Tending to Give Charity

Let’s now talk about tending to give charity. If there are no motives behind a person’s tendency to give charity, and it is merely a behavior or a common practice in their daily life, then this tendency to give charity should be considered a merit of humanity. Giving is, at any rate, better than receiving. At the very least, a person who tends to give charity has a heart that sympathizes with others, and an element of kindness within their humanity, and they are not miserly and do not place much importance on material things. Moreover, when they possess relatively abundant material goods, they will give away their surplus items, or those that they do not use but are suitable for others to use, making other people’s lives a bit more comfortable or convenient. Judging from the motive behind these actions, at the very least, people who have a tendency to give charity have kind humanity, and display essential manifestations of sympathizing with and pitying others—it is a merit of their humanity. Such people have relatively good character, far better than that of evil people who love to take advantage of others and arbitrarily seize others’ possessions—they have somewhat greater integrity. They give charity and help others without seeking anything in return, without seeking praise from others or to leave behind a good reputation. This is simply their attitude in conducting themselves, or their way of life. For example, when they see that someone lacks clothes, they immediately give their surplus clothing to that person to wear. When they see that another person’s family is poor and often cannot get enough to eat, they give some of their family’s rice to them so that they can also have enough to eat. When they buy a new computer and see that someone else’s computer is barely usable, they give their old computer to that person to use. They give charity without seeking anything in return—this is simply their character. This is a merit of humanity and can also be classed as a manifestation of good character. The behavior of tending to give charity is not bad at all, but some people, because they tend to give charity, often think, “I am kind, I am noble, I am generous. Many people’s lives have improved after receiving my charity and help. I am an object of God’s salvation. If God does not save someone like me, what kind of person would He save?” They often regard themselves as “a good person who tends to give charity.” Suppose that someone says to them, “Your humanity is not good. You do many things that go against the truth, and you do not love the truth.” After hearing this, they will become angry. What is the problem here? Some people’s families are relatively well-off, and the brothers and sisters around them have all received favors from them. So those people often ponder, “I have treated these people in the church very well—they have all received some help from me. Don’t I have prestige and status in the hearts of these people? Aren’t I the one with the best caliber and the best humanity in the church? Shouldn’t I be a leader? Shouldn’t the brothers and sisters all listen to me?” What kind of issue is this? Isn’t this an issue of corrupt dispositions? (Yes.) Just because they have a bit of good behavior, they no longer know their own true measure, they treat this behavior as capital, always wanting to be a church leader, and they get an inflated ego, thinking that they are exceptional. They do not link the various corrupt dispositions exposed by God’s words to themselves. They believe that their tendency to give charity means that they are a good person, that they don’t have any corrupt dispositions, that everything they do is right, and that they should be a leader and an exemplar in the church, and that the brothers and sisters should all emulate them. What are these revelations of? (Corrupt dispositions.) This has risen to the level of corrupt dispositions. Although tending to give charity is a merit of humanity, if someone judges themselves to be a good person who is certain to be saved because of this, is this kind of thought and viewpoint correct? They regard their good behavior of tending to give charity as them having good character and noble integrity, and even regard it as practicing the truth and submitting to God. This is a grave mistake. This is arrogance and self-righteousness, and a complete lack of self-awareness. Tending to give charity can be said to be a good behavior. At most, a person who tends to give charity has relatively good character, much better than those who take advantage. However, you cannot claim that you are a good person, that you have no corrupt dispositions and possess the truth reality, and that you are qualified to be a church leader and to stand above others and issue commands, simply because you have this good behavior of tending to give charity. This is an arrogant disposition. Although you tend to give charity and help others—engaging in some of these good behaviors—which is a merit of humanity, this does not prove that you have no corrupt dispositions. If you treat your tendency to give charity and help others like capital and develop an ambition to become a church leader and to elevate yourself above others, this is an issue of corrupt dispositions. Can you see the distinction now? Having good character does not mean that one has no corrupt dispositions. Some people basically interact and associate with others reasonably well—they do not take advantage of others and they even give charity and help others—they have some merits of humanity. However, after spending some time with them, you discover that they are very arrogant, that they love to boast, and that they sometimes even tell lies and are quite deceitful. If you criticize them, they refuse to accept it and are somewhat vicious, even slamming the table and saying, “I have believed in God for so many years—who hasn’t received charity from me? Ask the brothers and sisters—have I ever taken advantage of anyone? Have I ever harmed or hurt anyone?” Does not having harmed others make you a good person? Isn’t not harming others just the bare minimum that a person should do? What reason do you have to be haughty? Not having harmed or hurt anyone is what a person ought to do—it is not capital. Not taking advantage of others does not mean you are able to practice the truth and submit to God. You should learn to reflect on yourself and be able to accept others’ criticism and help—only then will you be someone with reason. You are being pruned now because you have revealed a corrupt disposition and your actions do not align with the truth. This is not a denial of the fact that your good behavior of tending to give charity is a positive thing, or a denial of your character. Rather, pruning and exposure are being practiced because you have made a mistake and violated the truth principles. If you can accept it, then you are someone who loves the truth and can practice the truth. If you do not accept it, then your tendency to give charity is, at most, a merit of humanity. But because the arrogance, viciousness, and wickedness within your corrupt dispositions dominate, you cannot accept the truth, and so you are utterly base, and you are worthless. When faced with pruning, people of this sort make a huge scene, talk about their qualifications, and flaunt the bit of good behavior that they’ve engaged in. They behave like mad dogs, throwing fits. That little bit of good image they had completely vanishes, and their nature is thoroughly exposed. Everyone sees this clearly and says, “This person has a severely corrupt disposition—they’re an evil person, a shrew! It’s fortunate that they weren’t chosen as a church leader. If they had become a church leader, they wouldn’t be able to stand the slightest criticism—if anyone tried to dismiss them, they would never leave that person be and they would fight to the death against them. That would be disastrous!” If you only look at one good behavior of theirs or one quality of their humanity, you simply cannot see what their corrupt dispositions are like, what their attitude toward the truth is, or whether they can submit to the truth. When they reveal a corrupt disposition and then undergo exposure and pruning, their attitude toward the truth will come to the surface bit by bit and be exposed. Therefore, a person’s character, or the merits and shortcomings of their humanity, cannot fully determine whether they accept the truth. Looking at their character or the merits and shortcomings of their humanity, it is also impossible to see what their attitude toward the truth is like. Only when they reveal a corrupt disposition, or when they are faced with exposure and pruning, will their attitude toward the truth be revealed, and only then can it be known whether they love the truth, whether they can practice the truth, and how much hope they have of being saved in the end. From such people’s tendency to give charity and help others, you can see what merits and defects of humanity they have. Then, from their series of problems—such as them becoming arrogant and self-righteous, and wanting to become a leader and stand above others on account of their tendency to give charity and help others—you can see clearly their attitude toward the truth; and based on their attitude toward the truth, you can see clearly whether they can attain salvation. Through these behaviors, you can discern the merits and shortcomings of their humanity, discern their character, and at the same time learn to tell the difference between humanity and a corrupt disposition, but you cannot completely tell whether they can ultimately be saved or what their result will be like. Judging whether someone can be saved is somewhat more complex—you also have to look at whether they can accept the truth, reflect on themselves, and have genuine repentance when they reveal a corrupt disposition; it must be judged based on these aspects.

Loving to Socialize and Being Reclusive

Loving to socialize—what aspect is this? (An innate condition.) This is an innate condition, a method for worldly dealings while among groups of people. Some people enjoy associating with others, they never tire of it, and no matter the personality of the other people, they are able and willing to associate with them. Some people, however, prefer to avoid crowds and are unwilling to associate with others. This has a certain connection to one’s inborn personality. When it involves personality, it definitely involves innate conditions. Loving to socialize is related to a person’s personality; it does not involve the merits or shortcomings of humanity, and it of course does not involve any corrupt disposition. This is a relatively simple manifestation. Being reclusive—what aspect does this fall under? (It’s a part of one’s inborn personality.) (It’s a defect of humanity.) There’s some disagreement here—so, just what kind of issue is being reclusive? (Being reclusive indicates one’s personality is poor.) Having a poor personality is a defect of humanity. Personality itself is also an aspect of one’s innate conditions, so this trait of being reclusive is both an innate condition and a defect of humanity. This does not belong to a corrupt disposition and does not involve one’s self-conduct. Being reclusive means always avoiding people, being unwilling to communicate one’s thoughts with others, preferring to do things alone, disliking associating with others, and disliking living among people. Such people only like staying in a solitary environment or in a corner. When there are many people, they are unwilling to speak. They are not good at communicating with others. When they do communicate with others, they feel anxious and panicked, or end up in some embarrassing and awkward situations. This is a personality issue within innate conditions and, of course, is also a defect of humanity, right? (Right.)

Timidity and Boldness

Now let’s take a look at being timid—what kind of issue is this? (An innate condition.) (A defect of humanity.) It is an innate condition and also a defect of humanity. Tell Me, what does it mean to be timid? Being afraid to go out at night, fearing mice, centipedes, and scorpions, as well as being afraid of getting into trouble and being unwilling to face complicated issues—these are all manifestations of being timid. Some people faint from fright when they see a snake. Some people get so scared they tremble all over when they hear about a car accident. Some people, upon hearing that believers in God are persecuted and can be arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned, become so afraid that they don’t dare to believe. There are also those who don’t dare to ride roller coasters. Such people don’t dare to participate in or try anything if there’s even a little they cannot see through or if it’s something they haven’t done before. They not only do not dare to try dangerous work or dangerous activities, but they are also afraid to do things that normal people should do in daily life. For example, if asked to learn how to drive, they say, “I do not dare to drive. There are so many cars on the road, and they drive so fast—what if I get hit?” Someone says, “Why are you always worried about a car crash? Can’t you just be a bit more cautious when driving?” But they are still afraid: “Once the car starts moving, it’s out of my control. If a crash really happens, no one can control it!” They always think in a negative direction, so they cannot accomplish anything. Being timid is an innate condition, and it is also a defect of humanity. Timid people are overly cautious and meticulous in everything they do. They usually do not make big mistakes or commit major wrongdoings. But from any perspective, this cannot be considered a merit—this is a defect of humanity. Then what about being bold? What terms are commonly associated with being bold? (Being foolishly bold, acting recklessly out of boldness.) “Acting recklessly out of boldness,” “being outrageously bold,” and “being bold as brass” all refer to being bold. So, is being bold good or not? (It depends on the matter.) It depends on the situation and what kind of person they are. If viewed from the perspective of humanity, being bold cannot be classed as a merit or a shortcoming—we’ll categorize it as an innate condition. A person’s boldness must be considered in terms of the matter; additionally, you have to look at whether they have boundaries in doing things and what their character is like. If their character is bad, boldness can lead them to break the law, do evil, and commit crimes, taking advantage, making ill-gotten gains, and swindling and cheating others everywhere. If someone offers them money to commit wrongdoing, they are capable of doing it. In order to take advantage, they dare to do any bad deed, without regard for consequences or consideration for others. Is acting recklessly out of boldness like this good? (No.) Some people deceive others everywhere for the sake of their business. The business they run is illegal—it’s just a shell company without real operations. But because of their boldness combined with their ability to deceive, they temporarily make a fortune, live in villas, and drive sedans—they enjoy a very good life, but the money and material possessions they enjoy were all obtained by deceit as a result of their boldness. Is this a good thing? Tell Me, is this boldness good? (No.) Therefore, when it comes to bold people, you have to look at the path they take. If they dare to swindle and cheat others because of their boldness, they are committing great evil. The more you deceive and the more you take advantage of others, the more severe the punishment you will receive in the future, right? Doesn’t this bring calamity? (Yes.) If you are timid and want to swindle and cheat others, you will engage in a bit less deception, and the punishment you receive in the future will be lighter. So, for such people who do not walk the right path, is it better for them to be somewhat timid or somewhat bold? (Being somewhat timid is better.) For these people who do not walk the right path, who are capable of swindling and cheating others, who disregard the law and always seek to exploit legal loopholes to make windfall gains, and who can break the law at any time, boldness is a calamity—it is a defect and a failing of their humanity. Being timid, on the other hand, becomes a good thing—it is even a safeguard for them. Timid people earn some money so they can provide for the basic needs of their family and themselves, and also enjoy some luxuries, and stop there. The punishment they receive in the future will be lighter. Bold people dare to recklessly commit misdeeds, and cheat and swindle others, taking what belongs to others so they themselves have more to enjoy. They take advantage of others—won’t they have to compensate for it in the future? (Yes.) If they have a next life, the punishment they receive then will be severe—they may not even be able to fully compensate for it in one or two lifetimes. Some people spend their whole lives running restaurants or doing business, earning one or two million or even tens of millions in assets, yet they don’t get to enjoy any of it themselves because it’s all used to repay debts. Even by the time they are in their seventies or eighties, they still haven’t finished repaying. What is going on here? This is causal retribution—perhaps it’s because in their past lives, they took too much from others out of greed, so they’ve been repaying debts over these several lifetimes. Isn’t it that, in their past lives, they were too greedy, too bold, and took advantage of others too much, resulting in retribution in their current life? (Yes.) For people who do not walk the right path, being a bit timid is a safeguard for them, while boldness is a bad sign.

If a person walks the right path, is boldness good? (Yes.) What is good about it? (If they are bold, they can still persist in believing in God when facing persecution.) This boldness does not merely refer to fleshly courage. If it is the kind of boldness that is fleshly courage, then it is recklessness and rashness—it is somewhat impulsive and blind. For example, if you are bold, and you are arrested for believing in God, will you be afraid of being tortured? Will you be afraid of death? Will you be afraid of being imprisoned for twenty or thirty years? If you will be afraid, then you saying, “I am not afraid” when you start believing in God is recklessness, not true boldness. What manifestation is not recklessness? It is that, when you start believing in God, you have a certain courage, but you also have genuine faith. What does this genuine faith refer to? It means that in believing in God, you have resolve: “If I am persecuted, arrested, and tortured for believing in God, I must be ready to lay down my life. No matter how I am tormented or to what extent, I will not sell out the church or become a Judas—I do not fear death!” This is one aspect. The other aspect is that, if you are truly arrested and persecuted, and the great red dragon threatens you to get you to sell out the church, you can see through Satan’s schemes, and not be constrained by it, and stand firm in your testimony, saying, “Everything about a person, including their life and death, is in God’s hands. I am not afraid!” This is neither recklessness nor mere courage; this is genuine faith. Having this genuine faith and being able to stand firm in your testimony is your merit. Suppose that you do not have genuine faith and only say, “I am not afraid—at worst, it’s just death,” but when you face arrest, you are so scared that you wet your pants. After being arrested, the first thing you think is, “Will I be tortured? Will my flesh suffer? If an electric branding iron is pressed against my body, will I be able to withstand it? If the torture is severe, will I die? If I die, will God not remember me? Will I not be able to attain salvation? If I truly cannot bear it, I will sell out the church and become a Judas. If I get punished and destroyed after I become a Judas, so be it—at least I won’t suffer pain right now.” In that case, aren’t you losing your testimony? Say that the Communist Party then threatens you, using your family to blackmail you—not allowing your children to attend university, denying your parents access to medical insurance, stripping away all the rights of your family—then you will become afraid and not have genuine faith. Where will your courage have gone? Are you truly bold? If you do not have genuine faith, then your boldness is just recklessness. Only when you have genuine faith is your courage genuine. Before being arrested, if you think, “God won’t let me be arrested,” and you become emboldened because of this thought, that is not true fortitude or true faith. Suppose that, before being arrested, you have already thought through all of this and say, “A person’s life and death are in God’s hands. If God truly wants to take my life, I should submit. As for my future destination, that is determined by a single word from God. However God treats me and whatever destination He grants me, it is all God’s righteousness, and I will submit. If God arranges for me to die in prison, that is my honor—I am willing to offer this life to God. No matter how great suffering I experience, I will have one unchanging creed, which is that I entrust my life into God’s hands, and, no matter how Satan torments me, ravages me, or inflicts torture on me, I will never yield to it. I am not concerned about whether I will die. Even if I die, it is under God’s sovereignty and He has preordained it. I will still thank and praise God!” This is the kind of faith you must have; only with such faith can you have true courage. Say that, before being arrested, before that really happens to you, you have seen through to these matters, have genuine faith in God, genuine submission to God, and a genuine understanding and acceptance of the matters of life and death, and you can completely entrust yourself into God’s hands, and, when you are truly arrested and face the possibility of death, these understandings in your heart remain unchanged—then your faith will not waver. No matter the circumstances, if your faith is not crushed or defeated, you will always have courage. Suppose that, before being arrested, before that really happens to you, you have not thought these things through and only wishfully think, “I am willing to offer my life. My life was given by God—at worst, I will die as a martyr for God!” In that case, when the great red dragon tortures you and then sentences you to ten years in prison, you will be dumbfounded: “I thought dying would be the end of it. If I were martyred, God would remember me. I didn’t expect that I would fail to bear that testimony and, in the end, be sentenced to ten years. Ten years—that’s not ten days or ten months! How am I supposed to endure this?” Since you haven’t thought about these things before, will it be easy to figure them out at this time? It will be somewhat difficult, right? (Yes.) When difficulties arise, people only think about how to handle them and how to escape from them. If your drive to escape from difficulties is strong, then your drive to adapt to them in the midst of a plight will be extremely weak. Therefore, when facing difficulties, it becomes very hard for you to submit to such an environment. So how should such situations be resolved? You must immediately seek the truth and think these matters through; you must also figure out the path for how you should practice the truth. For example, if you are to be imprisoned for ten years, what will you think? “Will my wife (or husband) divorce me? How old will my children be after ten years? I won’t have fulfilled my responsibility toward them—will they disown me and refuse to care for me in my old age? How will I live after being released? After ten years, my parents will be old, and I won’t have fulfilled my filial responsibility toward them—won’t that make me unfilial? Will God’s work be finished after ten years? I won’t have gained anything in prison—I won’t have attended any gatherings, or listened to any sermons, and I won’t have understood the truth. Won’t I have fallen behind during these ten years? Won’t this mean I’ve been eliminated? Will God still want me? If I undergo this suffering, will God remember this? If He doesn’t remember this and I cannot attain salvation, then won’t I have spent this time in prison for nothing? A lot will change in ten years, and I will gain nothing while losing a lot.” When you think of these things, the difficulties arise. How should you face these difficulties? Shouldn’t you think about how to get through each day? If you haven’t thought these things through and haven’t reached a point where you understand the truth and see matters clearly, then when you face being arrested, your life and death will hang on a single thought: A moment of timidity and fear, a single thought or idea, can cause you to become a Judas, sell out the church, and waste all your previous efforts. If you cannot think through or see through this matter, it will be very difficult not to worry about your prospects and fate, and it will be very hard to entrust your life and death into God’s hands and allow Him to orchestrate as He wills. If you cannot see through matters of life and death and still harbor a mentality of trying your luck, wanting to muddle through, then when an environment comes upon you, you will be revealed. All those who became Judases when they were arrested, signing the “Three Statements,” did so overnight, and they were branded by Satan with the mark of the beast. A person’s life and death sometimes hang on a single thought. Without the truth, it is very difficult to get through crises. So, what is true boldness? If someone accomplishes something by relying on a burst of brute force, is that true boldness? It is not—it is impulsiveness. A truly courageous person has a certain level of discernment in their heart regarding many positive and negative things. They are able to internally agree with, accept, and firmly recognize positive things, reaching the point of being able to submit to the truth and to God’s sovereignty. Only in this way can you have true courage. If you do not possess these things in your heart, your boldness is just a foolish one—like a newborn calf being unafraid of a tiger. Therefore, in a country that resists God, believing in and following God not only requires courage but, more importantly, requires faith. You dare to believe in God not because you are bold, but because you have faith. Some people say, “I think that I believe in God simply because I am bold and unafraid of persecution.” This statement may be correct. You believe because of audacity, but in light of your foolishness, ignorance, and simplicity, God shows you special grace, setting up certain environments for you, as well as giving you the watering and provision of the truth. Through this, you come to understand and gain quite a few truths. Over time, your audacity gains elements of genuine faith, and it is only then that your courage grows, and you dare more to face future environments or persecution. If a person does not have genuine faith and relies on a burst of strength, saying, “I dare to believe in God! I’m not afraid of persecution or of being arrested and imprisoned!”—that kind of courage won’t last long. Without the provision of the truth, without God setting up environments in real life to train you, to get you to practice, and to teach you how to face various things, your boldness is purely audacity, and it is not genuine faith at all. Do you understand? (Yes.) If it is truly audacity, then that makes you a reckless, foolish, ignorant person. Some people who believe in God have very simple thoughts, imagining things to be very straightforward, without at all anticipating what dangers will be involved in following God. But when they encounter setbacks, only then do they realize that following God is not a straightforward matter. If a person’s boldness is a merit of humanity, then at the very least, they are simple and straightforward, not complicated, and they do not worry about this and that. But suppose that your boldness is driven by an intention to obtain blessings, and you think, “If you believe in God, you can get into heaven, obtain great blessings, and escape the disasters and avoid death, so I’ll believe, come what may!” In other words, your belief is driven by a burst of audacious brute strength; it is not you desiring, in a simple manner, to believe in God; instead, it is chasing blessings. In that case, your boldness is at best audacity and cannot be classed as a merit of humanity. Therefore, when it comes to bold people, you must see what their humanity essence is like. If they have no conscience and reason and are merely audacious, then they have little value and cannot accomplish anything meaningful. But if they are able to believe in God and accept the truth, then such people have value. If a person is bold but has no comprehension ability, cannot understand the truth, and believes in God solely for the sake of obtaining blessings, and they are willing to give up their family and career and do not fear persecution in order to gain blessings—then this is not a merit of humanity but rather a wrong thought and viewpoint. Do wrong thoughts and viewpoints align with God’s intentions? (No.) Whether someone is timid or bold involves their innate conditions and has little to do with the essence of their humanity.

If we didn’t fellowship on the various manifestations of innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions, could you discern them on your own? (We perhaps could with simple manifestations, but we could not with more complex ones.) Now that the distinctions between innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions have been fellowshipped about, can you discern them now? (We can discern them a bit better than before.) If I give some more unusual examples, then, will you be able to discern them based on what I have fellowshipped? It’s hard to say, right? Then next time, we’ll continue to fellowship about issues related to this topic. As we fellowship more, you will identify some rules for discerning different kinds of issues. In terms of the various manifestations of humanity, innate conditions, and corrupt dispositions, you can generally discern the manifestations that have been fellowshipped about. For those that have not been fellowshipped about, only people with spiritual understanding or those who know how to seek the truth may be able to discern some of them. Those with poor caliber may fall short and be unable to discern them, so they need to listen more and ask more questions. If we do not fellowship about these issues, they will always remain vague for you, and what you say will also be unclear; there will always be a gap between your understanding and pure understanding of the truth, right? (Yes.)

Today we fellowshipped on matters of caliber. Can you now discern what people’s caliber is like? (We can roughly discern it.) If you cannot discern it, then take your time and experience things. In daily life, you will encounter these matters. Learn to apply the words from our fellowship to real life, matching them with people’s manifestations bit by bit—discerning yourself and discerning others, coming to know yourself and coming to know others. Gradually, you will be able to gauge these things and have a standard for doing this. The principles for viewing people and things, as well as for conducting yourself and acting, will become increasingly clear. We have fellowshipped a lot about the various aspects of discerning innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions. No matter which manifestations or which revelations of humanity we fellowship about, none of it is empty words—these things can all be encountered, seen, and sensed in real life. Therefore, you must learn to view various things and various kinds of people by matching God’s words up to them. Only by learning to match the various states and matters from our fellowship to real life can you gradually make progress in viewing people and things, as well as in conducting yourself and acting, have an accurate understanding of various matters related to the truth, and gradually grasp the various truth principles. Do you understand? (Yes.) Although the matters we’ve discussed are primarily used to discern the various states and revelations exhibited by people, and do not directly enable you to understand and enter into the truth, these matters will all affect your understanding of the truth, as well as your entry into the truth reality. Therefore, although these matters may seem, in people’s notions, to only involve humanity, innate conditions, or some obvious corrupt dispositions, every matter and every statement is related to people’s entry into the truth. And so, these matters are ones that you must face on the path of entering into the truth—you cannot avoid them. The various matters and manifestations of humanity, whether positive or negative, are all things you will face and encounter in various environments in daily life. If, when you face various matters, you cannot discern any of them and generalize them all, regarding the truth principles from our fellowship as regulations or doctrines, then you will never be able to enter into the truth reality. Why is that? Because you will never understand what the truth is.

Alright, that’s all for today’s fellowship. Goodbye!

November 25, 2023