a perfect and upright man? It was precisely to demonstrate
that God’s demands on people are realistic, reasonable demands that
people can meet. In the Age of Law, a person like Job met God’s demands,
and in the Age of Grace Peter met the demands of God. God made these
two models to set an example for people experiencing God’s work in the
last days, and through these models to give people experiencing God’s
work in the last days a true standard. Can one rely on human notions and
imagination to understand God’s words? If that is how you understand
God’s words, then you are absurd. You understand neither God’s words nor
God’s will. If we can achieve some results in God’s word, in all that
God demands of people, in all that He demands people to achieve, demands
people to do, and demands people to know and understand, we will then
meet God’s demands, we can be saved and completely able to survive. Is
that a correct understanding?
If we have some practical
experience, some genuine understanding of each truth that God has
expressed, then no matter what the depth of the understanding is, we
have entered a bit into the truth, and that proves that we have some
reality of the truth. For example, when some people experience the truth
of being honest, the lies they tell are much fewer and only under
special circumstances they may still lie just a bit. Would we consider
such people to have the experience and the entry? We would consider that
having some entry and reality. You see such a person is not the same as
before. Before, when he spoke, ninety times out of a hundred he lied,
and now at most it’s only one or two times out of a hundred. That’s a
good entry! So are there any lies in what you’ve heard me say? Think
carefully whether there are. Some say there aren’t, but in fact I can’t
say there are absolutely none. There are very few times when I’ve said
something that is somewhat doctrinal, and not very practical. Still, I
did not lie intentionally. It’s an issue of my stature. Now whether
according to God’s words or according to the standard humans imagine,
did I achieve true holiness? I don’t think so! If I told the satans and
devils some things that were not true, and did not tell them the truth,
would you say that is lying? You cannot tell satans and devils the truth
about some things. That’s not considered lying. Now what does God think
about this aspect of our lying? God’s demands on us are according to
our stature. If we do not tell the truth to satans and devils, we are
being wise, and God has not said we are lying, nor will God condemn us
for it. But in our ordinary lives, we lie many times out of our
corruptness. Lies told out of corruptness are numerous, for some people
it can be as much as one-tenth or two-tenths, two out of every ten
words. And now I’ve discovered a new question: Is it lying to speak
letters and doctrines? This is a new discovery. I feel it comes from the
enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, because this has so
much benefit to our entry into life. Accept this if you can, for it
benefits your entering into life. If you cannot accept this, no one is
forcing you to. Pursuing the truth is something for each person to
choose freely. God’s disposition is holy and righteous, and God does not
like falsehood. So I say not to speak letters and doctrines, empty
words, or imposing pretentious words. God detests that, God will not
accept it, and if you speak them often enough it can infuriate God!
So
you see that as we experience God’s work, there are times when the Holy
Spirit unconsciously enlightens us, makes us discover new light in the
course of our experience, and discover new questions. Is this not the
work of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit guides us to experience God’s
words, and achieve understanding truth and knowing God. The more we
experience these, then truly the greater the results, and the more we
understand God’s purpose, and know God’s work. Therefore, God
accomplishes His own work. This saying is absolutely true. Someone then
says, “So now when I see God’s words made known, isn’t it entirely the
man used by the Holy Spirit who is leading us? What we see is that this
person is working and speaking! So why don’t we go experience God’s work
for ourselves directly? If we don’t accept this person’s guidance,
wouldn’t we make the same progress if we go experience God’s work, read
God’s words, and communicate God’s words for ourselves?” Is that right?
No, it’s not right. Why not? After hearing my words someone says,
“That’s right! Why should we listen to you? Why should we obey you? We
obey God. It is God we believe in, not you. What you just said makes me
think.” You see that these people are also in the dark and have no
discernment.
127-B-8
Some
Korean brothers and sisters have said, “Can we Koreans worship God on
our own? We don’t want you Chinese to lead us. We always feel restrained
by you, and we are upset. We can set up a church ourselves and guide
ourselves!” Is that a good idea? Some say it is not. Why not? In the
past there were some antichrists who would say, “It is Almighty God we
believe in, it is God’s words we believe in. Why should we listen to the
man used by the Holy Spirit? We read God’s words ourselves, and live
our own life in the church. We don’t need your management, and we don’t
need your guidance. We are able to experience for ourselves.” Those
words make sense. “People have freedom of belief, so why should you
interfere?” But over ten years later, where are those antichrists?
They’re all washed up, finished. Did anyone benefit from their guidance?
Did they themselves have the reality of truth? Did they genuinely
search for truth? Were they truly able to serve God? While they were
without truth they wanted to lead God’s chosen people away from God’s
authority, away from the authority of God’s house. Weren’t they
attempting to set up an independent realm? If the Koreans want to choose
Koreans to be their leaders, they certainly can, but do they have the
truth? Do they have the reality of truth? Can they really lead you into
the reality of the truth of God’s words? Are they truly able to gain the
work of the Holy Spirit? Can they truly bring you before God to gain
God’s perfection? Are you able to understand these things clearly? If
you do not have a clear understanding of these things, you are all too
ignorant! Go ahead to try and see. If you should be independent for half
a year, you wouldn’t even have the work of the Holy Spirit, and you
would have to live according to letters and doctrines, as bankrupt as
religion, deserted by God and abandoned! Do you imagine that it is so
simple to experience the work of God?
At present the house of God
is constantly nourishing Koreans from both North and South Korea to let
these people enter the reality of the truth, and thereafter let the
Korean church select people who have the reality of truth as their
leaders. What is the significance of this? It means turning you over to
leaders with the reality of the truth, something indeed worthy of God!
You Koreans at present have not yet thoroughly entered the reality of
truth, and none of you is suitable and can truly lead God’s chosen
people, and so for the time being it has been for God’s house to lead in
unity. Isn’t this God’s love for you? There are some people who don’t
see even this point. If you want to choose a Korean to lead you, there
are some whose humanity is rather good, and we are just now training
them. But can they lead now? Can they bring out the reality of truth in
what they say? Do they have that stature? What is happening now doesn’t
mean you are under the shepherding and authority of Chinese, but
learning to obey God’s work and God’s plan. Not only you, my Korean
brothers and sisters, but the entire world, the people of every nation,
after they receive Almighty God in the future, must all be under the
united leadership of God’s house. Whoever is able to break away from the
leadership of God’s house and whoever dares to separate themselves from
the leadership of the man used by the Holy Spirit, is setting up an
independent realm. Those of you who want to be on your own, are your
wings ready to fly? Do you have the reality of truth? See whether you
can write a film script, if you have the reality of truth. See whether
you can write down something that bears witness. If you really can write
bearing witness out of your own experience, if you can write a film
script, fine! God’s house will agree that you lead the Korean church. Do
you have that stature? Do you dare stand up to say, “I do!”? “If you
do, then try! Let’s see where is your reality of truth, tell us. Tell us
about how many years of experience you have, by how many words of God
you have been judged and chastised, and what pruning and dealing, trials
and refining you have experienced.” You’ve had no reality of truth at
all! God’s house has nourished you these past few years, so now you have
some zeal and some knowledge, so that everyone can be of one mind. This
is God’s love and God’s grace. Then some people feel they are ready to
go out on their own and are impatient to assume authority to lead a
church, become independent, and break away from the leadership of God’s
house. Is this the behavior of antichrists? Is this human ambition? You
want to break away from the leadership of God’s house. You think the
leaders of God’s house are Chinese, and Chinese are not good enough for
you? Is your humanity good? Does your humanity represent the reality of
truth? Does it represent your knowledge of God? Those human conceptions
and imagination that you harbor are not the truth. “Koreans show filial
piety and respect to their parents, Koreans hold the elderly in high
esteem, and the traditional culture of Koreans is good,” but these are
human conceptions and reasoning, not truth, not God’s words. No matter
how well you show filial piety and respect to parents, will that get you
into the kingdom of heaven? No matter how good the culture of Koreans,
is that truth? Does the moral code that children should show filial
piety to parents represent that parents have the truth? Does it
demonstrate that parents should be elders, or supervisors, or hold
authority in the church? Would that be right? Are those of you who are
parents leading others to receive God’s work? Do you have genuine
testimony? Are you able to set an example for your children?
Some
people who have believed in God for years still do not have a real
understanding of traditional culture and still harbor these conceptions
about traditional culture: filial piety toward parents, respect for
parents, and respect for elders. They are the morality of humanity. They
were present in China three thousand years ago. Isn’t Confucianism
especially devoted to filial piety, the three obediences and the four
virtues? Is that truth? That is the fallacy of Satan, the teaching by
which Satan has corrupted the human race. It is just because of these
falsehoods that humans do not obey God and do not obey the truth. Is
this in the Bible? Was the Lord Jesus a man who showed filial piety and
respect for His parents? Was Peter a man who showed filial piety and
respect for his parents? No. But the Lord Jesus is truth, and Peter was a
saint. Peter’s parents opposed his believing in God and following God.
They looked forward to his making a distinguished name for himself and
bringing honor and glory to his ancestors. Instead he rebelled against
his parents to be with Christ, to follow Christ, while he abandoned his
family and abandoned his parents. If it were left up to people’s
imaginations, it would have been right for God to curse Peter for being
an unfilial son. But the fact is that it was Christ whom Peter sought.
It was truth. Because Peter followed the Lord Jesus, followed Christ, he
was genuinely able to love Christ, and won God’s praise, becoming the
historical model for saints. How do you explain that? How did the Lord
Jesus treat His parents? Was He filial? From the age of thirty when He
went out to preach, He rarely returned home and did not mention His
parents. How did He put it? “For whoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother”
(Matthew 12:50). How do you explain this? You always judge people by
people’s notions, people’s heritage, is that right? Does this represent
humanity that is good? Can this represent you as being people obedient
to God? If your humanity is good you should be able to pursue the truth,
so why aren’t you obedient to the truth? If Koreans are allowed to lead
Koreans, then they will put these notions in first place and put truth
in second, to one side. Isn’t that so?
from The books of The Church of Almighty God Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life
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