Supplement: The Path That People Walk Determines What They Ultimately Reap

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

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

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