Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “God’s Work and Man’s Practice”

【126-A-5】

With leaders or workers who have the reality of truth, wherever they are, the people near them will receive benefits first of all. What does receiving benefits mean? First it means being supplied, being watered, so that the problems of the people at hand are solved first of all. First of all there will be improvement in being involved in the lives of the people at hand. The evil people, the false leaders, the antichrist beside them will first be handled. Only in this way will the leaders and workers be leaders and workers with the reality of truth. As leaders or workers, if all the chosen people of God around them and their co-workers have many problems that are not solved, and these people’s lives can’t receive any support, there is no entry into their lives, and there is no improvement in their lives, then this is enough to show that these leaders or workers do not possess the reality of truth, are not up to the mark, and are not acceptable. It doesn’t matter whether it is the church, or a group, if among those who carry out their ordinary duties there is a person who pursues the truth, although his or her understanding of the truth is not necessarily very deep, yet when problems arise for the brothers and sisters at hand he or she can help resolve them, and through fellowship whatever difficulties will all be resolved too. 

Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “God’s Work and Man’s Practice”

【126-A-4】

There are some people who write false resumés in recommending leaders and workers, extolling a person to such an extent, but in the end God’s family finds, “This person isn’t doing real work, he or she doesn’t have a good disposition; how can there be such a difference from the resumé?” After investigation of the responsibility for this, several leaders and workers were dismissed, weeded out. To lie to God is a serious sin; wasn’t it exposed? At the time of writing the resumé they would have felt good: “I will write it a bit better for him or her, to make God’s family satisfied—look how good it is that we have proposed this person.” But do you think that writing this is the end of the matter? When the person gets here and can’t work, this goes back to your responsibility! Deliberately writing these things well is deception. Can the sin of deception be overlooked? To go into it, who wrote the resumé? Dispense with that person! They are not qualified as leaders or workers and should be eliminated completely. It’s time for retribution, isn’t it? To take the standpoint of the people of the world and lie to God, this just will not work. After this has been exposed, you’re finished. Things will have caught up with you. When you have just finished doing some things you may feel you’ve done very well, but there’s no rush, when the things are exposed one day see if the church can’t investigate you. So no good will come from doing evil, and if now you felt at ease lying to the church and to God, don’t worry, things have still not been resolved; one day you will give yourself away and you will be found to be responsible. Who can be popular in God’s house? Honest people, people who love God. Such people will become popular. God loves this kind of people and blesses them, and others love them too. Truth reigns in the house of God; it is God’s words and God that reign. What is the evidence for God’s reigning? First, the truth is in power; second, God’s word is in power. This means that God reigns. The authority of the Holy Spirit is the authority of the truth, the authority of the word of God. The truth, the Holy Spirit, the word of God, and God are as one—ultimately all these are the authority of God.

Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “God’s Work and Man’s Practice”

【126-A-3】

Why do we feel we only like to associate with honest people? Because associating with deceitful people is too dangerous, annoying and disgusting. When you hear deceitful people say something, it’s really disgusting. It puts you off your food. Actually you already know, “When you say this it isn’t sincere, what are you being pretentious about? What are you arguing about? What are you trying to show off? Do you imagine I don’t know what’s in your heart?” So deceitful people can upset you with just a few words, and it’s as though you are boiling over. It’s awful, horrible, as if you’re seeing right through them. And because it’s so awful, disgusting and boring to associate with deceitful people, people don’t enjoy it and don’t associate with them. But as soon as you associate with honest people you find it happy and bright. They say what they think. So you feel light-hearted, happy, excited. You can share openly something in common with them, and this creates a resonance. And you will feel peaceful and pleasurable. This is one side of it: the very real emotional enjoyment and happiness. Furthermore, it is not dangerous no matter how you deal with honest people: they won’t deceive you or cheat you. They certainly won’t harm you. You could happily go out and leave them in your home to look after things. Imagine, you could put your gold ring and gold necklace in a drawer and tell them, “Look after these for me, will you? I am putting them here.” “Fine, don’t worry!” When you come back and check the drawer, the ring and the necklace are gone. “What’s happened?” “They weren’t safe there, I hid them away in a safe place.” You check and there they are. “Fine, you’re more careful than I am!” You see how it is to associate with honest people? You feel secure. If you associate with evil people, if something goes wrong, they will scowl. “This guy is so ferocious, with such a horrifying expression. It’s best not to have anything to do with him. If you just say some small thing wrong and offend him, you don’t know whether he might take out a knife behind your back, and you don’t know what will happen to you. You just can’t associate with such an evil person, it’s like bumping into a poisonous snake!” Isn’t there this kind of feeling? To be with an evil person, first of all you won’t feel secure; secondly, you can’t fathom them out; thirdly, you never know when they will become devilish. It’s just too dangerous to deal with this kind of person. So after having experienced being an honest person for three to five years, or five to six years, you will have the likeness of an honest person, the likeness of mankind. People will like to see you as an honest person. Then won’t you enjoy this? You will. How will you enjoy it? “Now I know what the likeness of a real man is, and what kind of person I should be.” Surely to have insight into this is to understand a mystery of life, right?

Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “God’s Work and Man’s Practice”

【126-A-2】

We’ve just read a passage from God’s word “God’s Work and Man’s Practice.” This passage tells people clearly how to experience God’s work and how to fulfill their duty. Now, let’s have a fellowship. Read this first: “Each stage of the Holy Spirit’s work simultaneously requires the testimony of man. Each stage of work is a battle between God and Satan, and the object of the battle is Satan, while the one who will be made perfect by this work is man. Whether or not God’s work can bear fruit depends on the manner of man’s testimony to God. This testimony is what God requires of those who follow Him; it is the testimony made before Satan, and also proof of the effects of His work.” What is this paragraph saying? It’s easy to see the literal meaning of God’s word: God has requirements for those who experience His work. What does He require? He requires you to bear witness once you’ve experienced a step of God’s work. What will the result be if you don’t bear witness? Needless to say, you will definitely be eliminated. Those who bear witness are those who will be gained by God and receive God’s blessing. It is extremely important that people bear witness during every step of work done and it should not be treated as a trifling matter; but if people don’t pay attention, does this show they are heartless? God requires people to bear witness during every step of His work, but what exactly does it mean to bear witness? Someone once said: “It means fulfilling my duty, and fulfilling it in every step of the work done; that’s what it means to bear witness.” Is this right? It’s good, but not complete, though you can say that the response is correct. Why is it said that it’s correct? What is the basis for determining whether or not one’s performing duty is bearing witness? It’s based on whether one fulfills their duty adequately. Fulfilling your duties adequately; that is bearing witness. Like when someone says, “When I fulfill my duties well, is that not bearing witness?” This sounds absolutely correct! Fulfilling one’s duty well is bearing witness. But what is the standard for “fulfilling one’s duty well”? Does it mean to fulfill one’s duty adequately? When you fulfill your duty, and do so adequately, that is bearing witness. Someone might ask if doing good deeds had any relationship to bearing witness. Doing good deeds is a part of bearing witness. Aren’t most of the good deeds man does part of duties they should fulfill? You can say that good deeds are the duties that one should fulfill; the more good deeds one does, the more of their duty they fulfill, and their testimony will resonate. If someone fulfills their duty only in one aspect, does that mean they’ve done many good deeds? If they fulfill their duty in one aspect without accomplishing any other good deeds, is their testimony bright and resounding? This does not meet the standard!