What we fellowshipped just now concerned the topic of how the incarnate God treats status. Now that we have finished fellowshipping on how one should view status, let’s fellowship on how one should view suffering. This is a topic people often talk about with one another. How one views suffering involves their thoughts and views, as well as their principles of practice. How do people view suffering? Suffering is something that people frequently encounter and experience in their lives or in the course of believing in God, and it is also a topic they often discuss. Most people associate suffering with their personal capital, their standing, and their status, as well as their future destination. Therefore, most people have certain thoughts when they suffer, and attach great importance to it. In particular, what hardships one has suffered; what kind of suffering one has undergone; how long one has suffered; how many other people know about one’s suffering, how many other people have seen it, and how many other people recognize it—these are all topics that concern people greatly. In addition, how one can use suffering to gain status in other people’s hearts, how one can use it to gain the things one wants, such as benefits, prestige, status, the high regard of others, and personal glory, and even how to gain the fondness, recognition, acceptance, and remembrance of God’s house or of God through suffering—these are also things people focus on in their hearts. Therefore, the issue of suffering carries more weight in people’s hearts than practicing the truth does. So, how exactly should one view suffering in a way that is correct and in accordance with the truth principles? How do I view suffering? Over the years, when I have fellowshipped with you—and during My day-to-day interactions with you—have I ever talked about what hardships I have suffered, how long I have suffered, what the purpose and significance of My suffering were, or what My feelings were after suffering? To your recollection, have I ever talked about these topics? Is there any record of this in written text, or in the audio recordings of sermons, or in the words you have heard? (No, not to our recollection.) In the past, I heard it being circulated among you that one year during the Chinese New Year, I had nowhere to go and was without a home to return to, that the brothers and sisters did not host Me, and that later I wandered the streets; it was said that I had endured this suffering. Did this actually happen? (God said in a previous sermon that You never experienced this. This was a story circulated by people.) I Myself didn’t even know about this. How could I know about something I never experienced? What I did was clarify this matter, right? This situation simply never happened. So as far as you can remember, I basically don’t talk about suffering, right? (Yes.) Regarding the issue of suffering, most people believe that suffering is a very good form of practice for gaining personal capital, earning the high regard of others, and getting them to have a favorable impression of oneself; they believe it’s the most basic practice involved in believing in God. Regardless of how people view it, listen now to what My thoughts and views on the issue of suffering are.

There are several kinds of suffering. The most common kind of suffering is people enduring some suffering to safeguard their own status, to maintain their prestige among others, and to gain good prospects and a good destination. This includes staying up late and getting up early in the performance of one’s duties, and not eating good food or dressing nicely. There are also some people who forsake their families and careers to preach the gospel and do their duties. Not only does the government arrest and persecute them, but their families also do not understand them and even persecute them and hinder them. Some spouses even threaten divorce, and there’s also the idle gossip, slander, and rumormongering of their relatives. They have endured a great deal of suffering. However, in order to gain good prospects and a good destination, and to preserve their status and prestige, no matter how much they suffer or how great their suffering is, the people who suffer in this way continue to do the work as always, never giving up. In short, people like this suffer for the sake of their status and prestige, and for the sake of their prospects and destination. They rush about away from home for long periods of time, getting the cold shoulder from others, and being ostracized and misunderstood by others, enduring much suffering that ordinary people do not endure. Tell Me, is there any value in suffering for the sake of one’s status and prestige or for the sake of one’s prospects and destination? (No.) Does God remember this? (No.) Their sole purpose in suffering is to make the leaders and workers, as well as the brothers and sisters, hold them in high regard and admire them, so that the brothers and sisters will continue to elect them as leaders in the next election. They treat suffering as the goal of their pursuit. To preserve their status, they can endure any kind of suffering. They give up their worldly prospects and careers, and even leave their superior living environments, enduring a great deal of suffering. After people of this type endure this suffering, they flaunt everywhere, often fellowshipping about how they suffered during gatherings or when pruning others. Their purpose in doing so is very simple: It is just to safeguard their own pride and safeguard their own status and vanity. Thus, the suffering they endure is of no value. They do not come to know themselves through this suffering, much less do they become able to practice the truth. This kind of suffering is not even worth bringing up. Some people just suffer for the sake of their status and reputation, and for their prospects and destination. They can put up with all manner of toil to safeguard their status and reputation, and can endure any kind of suffering in order to gain blessings. However, they never step forward to do a bit of work or say a single word to safeguard the work of God’s house, safeguard the interests of God’s house, or safeguard the interests of the brothers and sisters. Even if doing so would require no suffering or would take only a single sentence, they cannot do it. Therefore, all the suffering endured by people of this type is in vain, and God does not approve of it. People of this type are purely hypocritical Pharisees; they are people who mislead others and are spurned by God. For the sake of their status, they can rise early and stay up late to do their duties, and can endure suffering and fatigue. They can work long hours without stopping, or even take no days off all year round. They rush about busily just for their own status, and everything they say is to safeguard their own status, pride, and reputation. When someone does something that truly goes against the work arrangements of God’s house, they never criticize them, much less stop them. So, their suffering is purely for the sake of their own reputation and status, and for their personal interests. Not only is it not remembered by God, but it is also condemned. In particular, they use suffering as personal capital with which to frequently lecture others and try to bargain with God, hoping that God will see their suffering and give them a good evaluation. They also frequently test God to see if He is satisfied with their suffering and whether they can gain blessings for the suffering they’ve endured. Therefore, based on the nature of such people’s suffering, not only is it not remembered, but it is even condemned; and not only is it not a kind of good deed, but it is a kind of evil deed. People of this type frequently boast about how far they have traveled and how much they have suffered for the sake of doing church work and their duties, as well as the severe illnesses they come down with and how much medicine they have to take. When they take medicine, they often do it in front of the brothers and sisters so that they see them taking it. They devise ways to let more people know how much work they have done, how much they have suffered, and how much of a price they have paid, and that they take medicine only after making themselves sick from overwork. They do this so that people will hold them in high regard, admire them, and worship them. Aren’t people of this type disgusting? (Yes.) So, the suffering of people like this is not worth a penny; it’s nauseating. It’s even the case that a large portion of people of this type cannot do any real work. They just do work for appearances’ sake to create a facade for others to see. They don’t say a single word or do a single thing that might offend anyone. When it comes to matters involving safeguarding the church’s work, they don’t utter a peep or do the slightest bit of work. When they encounter someone causing disruptions and disturbances to the church’s work, they do not treat that person according to principles, but rather act based on feelings. If they see someone they dislike causing disruptions and disturbances to the work, they will speak up a bit and do a little something, availing themselves of the opportunity to show off and accumulate personal capital, and when the time comes they’ll try to claim credit and get rewarded. But if the one causing disruptions and disturbances to the work is someone they like or someone who supports them, not only do they not expose or stop them, but they also accommodate, shield, and cover up for them, using the nice-sounding excuse that “Their stature is small, so we must exercise patience and support them.” In actuality, it is for the sake of safeguarding their own status that they try not to offend anyone. Even so, they still want to make use of their suffering to get people to hold them in high regard and make use of their suffering to safeguard their own status. Some people usually pretend to be very busy. When eating, they purposefully soak a little rice or steamed bun in plain boiled water and have some pickled vegetables with it, and go to a gathering right after they finish eating, making the brothers and sisters see that they can really endure hardship. They always wear the same piece of clothing, not washing it even when it’s dirty, and they tell other people, “Look, I’m so busy I don’t even have time to eat or do my laundry!” Some people chat idly with others and waste time while doing their duties, and yet pretend that they’re having a gathering and fellowshipping with them. It looks as though they’re busy doing their duties from morning until night, and they even sleep slumped over the computer at night when they should be resting. They do this so that people see how much they suffer and how much of a price they pay in doing their duties. They frequently have disheveled hair and dirty faces, and they even go for long periods without changing or washing their clothes or taking a shower, just to let people know how much they suffer and how much they can pay a price. Tell Me, what value is there in enduring this suffering? Isn’t it all just a facade? (Yes.) Some of the work in God’s house is a bit busy, but not to the point of leaving people with disheveled hair, dirty faces, and no human likeness, right? Some churches have relatively poor living conditions, but not to the point that the people there only eat steamed buns and pickled vegetables every day, no? Perhaps this is the case in a few specific places, but it’s not possible that most places are like this. No matter how hectic the work of God’s house gets, at the very least, you must maintain eight hours of restful sleep—it’s not the case that you can’t even get eight hours of sleep, right? This is excluding the occasional special circumstance that might persist for a day or two. In mainland China, some of God’s chosen people go on the run to avoid arrest and persecution by Satan’s regime. Sometimes they sleep and rest in caves, haystacks, and stables. These are special circumstances. After coming overseas, if people deliberately create some “environments of suffering” and deliberately “train” in how to suffer, aren’t they basically ascetic monks? Why would we call them that? Because all they’re doing is just deliberately enduring some suffering, abiding by some regulations, and disciplining their bodies, after which they feel that they have changed. They then boast in front of others about how much they have suffered, hoping to move both Heaven and the common people, and thus seek prestige and benefits for themselves, and obtain the good destination they want. This path is unfeasible. When God determines someone’s outcome, He never looks at how much they’ve suffered or whether they have toiled and made great contributions, nor does He ever look at their age. What does God base His determination of people’s outcomes on? He bases it on whether or not people have the truth. If you only focus on suffering but have not gained the truth, then no matter how much you’ve suffered, it has been in vain. If you suffer without principles, and you also create hardships for yourself and deliberately suffer, then you are just destined to suffer. Your suffering is not worthy of pity; you brought it upon yourself. God has not asked man to suffer. God judges and chastises man, and tries and refines man, not to make him suffer, but to save him from his corrupt dispositions. Much of the suffering man endures is caused by his corrupt dispositions; it has never been God’s intention to make man suffer.

God created the heavens and earth and all things for mankind—the sun, moon, and stars, sunlight, air, soil, water, the four seasons, as well as all kinds of material things necessary for mankind’s life and survival. There are things to eat, drink, use, and look at; all kinds of living things across the four seasons are in full supply, aren’t they? There are grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts, things growing on trees and in the ground; all sorts of different material things are highly abundant, with a full supply of every flavor and color. God means for man to enjoy the provision that comes from Him; the provision man receives from God is rich and abundant, and man is nourished by it. As you can see, what created beings receive from the Creator is rich and abundant, endless and inexhaustible. God is perfectly willing to let man enjoy all of this, and created beings should rightfully enjoy all of this provided by the Creator. What created beings enjoy from God is blessings, not suffering. God’s original intention in creating mankind was not to make man suffer, but to have man enjoy the provision that comes from God while he experiences the journey of life. The various kinds of living creatures and living things created by God are in full supply; nothing is lacking. This includes things to hear—look at how God has even thought of the chirping of birds and the singing of crickets for man. That is, God has thought of everything that brings contentment, comfort, and tranquility to man’s inner world. What God has prepared for created beings is in full supply. When created beings enjoy everything God has bestowed, they are enjoying blessings. Those people who are like ascetic monks believe that God just wants to make man suffer, that He just does not want man to enjoy blessings, that even if the conditions allow for it, He does not let man enjoy them, but just makes man suffer. They believe that God is happy, satisfied, and has achieved His goal when man faces extreme suffering and fatigue. Tell Me, don’t people of this type harbor bad intentions? Isn’t this a twisted interpretation of God’s intentions? (Yes.) Where did this idea come from? It came from Satan, didn’t it? (Yes.) God created all things, but Satan does not acknowledge this. It does not know how to manage or maintain them, and it does not want all these living things to continue existing. It thus ruins and destroys them so that man cannot enjoy all that God has created. It misleads and corrupts man in order to make man have a good impression of it, and make man worship it and hold it in high regard. Satan does its own thing and opposes God in everything. God allows mankind to enjoy all of this, whereas Satan deprives mankind of the right to enjoy it, does not let mankind enjoy it, and just makes man suffer. God lets mankind manage all things and enjoy all things, whereas Satan ruins all things. It ignores the existence of all things, despises the existence of all things, condemns the existence of all things, and deliberately makes man seek out suffering. Look at the laws God has ordained for man: When the sun sets and it gets dark at night, one should rest one’s body. The fatigue from a day’s labor is relieved through rest. After resting for a night, one’s physical strength is restored, and one is full of energy. The next day, when the sun rises, one feels refreshed and begins another day’s labor. This is such a wonderful law! Some people do not abide by this law. They only start working when it gets dark at night, and stay up until four or five in the morning before going to sleep, wanting to turn the schedule of work and rest upside down. God says that when the sun sets and the moon rises, man should stop his labor for the day and gradually wind down and begin to rest; he should work or rest according to the laws that govern the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, and should not go against this law. These people who “suffer” insist on doing the exact opposite. When they should be resting, they do not sleep; they deliberately stay up late, and even get especially excited. When others are sleeping the soundest is when they are the busiest, when they are suffering and tiring themselves out. Then, when it’s time to work during the day, do they still have energy? Can their energy still sustain a day’s work? (No.) They have no choice but to sleep for an hour or two before getting up to continue working. In the morning, when others are eating, they are sleeping. During the day, when others are working normally, they are dozing off and groggy. But at night, when others are resting, they perk up and start working and getting busy. Isn’t this turning the schedule of work and rest upside down? Isn’t this abnormal? (Yes.) And yet they feel quite pleased with themselves, thinking that no one else can endure as much suffering as they can, that other people are all just average Joes. At midnight, when others are about to rest, they even say, “You’re resting this early?” The other person says, “It’s midnight; that’s already very late. Besides, I don’t have any energy left; the efficiency of my work will suffer, and I won’t get good results. When it’s time to rest, we have to rest.” They say, “Going to sleep at midnight is too early! I start working at midnight and don’t go to sleep until four or five in the morning.” There’s something wrong with their heads, isn’t there? Not only do they torment themselves, but they also constrain others. When others rest at midnight, they even judge them, saying, “You indulge in fleshly comfort and don’t have the resolve to suffer. Since God has given you such an important commission, you must work late into the night and suffer; you must stay up until at least two in the morning before going to sleep. Only this is being devoted to your duty.” If someone stays up until two in the morning before going to sleep, will they still have the energy to do their duties during the day? (No.) According to the natural laws that govern the human body, if someone goes to sleep at two in the morning, they won’t be able to get up until seven or eight in the morning. After they get up, they’ll be physically exhausted, mentally groggy, their legs will be swollen, and they’ll feel uncomfortable all over. Even if they take a nap in the afternoon, their body still won’t recover, because they went against the laws ordained for man by God, right? (Yes.) They not only suffer like this themselves, but they also demand that others suffer just like them. If others do not do things their way, they come up with a theoretical basis to condemn them. Muddleheaded people who are of small stature and don’t have discernment are thus constrained; they follow suit, forcing themselves to stay awake bit by bit, gradually getting to the point where they rest after two o’clock. They even think, “Having the resolve to suffer is truly not easy. We must learn to endure, learn to rely on sheer perseverance, learn to rebel against the flesh, and learn to go against the natural laws. If we really are unbearably sleepy, we should practically torture ourselves to prevent our flesh from sleeping. Only this is being devoted to God’s commission and having the resolve to suffer, and only people who do this can attain salvation!” Look, isn’t this drive of theirs pretty much the same as that of the monks and nuns in temples? (Yes.) Just like ascetic monks, they only know how to endure suffering; understanding the truth, practicing the truth, and attaining salvation are completely absent from their hearts. Can such people attain salvation, then? Are they not ruined? (Yes.) How does this come about? It’s the result of being brainwashed by erroneous thoughts and views, of being influenced and devastated by erroneous thoughts and views. All of this is caused by people not understanding the truth; it is caused by them being deeply harmed by erroneous thoughts and views and being unable to practice according to the truth principles. So, is it ultimately other people who are misleading and corrupting you, or is it Satan that is misleading and corrupting you? In short, the erroneous thoughts and views that man accepts come from Satan, not from God; they are negative things, not the truth. Outwardly, it seems you have accepted certain thoughts and views from other people. In fact, however, these thoughts and views do not come from God, but from Satan. Outwardly, it looks like other people are speaking to you, but in fact, it is Satan instilling these viewpoints in you. Are the viewpoints instilled in man by Satan not also propagated through man? If you do not understand the truth and can’t uphold the truth principles, you will ultimately be misled. Once misled, you will be just like ascetic monks, only knowing how to suffer and abide by regulations every day, while still thinking that you are practicing the truth. In the end, you will be punished and die without having gained anything. Does enduring this kind of suffering seem worth it to you? (No.) Where does enduring such suffering ultimately lead people? (To hell.) They wind up in hell, where they report to Satan. Did God want them? (No.) Such people endured so much suffering and believed themselves to be so devoted to God, so how did they end up reporting to Satan in the end? Why didn’t God want them? Is this a pity? (No, it’s not.) In believing in God, if people only focus on abiding by regulations and suffering, only pursue gaining blessings but do not pursue the truth, cannot submit to God, still live by satanic dispositions, and are still of Satan, then no matter how much such people suffer, it will be impossible for them to attain salvation. This is all determined by the path people themselves walk.