By Li Ming, China

In September 2021, I wrote to the leaders of the Wenzhuang Church, wanting to set up a meeting with Sister Li Jing to revise a sermon. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the leaders wrote back saying that Li Jing’s comprehension was absurd. The church was collecting and compiling materials on her in preparation for clearing her out, and they told me not to meet with her. I was surprised by the leaders’ reply. I thought, “Li Jing and I used to be in the same church. Back then, I saw that she liked reading God’s words. She was enthusiastic and willing to pay a price in her duty, and her humanity was pretty good. She was a sincere believer. It was just that her caliber wasn’t great, and she lacked discernment. Could the leaders have been wrong in characterizing her as comprehending things in an absurd way?” The leaders’ letter said that Li Jing was quite arrogant and self-righteous, that she acted on her own ideas and did as she pleased, and that she always failed to act according to principles in matters the leaders arranged. It also listed some examples of how she constrained others in her daily life. Most of these manifestations the leaders mentioned seemed to be revelations of corruption and shortcomings in her humanity. They didn’t show that Li Jing’s comprehension was absurd. Had the leaders characterized her incorrectly? If they cleared her out by mistake, it would be ruining her life! At the time, I thought about writing to the church leaders to share my perspective. But then it occurred to me that although I had known Li Jing in the past, it had been many years ago. I didn’t know her situation in recent years. I was worried my view was one-sided, so I didn’t write the letter. My partner, Sister Yang Yi, had been in contact with Li Jing recently, so I asked her opinion. Yang Yi said that when she heard the leaders were compiling materials on Li Jing for “absurd comprehension,” she was also surprised, and she didn’t think Li Jing met the conditions for being cleared out. Hearing that Yang Yi’s view was similar to mine, I felt it was very likely the leaders’ characterization was wrong. So, based on the principles of God’s house for clearing out and expelling people, I wrote about the deviation in the leaders’ handling of Li Jing’s case and stated my own view. But just as I finished the letter and was about to send it, I hesitated, “My duty is text-based work. Clearing out and expelling people isn’t in my area of responsibility. That’s the job of the church leaders. Besides, I’m not a member of their church. If I write to them to point out this issue, will they think I’m overstepping my boundaries and meddling? My disposition is already quite arrogant, as the brothers and sisters all know. If I give the leaders my opinion, won’t they be even more convinced that I’m arrogant?” Then I thought, “God’s house is currently doing the work of cleansing the church. If I say now that Li Jing doesn’t meet the conditions for being cleared out, will they think I’m shielding her and obstructing the work of cleansing the church? That would be a serious accusation! I might even get isolated and cleared out myself, which wouldn’t be worth it! I’d better just forget it. Even if they make a mistake, it’s their responsibility, not mine. As the saying goes, ‘The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot,’ so I’d better not meddle. Besides, the upper-level leaders make the final checks when the church clears out and expels people. I shouldn’t worry about it.” Thinking of this, I deleted the letter I had written.

Afterward, I felt self-reproach whenever I thought about this matter, and I constantly felt uneasy. I could clearly see that Li Jing’s manifestations were just some revelations of corruption and she didn’t meet the conditions for being cleared out, but I couldn’t even bring myself to report it to the leaders. If Li Jing really was cleared out, it would ruin her life! Wouldn’t I be partly responsible? But I was afraid that raising the issue would be bad for me. I felt caught in a dilemma, not knowing what to do. So I prayed to God, asking Him to enlighten me so I could understand the truth, know myself, and not live by my corrupt disposition. After praying, I thought of God’s words: “Most people are willing to pursue the truth and want to practice the truth, but a lot of the time they merely have the resolve and a desire to do so; inwardly, however, the truth has not become their life. So when you encounter evil forces disturbing and sabotaging the church’s work—for example, when you are faced with false leaders handling matters in violation of the principles and not doing real work, or evil people and antichrists doing evil and disturbing the church’s work and thereby causing harm to God’s chosen people—you do not have the courage to stand up and speak out. Why do you not have this courage? Is it because you are timid or inarticulate, or do you not dare to speak up because you can’t see things clearly? It is not due to any of these things; it is primarily the consequence of you being constrained by your corrupt dispositions. One of the corrupt dispositions you reveal is a deceitful disposition: When something happens, the first thing you consider is your own interests, the consequences of your actions, and whether they will be beneficial to you. This is a deceitful disposition, is it not? Another is a selfish and base disposition. You think, ‘What does them harming the interests of God’s house have to do with me? I’m not a leader, so why should I get involved? It’s got nothing to do with me, and it’s not my responsibility.’ Such thoughts and words are not something that you intentionally think up, but are produced by you unconsciously—these are the corrupt dispositions that people reveal when they encounter an issue” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). As I pondered God’s words, I felt like He was exposing and judging me face-to-face. I knew perfectly well that Li Jing didn’t meet the conditions for being cleared out and that there were deviations in the leaders’ characterization of her. I also knew the consequences of clearing someone out by mistake. Whether what I saw was completely accurate or not, I should have raised it for their consideration so that they wouldn’t clear her out by mistake, jeopardizing her chance of attaining salvation. But I only considered my own interests. I was afraid that if I expressed my opinion to the leaders, the brothers and sisters would think I was arrogant and overstepping my boundaries. I was also afraid they’d think I was shielding Li Jing. If I was characterized as obstructing the work of cleansing the church, it would be disastrous for my own outcome and destination. To protect myself, I just didn’t write to the leaders. I was living by satanic rules for survival like “Let things drift if they do not affect one personally,” “The less trouble, the better,” and “Sensible people are good at self-protection, seeking only to avoid making mistakes.” In everything I did, my guiding principle was self-preservation. I only ever considered my own future and interests, showing no concern at all for the church’s work or for my brothers’ and sisters’ lives. I was so selfish and despicable, completely lacking in humanity! Realizing this, some hate for myself arose in my heart, and I became unwilling to continue living by my corrupt disposition.

Later, I read a passage of God’s words that really moved me. God says: “If you do not really make an effort in your faith in God and performance of your duty; if you always want to go through the motions and are perfunctory in your actions, like a nonbeliever working for their boss; if you just make a token effort, you don’t use your mind, you muddle through each day as it comes, not reporting problems when you see them, seeing a spill and not cleaning it up, and indiscriminately dismissing everything that is not to your own benefit—then is this not trouble? How could someone like this be a member of God’s house? Such people are nonbelievers; they are not of the house of God. Not one of them is acknowledged by God. Whether you are being true and whether you made an effort when you perform your duty, God keeps account, and you also know full well. So, have you ever really made an effort in performing your duty? Have you ever taken it seriously? Have you treated it as your responsibility, your obligation? Have you taken ownership of it? You must properly reflect on and know these matters, which will make it easy to address the problems that exist in performing your duty, and will be beneficial to your life entry. If you are always irresponsible when performing your duty, and do not report problems to the leaders and workers when you discover them, nor seek the truth to solve them on your own, always thinking ‘the less trouble, the better,’ always living by philosophies for worldly dealings, always being perfunctory when you perform your duty, never having any devotion, and not accepting the truth at all when pruned—if you perform your duty in this way, you are in danger; you are one of the laborers. Laborers are not members of God’s house, but employees, hired workers. When the work ends, they shall be eliminated, and shall naturally be plunged into the catastrophes. The people of God’s house are different; when they perform their duty, it is not for money, or to exert effort or gain blessings. They think, ‘I am a member of God’s house. Matters which concern God’s house concern me. The affairs of God’s house are my affairs. I should put my heart into God’s house.’ Because of this, they put their heart into every matter that concerns God’s house, and take responsibility for it. They take responsibility for everything they can think of and see. They keep an eye out for things that need handling, and they take matters to heart. These are the people of God’s house. Are you the same way? (No.) If you just indulge in the comforts of the flesh, pay no heed when you see there are things that need handling in the house of God, do not pick up a bottle of oil which has fallen over, and your heart knows there is a problem but you do not want to resolve it, then you are not treating the house of God as your own. Is this how you are? If it is, then you have fallen so far that there is no difference between you and the nonbelievers. If you do not repent, then you must be counted as being outside of the house of God; you must be shelved and eliminated” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. To Perform One’s Duty Well, One Must at Least Be Possessed of a Conscience and Reason). After reading God’s words, I understood a person’s attitude toward God is critical in believing in Him and doing their duty. Only if they have a sincere heart for Him, if their heart is turned to Him in all things, and if they protect the interests of God’s house, does God see them as part of His house. Otherwise, they will be spurned and eliminated by God. I reflected on how I had handled the incident of compiling materials for clearing Li Jing out. This revealed that my heart wasn’t turned to God at all. Even though I saw that there were deviations in the leaders’ characterization of Li Jing and knew that clearing her out wrongly would harm her and ruin her life, I pretended not to see it, all to protect myself. I even used the excuse that there were leaders at every level making the checks on the church’s work to evade my responsibility and refuse to practice the truth. How was my attitude toward what was happening in the church any different from a nonbeliever working out in the world? I only protected my own interests and ignored everything else. I was treating myself like an outsider to God’s house. I had no sincere heart for God, and truly incurred His loathing and hatred. I am a member of God’s house, but when I saw a sister about to be wrongly cleared out I wasn’t even able to report it to the leaders. I had no sense of justice whatsoever. I was utterly spineless! If I truly had a sincere heart for God, I would have fulfilled my responsibilities in the church’s work. It’s like when children see their parents in trouble or their family facing difficulties. They take the initiative to help, without needing to be supervised or urged. That’s because they see themselves as part of the family and feel responsible for helping with any family matter. But as a member of God’s house, when I saw deviations in how the leaders handled an issue, it shouldn’t have mattered whether I belonged to that church or if it fell within my remit. Since I saw it, it was my responsibility to point it out to the leaders. Whether my assessment of the issue was accurate or not, after I raised it, the leaders would verify, investigate, and look into it, which would benefit the church’s work. Practicing this way isn’t meddling or overstepping my boundaries, nor is it a revelation of an arrogant disposition. It’s fulfilling my responsibility and duty, and protecting the interests of the church and my brothers and sisters. Realizing this, my heart brightened somewhat.

Afterward, I thought about how reporting the issue to the leaders was clearly practicing the truth and protecting the church’s interests. Yet I was always afraid I’d be condemned and dealt with for it. This was being guarded against God, and not believing that the truth reigns in God’s house. I thought of God’s words: “God has an essence of faithfulness, and so His words can always be trusted; His actions, furthermore, are faultless and unquestionable. This is why God likes those who are absolutely honest with Him” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Three Admonitions). “If you are very deceitful, then you will be guarded and suspicious toward all people and matters, and thus your faith in Me will be built upon a foundation of suspicion. I could never acknowledge such faith. Lacking true faith, you are even more devoid of true love. And if you can even doubt God and speculate about Him at will, then you are, without question, the most deceitful of all people. You speculate whether God can be like man: unpardonably sinful, petty, devoid of fairness and reasonableness, lacking a sense of justice, using vicious tactics, insidious and cunning, delighting in evil and darkness, and so on. Is not the reason that people have such thoughts because they lack the slightest knowledge of God? Such faith is nothing short of sin! There are even some who believe that the ones I like are only those who know how to flatter and bootlick, and that those who don’t know how to do that will be unwelcome in the house of God and will lose their place there. Is this the only knowledge you have acquired after all these years? Is this what you have gained? And your knowledge of Me does not stop at these misunderstandings; even worse is your blasphemy against God’s Spirit and vilification of Heaven. This is why I say that such faith as yours will only cause you to stray further from Me and be in greater enmity toward Me” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. How to Actually Know God on Earth). From God’s words, I understood that God’s essence is faithful and holy. He is righteous to everyone; He won’t wrong a good person, nor will He spare an evil one. God’s house handles every person according to principles. The work of cleansing the church is meant to cleanse away all the antichrists, evil people, and disbelievers hidden within in order to purify the church. It is entirely determined by God’s righteous disposition. But I was guarded against God, and imagined the cleansing work of God’s house to be like one of the great red dragon’s political campaigns, feeling like I was in the eye of the storm and I couldn’t speak casually—otherwise I’d be tormented. The cleansing work was underway in God’s house. I was worried that if I told the leaders Li Jing didn’t meet the conditions for being cleared out, I’d likely be condemned for obstructing the cleansing work. My view was so absurd. I didn’t believe that the truth reigns in God’s house—that makes me a disbeliever! In reality, obstructing the church’s cleansing work means siding with the antichrists and evil people when the church is dealing with antichrists, evil people, and disbelievers, finding all sorts of reasons and excuses to favor and shield them in an attempt to keep them in the church. That is disturbing the church’s work and doing evil. But in this case, Li Jing didn’t meet the conditions for being cleared out. Reporting this to the church leaders was just so they could verify this and get a clear picture, and avoid ruining Li Jing’s chance of salvation by wrongly clearing her out. Practicing this way protects my brothers and sisters and is also a manifestation of upholding the interests of the church. It’s not deliberately obstructing the cleansing work. Besides, even if I were wrong, since my starting point was to protect the church’s interests, the church wouldn’t condemn me for it. The church would handle the matter fairly according to principles. So what did I have to be so worried and anxious about? Realizing this, I felt liberated and gained the resolve to practice the truth.

I thought of God’s words: “Having a normal relationship with God means being able not to doubt and not to deny any of His work and being able to submit to His work. It means having correct intentions in God’s presence and not making plans for yourself, and it also means prioritizing the interests of God’s house, accepting God’s scrutiny, and submitting to His arrangements, regardless of what you’re doing. You must be able to quiet your heart in God’s presence in all that you do. Even if you do not understand God’s intentions, you must still fulfill your duties and responsibilities to the best of your ability. Once God’s intentions have been revealed to you, practice according to them, and it will not be too late. When your relationship with God has become normal, then you will also have normal relationships with people. To build a normal relationship with God, all must be built on the foundation of God’s words, you must be able to do your duty according to God’s words and what God asks, you must set your views straight, you must seek the truth in all things, and you must practice the truth when you understand it. Regardless of what happens to you, you must pray to God and seek with a heart of submission to God. Practicing thus, you will be able to maintain a normal relationship with God” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. How Is Your Relationship With God?). From God’s words, I understood that to believe in God, we must establish a normal relationship with Him and give our hearts to Him. We must consider our brothers’ and sisters’ life entry and the work of the church in everything we say and do, and be able to accept God’s scrutiny in all things. Only then can we practice the truth. Since I could see that the leaders had made an inaccurate characterization in Li Jing’s case, I should have shared my perspective. Even if my view wasn’t entirely correct, raising it would allow the leaders to re-verify her situation and avoid ruining her chance of salvation through wrongfully clearing her out. Practicing this way would be beneficial to both the life entry of my brothers and sisters and the work of the church. Although I knew Li Jing, I wasn’t reporting the issue to shield her or to show myself off. It was based on my understanding of her, and on the fact that the manifestations the leaders listed didn’t align with the church’s principles for clearing people out. It wasn’t about maintaining a personal relationship with her. While this matter seemed minor on the surface, it touched upon whether I could practice the truth and protect the church’s interests. It was also a test from God. So I knelt and prayed to God, expressing my willingness to practice according to His requirements. After praying, I reviewed Li Jing’s manifestations one more time. Then, based on the problems in the leaders’ characterization of her, I fellowshipped my own comprehension and perspective in combination with the relevant principles. After writing the letter, I sent it to the leaders. Practicing this way, I felt incredibly at ease and at peace.

Later, the leaders wrote back to me. They said they had reinvestigated and, after seeking the relevant principles regarding Li Jing’s manifestations, they confirmed she did not meet the conditions for being cleared out, that there had been deviations in their previous characterization of her, and that she is now still doing her duty in the church. I was very happy to see this result. I felt that practicing the truth is wonderful! From now on, I must practice it even more.