﻿Come take a look! See what I've got for sale!
Big discounts! Giveaway prices!
Fresh fish! Fresh fish! Live and fresh from the reservoir!
Boss, I'll take this one. (This one?)
Put some pepper in mine! (Okay.)
Will 5 yuan be enough? (Yes.)
Alright. Thank you. (Take care!)
What else do you want to eat?
Let's go look over there.
Which one?
That one?
Boss, I'll take a corn cob and a tea egg. (Okay.)
Fresh vegetables! One yuan for two bunches!
Buy two bunches.
Home-grown vegetables, one yuan for two.
Alright, I'll take 2 yuan's worth. (OK.)
Have you paid your fees? (Yes, I paid.)
You paid? Alright.
Hey, these oranges don't look too bad.
Here you go.
You two, take some of these back.
Here's your money. (Here you go.)
That's already as cheap as I can go.
Quick! Quick! … It's the city patrol! The city patrol is here!
Stop right there!
Who said you could sell produce here?
Have you paid the fee? Huh?
I grew this in my garden,
and I can't finish it. (Cut the crap!)
You have to pay if you wanna sell produce here! (So I'm just selling the rest …)
Fine her 50 yuan.
Here.
These vegetables wouldn't be worth
that even if I could sell them all! (I don't care about that!)
Pay the fine or we impound your rickshaw!
Who cares how much you're making? Hurry up!
Then I won't sell it, I'll leave, alright? (You're not leaving?)
Leave the rickshaw here! (He's being really harsh.)
You can have the vegetables. (Get back!)
You're not leaving! Try it! (But don't take my rickshaw!)
Leave the rickshaw here! (Please …)
Why would I want your vegetables? (Please don't.)
Let go! Let go! …
Get back! Get back! I said get back! (Let go! Get back!)
Let go! I said let go!
Let go! Let go! …
I'll pay … I'll pay, alright?
I'll give you all the money I have.
Just please, don't take my rickshaw!
Alright, alright.
Don't let us catch you selling here again.
Why didn't you just pay us at first?
If I see you here again, I'll impound your rickshaw!
Alright, everyone disperse!
Ma'am, are you alright?
I'm fine, I'm fine …
Here, get up.
Thank you, young lady.
You're welcome.
What a world we live in!
Ma'am, your vegetables look nice.
I'd like to buy a little more.
Thank you, young lady.
No problem. Let's get up.
Mom, why did you buy so many vegetables?
So that old woman could go home a little sooner.
Oh.
Let's ask Dad to come home soon too.
Okay. Come on.
Hi, I'm ready to pay.
Found your books? (Yeah.)
Here, it's 55 for both.
Alright. Here you go.
Take care. (Goodbye.)
Uh, young man, come here for a second.
Why?
Hi, Dad. (Hi.)
Would you mind opening your bag?
Why … why do you want to see my bag?
You should know very well what's in your bag.
He's stealing books?
That's so embarrassing!
Someone as young as you, and you're already—(Let it be.)
It's probably a misunderstanding.
Students all develop this habit.
They finish reading a book, close it,
and put it in their bags.
Right … right.
I … I just forgot.
How … how much for these two books?
Forty for both.
You're always worried about preserving people's dignity.
If someone doesn't properly talk to him about this today,
he might try it again in the future.
Lighten the big issues and smooth over the small, right?
It's enough that he knows. No need to make it hard for him.
You know, you …
Let's close up and get home soon.
We have things to do tomorrow.
Right, tomorrow is Sunday, isn't it?
Yes.
Haohao, go home now.
Okay, coming.
Let's go home.
The day after tomorrow is the last vote to elect this year's church leaders.
Yeah.
And we're all excited to see the results. (Yeah.)
Yes, we are.
Electing church leaders is a big decision
that impact the life of God's chosen people. (Yes.)
Of course we're all concerned about it. (Right.)
Electing good people who seek truth and a sense of justice,
who are competent as church leaders,
is the only way to ensure they can guide us
to live according to God's word. (Yes.)
That's why we absolutely have to take the election of church leaders seriously.
Hey, what do you think of Sister Yang?
Sister Yang? (Yeah.)
She is a good person, she pursues the truth,
and she is capable.
The last few days, I've been weighing it
based on the principles of electing church leaders,
and I think Sister Yang is a suitable candidate.
I think Sister Liu is a good candidate too.
I think she's very astute,
is responsible in her duties, and very proactive.
That's what I think too.
Hey, Mom.
Yeah?
Have you two ever thought about voting for me?
When we elect a church leader,
we must practice "one is one and two is two,"
which means everything has to be above board.
We can't choose based on our emotions or preferences.
Even if it's my own son,
I can't choose him if principles don't allow it.
I know! I know!
Don't let your mom's age fool you.
She's completely clear on the principles of how to choose a leader.
Mom is not muddled about the important things.
Alright.
In keeping with principles, let's start the vote. (Okay.)
Let's count the vote.
Okay.
I'll keep the tally.
I'll witness the count.
These are the votes from every group, so let's start the total count.
OK.
Yang Huixin, Liu Wenxiu.
Yang Huixin, Chen Xi.
Chen Xi, Yang Huixin.
Yang Huixin, Liu Wenxiu.
OK, now we'll announce the election results.
22 votes for Yang Huixin, 16 votes for Liu Wenxiu.
Sister Yang and Sister Liu will be our next church leaders.
Hey, Huixin …
You look like something is bothering you.
Oh …
I can't stop feeling like Sister Liu is very cunning.
She was elected to church leader
and I'm worried about it.
The principles of elections say that cunning people can't be leaders.
I was wondering:
Should I report this to my superiors?
Oh? How is she cunning?
In the past, when she was my partner,
she rarely opened up and fellowshiped about her own condition,
which made it hard to get to know her.
When she was group leader,
several times she failed to resolve the difficulties of the brothers and sisters,
but she told our leaders she had.
And I fellowshiped with her about that,
but she didn't change.
When you say that, she does sound a bit cunning.
I don't know her very well,
but from the outside,
she seems very passionate and proactive in her duties.
From the outside, she does seem passionate,
but actually she always muddles through her duties.
She speaks empty words and does no real work.
She only keeps up appearances.
If that's true,
you really should report to your superiors.
It's best if you stay away out of other people's business.
Really, think about it, if you report this,
your boss will probably fire him.
I mean, Mr. Li would absolutely hate you.
It's not worth it to make him angry over this.
Look, just trust me on this …
Hey, you're here! (Hi.)
Not too busy right now, I hope.
No one ever comes in at this hour.
No thanks, water is fine for me.
Jing, is this how you pass your time? Just watching TV?
Do you plan to stay this negative forever?
I just can't get my head around it.
Around what?
I wasn't the only one to blame for the problems with church work.
Why was I the only one dismissed?
Even now, you don't understand yourself.
Our brothers and sisters reported you and removed you
because you only spoke doctrines and letters,
lectured them, and restrained them.
Why don't you reflect on yourself instead of arguing with me?
How could someone like you,
who doesn't accept or have any reality of truth,
ever use the truth to resolve problems?
And how could you be qualified to be a church leader?
You really need to reflect on yourself,
offer God your repentance,
adjust your state and get back to your duties.
That way, it's much easier to receive the work of the Holy Spirit
and understand the truth, and to mature in life.
Look, I know everything you just told me.
Aren't I reflecting on myself right now?
But I've been back from that place for almost a month,
and the church hasn't arranged any new duties for me.
In your current condition, unrepentant,
what duties could you perform?
Well … if I can't be a church leader,
I can perform other duties, can't I?
Please, you're a church leader.
Regardless, you should give me a new duty.
Well, listen, the Lijiazhuang meeting place still needs a group leader.
Why don't you manage that group for now?
OK!
But … will Sister Yang agree?
Sister Yang …
Choosing a group leader is a big issue.
If we choose incorrectly, people's growth in life could be delayed,
and that would be on our heads.
True.
We need to act according to principle,
and choose someone with practical experience who pursues the truth.
That would be in accordance with God's will. (Yes.)
Here, come in and sit down.
OK.
Well …
Li Jing does have some understanding about herself.
She fellowshiped with me about it.
The last few days, she's been reflecting on why she failed.
The main reason is that she didn't practice the truth,
thereby achieving no life entry,
causing her only to speak of doctrines and letters.
She said she will repent,
focus on practicing the truth, and start over.
I think making her a group leader
will be a good chance for her to put that into practice.
If she doesn't repent, we can dismiss her.
What do you think?
Wenxiu, are you certain Li Jing can genuinely repent?
How can you believe her just based on what she herself tells you?
I think it would be best to observe her for a bit longer.
We are responsible for God's chosen people,
so we can't act on our feelings.
Non-believers rely on relationships, networks, and transactions to get things done.
But in God's house, we act based on the principles of truth.
The principles for training and using people in God's house state clearly
that if the dismissed truly repent and can perform practical work,
they can be promoted and put to use again.
But if they don't genuinely repent,
they aren't people who pursue the truth,
which means they aren't suitable for any position of responsibility.
Yesterday, I went to their group's meeting,
and saw that Li Jing doesn't have any clue why she was dismissed.
She was still defending herself.
That doesn't seem like repentance to me.
In this situation, arranging that duty for her …
doesn't that betray the principles of God's house?
But … but yesterday Li Jing told me she wants to perform a duty.
She wants the church to give her another chance,
and I agreed.
I said she could manage the Lijiazhuang meeting place.
Do you think … shouldn't we let her manage it for now?
If anything … if there's a problem,
we can deal with it.
If you already made the arrangements,
why didn't you just tell me?
Well … if you don't agree, then forget it.
Since you already said yes,
let her manage the group for a while and we will see.
So you're saying you agree?
You're so understanding and considerate.
I knew you'd say yes!
Who are you looking for? Why haven't we seen you before?
I'm going to my aunt's house.
Your aunt's house?
Oh, so you're a relative of the Wang family.
Which village are you from?
Wangzhuang.
Wangzhuang? Then who are you here to see?
Hey, you two! Where are you going?
Who are you here to visit?
A friend's house.
Who do you think you are?
Young man, don't be angry. We're just doing our jobs.
We'd appreciate your understanding.
You're wasting my time!
The CCP is going crazy again.
This time they've got some senior citizens out in the streets.
Yeah.
Their persecution of house churches is getting worse and worse. (Yes.)
They have eyes everywhere now.
From now on, we need to be even more careful when we travel.
I called my daughter here today
to help my husband with guard duty.
Today let's just focus on the meeting.
Sit down, sister.
Brothers and sisters,
how has everyone's condition been lately?
Have you had any difficulties in your life entry?
If you have, feel free to talk about it. (OK.)
That's right. Let us know if you have any difficulties,
and we'll seek answers and resolve it together.
Yeah. OK.
Well, I have a problem and I don't know how to resolve it.
Oh? Then tell us about it.
My son hasn't believed in God for very long.
He has always loved the world and he shirks his duties.
I'm afraid he will follow worldly pursuits,
not seek truth, and lose his chance at salvation.
So I often remind him.
I tell him to read God's word, pray, attend meetings,
and perform his duties as best as he can.
If I don't remind him enough, he doesn't care,
but if I do it too much,
he gets annoyed and says I'm a nag.
And I can't tell you how miserable I am.
I know it's my emotions driving me
to worry my son won't be saved,
but I can't let it go.
Please, fellowship with me.
What aspects of truth can I understand to transcend my emotions?
Sister Zhou, to resolve this problem,
we need to first come before God seeking the truth and God's will,
to look at the consequences of acting on emotions,
and understand that God is omnipotent!
We need to understand that God saves those
who truly believe in Him and who pursue the truth,
people who are happy to expend for Him.
God doesn't force anyone to perform their duties.
An old saying goes, "Fruit squeezed too hard makes bitter juice."
That's why,
when these things happen to us,
we need to seek God's will and submit to Him.
We can't act on emotions.
This is the most displeasing to God!
That's true.
Recently, my cousin was dismissed from her post.
I never saw her seek the truth.
Instead, she focused on who was right and who was wrong.
It made me frustrated and worried.
I was afraid without any duties, her condition would get worse,
and that she would miss her chance to gain the truth and attain salvation.
But, I knew that I had to seek God's will,
that I couldn't act on my own ideas,
that I couldn't let my feelings dictate that she should have new duties.
When I realized that, I let it go.
And then, a few days later,
my cousin's condition started to improve.
She realized her nature was arrogant,
and that God loathed her behavior.
She wanted to repent.
She told me privately that she wanted duties again.
Really?
Absolutely. So, I talked to Sister Yang about it,
and we decided to let her manage the Lijiazhuang meeting place.
You see, God has a time for everything.
We need to obey God's arrangements!
You are right.
Sister Zhou, now do you understand?
Don't worry.
Sister Liu, your fellowship just now made sense,
but …
I still don't know how to treat this issue in accordance with God's will.
Sister Zhou, our disposition can't change overnight.
We can't know ourselves overnight, either.
We need to have faith in God.
All you need to do is read God's word, pray more,
and seek the truth when issues arise.
Over time, you'll understand the truth and how to obey God.
Then, you'll easily let these feelings go.
Oh, is that so?
Sister Zhou, it's normal to worry that your son won't attain salvation.
As a parent, who doesn't worry about their children believing in God?
Right.
But we also need to be clear about who God saves and eliminates.
If people don't pursue the truth and lust for worldly things,
but truly believe in God,
we need to be patient and tolerant and support them with love.
Yes.
If they don't love the truth,
and only believe in God hoping to gain blessings,
then it is futile, however we help and pray for them,
because God doesn't save this type of unbeliever.
Yes. That's right.
When our children believe in God but don't pursue the truth,
we have to help and support them with love.
This is absolutely necessary.
We as followers do not blindly decide whether someone will be saved
or will be eliminated by God.
As long as we offer loving support and help,
the truth reveals itself in time.
Yes.
When we are able to see people clearly,
we can treat them according to the principles,
and we can easily let go of our feelings.
That fellowship makes everything clear!
That's a relief!
Thanks be to God!
After hearing that, my heart feels light,
I feel like I have a path!
I know how to treat my son now.
He hasn't believed in God for long,
he hasn't read much of God's word,
and he doesn't understand much of the truth.
He still needs loving help and support.
That's right.
When the truth is clear, we have a path to practice.
Yeah!
Thanks be to God!
Let's all read together several passages of God's word. (OK!)
Let's turn to page 1.
But yesterday Li Jing told me she wants to perform a duty.
She wants the church to give her another chance,
and I agreed.
I said she could manage the Lijiazhuang meeting place.
And then, a few days later,
my cousin's condition started to improve.
She realized her nature was arrogant
and that God loathed her behavior.
She wanted to repent.
Dear Sister Zhang, Sister Lin,
I'm writing
to report on a problem with Liu Wenxiu.
Through my contact with her,
I've discovered she is sly and cunning,
only speaking of doctrines and letters,
and often tells lies and deceives people.
If I report on Sister Liu's problem,
will my leaders think the two of us can't work peacefully together?
Our brothers and sisters have not known her long enough to truly see her heart.
Will they think I don't treat people fairly?
No, I should fellowship with her first.
I should fulfill my responsibilities, then decide.
Li Jing has no understanding at all of why she was dismissed,
and hasn't repented,
but you actually told Sister Zhou she had,
and you said making her a group leader wasn't acting on your emotions.
Weren't you lying to our brothers and sisters?
How could you say that?
I admit it wasn't entirely true,
but I had good intentions.
I was trying to help Sister Zhou escape the constraints of her emotions.
Was it wrong to do that?
You were obviously lying and showing yourself off.
How can you call that helping Sister Zhou?
The facts are right in front of you.
Why are you still defending yourself?
It's not okay to speak like that.
Hello?
Wenxiu …
Yes?
What we talked about last time, it worked!
That's good news.
How many of them are there?
We'll get there soon.
OK.
Based on information we've received,
this number ending in 5987 is suspicious.
Maybe a core member of The Church of Almighty God.
Keep listening.
If this number appears again, lock on the target!
Yes, sir!
That sounded like Sister Song's voice.
Uh, yes, it was.
She … she said several religious believers wanted to investigate the true way.
She asked us to arrange someone to fellowship and testify to God's work.
Hey, who do you think we should send?
What do you think about Sister Zhong?
Alright. I'll go tell her right now. (OK.)
Hey, Sister Liu, why are you talking about believing in God on the phone?
The CCP monitors the phones, and they've arrested countless believers.
Don't you know that?
Don't you realize the disaster you could bring to the church
and your brothers and sisters in doing that?
It was just a moment of laziness, for convenience.
I won't do that anymore.
I reminded you last time.
If you keep doing this, one of these days something will happen.
I only risked calling once because I didn't want to delay things.
This is a special situation.
You …
Alright, enough. This isn't a good place to talk anyway.
I'm going to see Sister Zhong.
These last few days,
at the meeting places I've visited,
most of the brothers and sisters are in good condition,
and the group leaders are very responsible.
Thanks be to God.
How is the meeting place managed by Li Jing doing?
I went to their meeting yesterday, and discovered some things.
I was meaning to tell you about them.
Hey, it's Fang Zheng!
I recognized you two from down the road!
Funny seeing you here!
Get in! (OK.)
Hey, Brother Fang …
Since Li Jing has taken over managing your meetings,
how has your church life been?
Well, lately our church life has been quite abnormal.
Oh?
Li Jing has turned it into a lecture hall,
she doesn't fellowship on the truth integrating real-life problems.
Instead, all she does is speak doctrines and letters.
Sometimes we ask her our questions twice,
and she gets impatient and says we're of low caliber.
Everyone feels constrained by her,
and doesn't dare to ask questions.
Oh, right, Sister Zhou and her husband don't want to come to meetings anymore.
Yesterday at the meeting,
Sister Chen fellowshiped with Li Jing,
and she didn't look like she wanted to accept it.
That's right. I was at the fellowship with her yesterday,
but all she did was argue with me,
and said that before, she was …
You knew Li Jing was dismissed,
and that she never reflected or understood why,
so why did you make her a group leader?
I was afraid of offending people, I wasn't being truthful.
At the time,
Sister Liu told me she'd already arranged it.
I was worried about embarrassing her, so I agreed.
Now these issues come to light,
and it's all because I didn't act according to principle.
Sister Yang,
both of us are leaders and deacons in the church.
If we don't do things according to principle,
it's terrible for our brothers' and sisters' entry into life.
Yes.
Sometimes when I do things,
I also act on my feelings and worry about embarrassing people.
Like at yesterday's meeting,
when Li Jing was speaking of doctrines and letters,
I wanted to stop her,
but I was afraid of hurting her feelings.
But not saying anything made me feel guilty.
Time and again God's house demands
that we fellowship on our understanding of God's word at meetings,
not doctrines and letters,
but even though I knew that principle, I didn't stop her.
Instead, I acted on my feelings
and worldly philosophy and protected our relationship
rather than considering whether the meetings
were effective for my brothers and sisters.
I was being too selfish.
I only stopped her once I thought about that.
Sister Yang, the Li Jing issue is a reminder for us.
Yes.
If we don't uphold the principles of truth,
and let Satan's philosophy guide our actions,
we will definitely harm the church's work
and the lives of our brothers and sisters.
How should people like us fulfill our duties in a way that satisfies God
and is right for our brothers and sisters?
Dear Sister Zhang, Sister Lin,
I'm writing
to report on a problem with Liu Wenxiu.
Through my contact with her,
I've discovered that she often tells lies and deceives people,
acts in a sly and cunning manner,
and brings her personal desires into her work …
Please investigate and verify Liu Wenxiu's situation as soon as possible,
to avoid any greater harm to the church's work.
OK, OK, alright.
Then remember to notify them.
Yeah, we'll go together.
Right, right.
Yeah, okay.
Then I'll go with Li Jing.
OK, great. We'll talk about the details in person.
Yeah. OK.
Chief Zhu, target acquired.
Good. Don't lose her.
This one should be a big fish.
At least a church leader.
Yes.
Assign extra officers to keep her under surveillance.
Have people at every intersection.
When ready, we'll catch them all in one swoop!
Yes, sir!
Through our investigations,
we've found that Liu Wenxiu habitually lies and deceives,
never accepts the truth, and is cunning. (Yes.)
Such people cannot do practical work,
are false leaders, and must be dismissed.
Really, she has to be dismissed. (Yeah.)
The fact that our brothers and sisters exposed and reported Liu Wenxiu
proves that we are developing discernment
in our understanding of the truth, and that we are awakening.
Yes.
We can't be constrained by status and power.
We need to practice the truth and safeguard the work of God's house.
This was a righteous act that comforts God's heart.
Right.
If anyone has learned anything from this matter,
feel free to discuss it. (Alright.)
Then I'll go first.
OK.
In this world, the deceitful and the wicked enjoy success,
while the honest are oppressed and excluded.
In God's house, Christ and the truth rule, (Right.)
and only honest people who love the truth can enjoy success and stand firm, (Right.)
while the deceitful and the wicked
will all eventually be revealed and eliminated. (Yes!)
That's absolutely right! (Yes!)
We don't understand the truth and lack discernment,
so we choose a deceitful person as a leader,
but God observes all things and reveals all things.
No matter what tricks she played in the open and behind our backs,
God revealed everything.
This shows me that God likes honest people,
and loathes and despises the deceitful.
Yes. Thanks be to God!
It's just as Almighty God's word says,
That's really the truth!
God is holy and righteous,
and nothing that is dark, evil, or of Satan can stand in God's house.
That's right.
Now, I finally understand,
no matter what the circumstance,
it's always right to pursue being an honest person. (Yes.)
Only honest people can practice the truth and obey God,
and gain God's approval and blessings.
That's absolutely right.
Before God, we must be honest people and obediently fulfill our duties.
We should never be deceptive.
Otherwise, we will be revealed and eliminated by God.
Yes.
It's absolutely critical to be an honest person. (Yes.)
That's what we have to pursue.
Exactly, we need to move in a positive direction. (Thanks be to God!)
Hearing your fellowship on this matter,
I feel very guilty!
The truth is,
I knew Sister Liu was deceitful, and wasn't fit to be a church leader,
but I was worried about my own face and status,
and wanted to protect my relationship,
so I didn't report her,
and in the end I brought harm to the lives of brothers and sisters.
I finally understand that I was not righteous and had no place for God in my heart.
I didn't practice the truth or protect the interests of God's house.
Wasn't I double-crossing and betraying God?
I was living by Satan's rules, trying to be a "good" person,
but I was actually being deceitful.
I betrayed what God entrusted to me.
I'm not fit to be a church leader.
I apologize to brothers and sisters.
Someone is knocking!
Quickly! Put everything away!
Bad news! Something happened!
What is it?
Sister Liu was having a meeting in Chenzhuang,
more than 20 police broke in.
All seven that attended were arrested. (What?)
Oh. Here, look.
Last night, the police also raided her home,
they took all her books of God's word and more than 10,000 yuan in cash.
Why did this happen?
These CCP police are nothing but bandits and robbers!
They're terrible! (Exactly!)
Sister Liu's husband wrote this.
He says the raid happened because Sister Liu's phone was monitored by the police.
What?
The CCP has always monitored the phone to arrest our brothers and sisters.
How dare she use the phone?
Right! How could she have used the phone? (Really!)
Right now we need to find out who she called
and tell those brothers and sisters to go into hiding.
Brother Wang, go and arrange it. (Yeah. OK.)
I'm also responsible for their arrests.
I reminded Sister Liu not to make calls concerning faith in God.
She didn't accept it, and I didn't remind her again.
If you couldn't stop her, why didn't you report her?
If you had reported her, we could have all watched her and stopped this.
She wouldn't have been able to act on her own, (Right.)
and our brothers and sisters wouldn't have been arrested!
Sister Yang, do you have any principles at all?
You knew Sister Liu was deceitful, and not fit to be a leader,
and you didn't say anything.
Her phone calls were a safety risk, and you didn't report it.
You have no sense of responsibility at all!
Sister Yang,
we must always safeguard the interests of God's house
and take responsibility for our brothers and sisters. (Yeah!)
I cared too much about protecting myself.
I was afraid of offending her,
and that if I forced her not to make phone calls
and church business was delayed,
I couldn't bear the responsibility.
There is nothing I can say to you.
You were afraid of offending people and responsibility,
and didn't consider the interest of God's house!
Do you have any idea how to act according to principles?
Are you actually someone who believes in God?
If you had exposed Liu Wenxiu when she was elected a church leader,
the church could have dismissed her,
and none of this would have happened!
Don't you see? This is all because you tried to
please everyone and didn't uphold the principles of truth.
This really is a lesson for all of us.
Right now our priority should be to protect our brothers and sisters,
so let's split up and notify them.
Alright, I'll go notify all the groups in the east of the city.
Hey, Huixin, you're only getting back now?
This afternoon some police officers went to your house.
What happened?
Oh. Thank you.
Stop right there!
Don't let her get away!
Stop!
Catch her! Quick!
Stop! Don't run!
Grab her! Stop!
Stop!
Don't let her get away!
Don't run!
Stop! Stop!
What are you people doing? (Stop!)
Oh no, my wine!
Huixin?
Dammit! Where is she?
At least you're safe now.
Huixin, why don't you hide out at my aunt's house for a while.
OK.
Sister Yang, (Yes?)
I made you some noodles.
Here, eat it while it's hot. They should warm you up.
OK.
It's safer here,
so feel free to stay here for the moment.
If you need anything, let me know,
and I'll get it for you.
God's good intentions are in what happened today.
Let's both pray to find out what those are.
Yes.
Now, eat.
I still have some water boiling, so I need to go check on it, okay?
OK.
Sister Yang, do you have any principles at all?
You knew Sister Liu was deceitful, and not fit to be a leader,
and you didn't say anything.
Her phone calls were a safety risk, and you didn't report it.
You have no sense of responsibility at all!
You were afraid of offending people and responsibility,
and didn't consider the interest of God's house!
Do you have any idea how to act according to principles?
Are you actually someone who believes in God?
God!
I am a pleaser, a false good person,
I'm not fit to stand before You …
Because I didn't practice the truth,
many of our brothers and sisters were arrested.
Thinking about this,
my heart feels tormented and guilty.
I hate myself for being so selfish and deceitful.
My fear of offending people and desire for their praise
made me willing to endanger God's house.
I made God loathe and despise me!
Now, I finally understand
that I'm not actually a good person.
I lived by Satan's philosophy.
I knew the truth and didn't practice it.
I was only a pleaser who wanted to be liked.
Without God's judgment, chastisement, trial and refinement,
I would never have understood the depth of my corruption.
Now I want to rid myself of these corrupt dispositions,
but I don't know how.
Sisters, can you fellowship with me?
This is a good topic for fellowship. (Yes.)
Sister Yang, it's good you've had this experience.
It's beneficial for all of us.
Yes.
In the past, I was just like you.
In many things, I lived by satanic philosophies.
I thought if I didn't sin or do evil,
I was practicing the truth,
and I thought of myself as a good person.
Later, I experienced the judgment and chastisement in God's word
and experienced failures and setbacks that completely revealed me.
I finally saw that I had no reality of truth.
Externally I seemed not to be sinning or doing evil,
but actually I wasn't living by the truth,
and was living by Satan's philosophy.
That was hypocrisy!
Yes, that's absolutely true.
Most people lack discernment,
and consider hypocrites like I was good people,
but God observes all things,
and in the last days, God has expressed the truth,
and explained how Satan corrupts people
and revealed the reality of man's corruption by Satan.
Yes.
God did this so we could reflect on our own corrupt dispositions
and gradually gain insight into our own nature.
This way,
we can clearly see how we've been corrupted by Satan,
and see whether mankind has normal humanity,
whether they live out the likeness of a man or a devil,
and whether mankind requires God's judgment and purification.
Only by achieving this level of understanding through God's word
can we come to truly loathe and curse ourselves, (Yes.)
or can we accept and practice the truth,
and escape satanic dispositions.
That's right.
Praise be to God! That really is true.
Let's read some passages from God's word.
Okay. Alright.
That's true. That's so true.
All the ugliness of Satan's corruption of mankind are revealed in God's word.
Without God's word to reveal them, we would never have this insight.
Yeah.
Why are people arrogant and pompous?
Why are people so twisted and deceitful, so selfish and despicable,
and always scheming for themselves?
Why does mankind loathe the truth?
Why aren't they interested in the truth?
Even when we believe in God and understand some of the truth,
why can't we practice the truth and uphold its principles?
Many people would prefer to be pleasers
rather than be honest, upright people,
because they are terrified of offending others and endangering their own survival.
Yes, that's absolutely right!
This is because Satan has corrupted mankind so deeply,
people have become satanic beings that are neither man nor devil.
That's so true!
For thousands of years,
those kings of devils and great men spread all kinds of deceit among the people.
They especially use traditional culture and feudal courteousness,
philosophies like Confucianism, Taoism, and others, to poison and corrupt people,
and implant all sorts of Satan's rules, theories, thoughts, and ideas inside people,
like, "There has never been a Savior,"
"Everyone for himself and the devil take the hindmost,"
"Those with brains rule over those with brawn,"
"The worth of other pursuits is small,
the study of books excels above all,"
and also …
"A wise man submits to circumstances,"
"Harmony is a treasure, forbearance is a virtue,"
"Though you see wrong, it's best to say little,"
"The wise protect themselves through non-involvement," (Yes.)
"Those who give gifts to officials are not struck by them,
and those who do not flatter accomplish nothing."
It's true.
Yes, also, "Fewer problems are better than more,"
and "Compromise makes conflicts much easier to resolve."
Right! And also,
"Gain favor with pleasing words, and enmity with stubborn words,"
"See clearly but speak circumspectly to retain friends."
That's right.
Satan's philosophies and toxins have deceived and poisoned generation after generation,
and are already buried deep within the hearts of mankind.
Yes, it's exactly true.
For thousands of years, mankind lived by these satanic philosophies and principles,
becoming ever more arrogant, self-righteous, selfish, deceptive, false, and cunning,
confusing good with evil and right with wrong,
causing us to be people without principles, a just stance, or uprightness,
and making us live with very little likeness of man. (Yes.)
These are the consequences of how Satan's philosophies
and principles corrupt people. (Right.)
That's exactly right.
In the past, we lived by these philosophies.
We're fortunate now that God helps us understand!
Thanks be to God. Yes. That's right.
These satanic philosophies poison people so deeply!
Yes.
We've seen that in our society,
people stick to a happy medium to please everyone.
They don't stop evildoers doing wicked deeds,
or protect good people suffering.
They see devil kings in power and evil running rampant,
and they hardly even notice,
thinking only of protecting themselves.
Even when their lands are taken, their houses demolished,
and their jobs stripped away,
they simply go along with it, swallow their protests,
and don't dare oppose tyranny. (Yes.)
That's really the truth!
Human rights are trampled upon, freedom is taken,
and religious faith is suppressed.
For so long now, Christians of house churches have faced rampant arrests and persecution.
So many people see it,
but how many dare expose these devil kings' evil deeds,
or speak out in defense of the truth and righteousness?
Exactly.
So many people just float on the tide and go where life takes them.
They give in to the evil forces of Satan, and become pleasers.
Doesn't that help the forces of evil become more powerful?
That's right, it really is that way.
Why does our world grow ever darker and more evil?
Why are negative things promoted and positive things suppressed?
Why do evildoers run amok while good people are oppressed?
What is the root of all these problems?
This is all well worth thinking about!
Yes. That's right.
Yes, there are far too many pleasers in our society.
If everyone was more upright,
the world wouldn't be as dark and evil as it is today!
Exactly.
That's absolutely the truth.
We've all seen that pleasers only practice Satan's philosophies and principles.
They protect their own interests in all they say and do.
Even if they believe in God, they are not sincere toward God,
and they do not practice the truth.
Even if they appear passionate and fulfill their duties,
the moment the church work or God's chosen people become endangered,
when it is most important to uphold the truth,
they are too weak to bear responsibility,
and they withdraw in fear, abandoning truth and integrity.
The pleasers don't care when they see someone disrupting the work of the church.
When they see the wicked forming cliques,
causing contention and disrupting church life,
they close their eyes and ears.
When they see antichrists spreading lies to deceive and oppress God's chosen people,
they don't dare expose or stop them.
Even if others expose and report them,
these pleasers still protect the evildoers out of fear of offending them.
That's right! That's entirely true!
Pleasers only look out for themselves.
They don't have the will or courage
to resist the forces of darkness and turn toward righteousness.
Yes.
Even if they understand some of the truth,
they have no willingness to practice it or pay a price,
and they can't stand up to protect the church's work or their brothers and sisters.
Aren't pleasers merely selfish, self-interested, cunning deceivers?
Yes!
Aren't they people in the bondage of Satan, who live under Satan's domain?
Yes.
That's absolutely the truth!
Pleasers look like good people on the outside,
but are they actually good?
No!
Then what is it pleasers lack?
A sense of righteousness!
Yes, and a conscience.
Right. Without a conscience or a sense of righteousness,
can anyone be good?
No! Definitely not! No.
God spoke the truth and began the judgment of the last days
to purify man's corrupt disposition,
to save us, and help us escape Satan's influence.
If we believers don't pursue the truth and accept the judgment and chastisement in His word,
can we ever attain salvation?
No, we can't.
We absolutely need the work of God's judgment.
After listening to your fellowship,
I feel especially ashamed.
I am nothing but a pleaser!
In the past, I was always very cautious in my words and actions,
because I was afraid of offending others.
I was nothing but Satan's slave.
In my heart, I never considered how to be an honest person and practice the truth.
I was nothing but Satan's slave.
I had no righteousness.
I wasn't worthy of being human!
After hearing God's word and your fellowship,
I feel like misery is piercing my heart.
I feel that God's righteous disposition cannot be offended.
Right. Yes.
God takes no joy in pleasers.
The nature of pleasers is cunning and deceitful.
They are hypocrites who are honorable outside and vile inside.
If I don't repent,
and don't try to be an honest, upright person,
I know I will be punished and cursed by God!
Thanks be to God. This kind of judgment and chastisement is wonderful.
It can purify and save people!
Talking with all of you like this has been beneficial for me too.
I've always thought …
Is Mrs. Zhao here?
Who is it?
It's me.
Oh, Director Ma is here.
Quick, put the books away!
Oh, Director Ma!
Oh, you're home.
Director Ma, what is it?
I heard several strangers came to your house today.
What were they doing there?
Ah! They're renters.
But they didn't like the house, so they left.
What's wrong? What is …
Oh, here's what's going on:
Right now every place is searching for those who believe in God.
Be especially cautious of outsiders.
If you discover any believers of God, report them.
I understand.
Hey, Mrs. Zhao, it's cold out today. Why not do your laundry inside?
Well, my son works the night shift, so he's asleep.
I'm trying not to wake him up.
Hey!
Come on, Mom, it's so loud!
What are you doing out here?
Oh, Director Ma is here. (Yes. Cheng Peng.)
You're home too.
I am.
Oh! It's time, I have to go pick up my grandson.
Director Ma, is there anything else?
Uh, nothing, that's all.
Alright, then we'll be on our way.
OK, see you.
Take care.
OK.
If you find believers of God, be sure to report them.
There's a 1,000 yuan reward for each one reported.
I got it.
Goodbye, Mrs. Zhao.
Brothers, sisters, you can come out,
they're gone now.
What just happened?
The community director, Mrs. Ma, heard that there were strangers here,
so she came to check.
I think someone's watching us! (Yeah.)
Let's end today's meeting here. (OK.)
Brothers and sisters, let's go home.
Our house is relatively safe.
Our neighbors got jobs outside the village.
In China, we believers in God have to be careful wherever we go.
Fang Zheng! (Yeah?)
Bring some firewood inside!
Oh, okay!
Thanks be to God! I'm finally understanding myself.
So what do you think is the most difficult aspect of your practice?
For me, sometimes I see brothers and sisters expose corruption,
and I want to remind them,
but I'm afraid they'll be unhappy.
If I hurt their feelings, we won't get along well.
I think and hesitate, and eventually swallow my words.
Why is it so hard to practice the truth?
Because we have been corrupted too deeply by Satan.
Our nature is crooked, deceitful, selfish, and despicable.
We try to protect our own interests,
so it's difficult to practice the truth.
Yes.
That's very true.
Just like at the other meeting,
I saw Li Jing preaching doctrine endlessly.
She spoke without pause,
saying nothing but showing off her knowledge.
Never mind how annoyed I was,
I was thinking,
what kind of result could a meeting like this achieve?
I wanted to interrupt her, and point out problems,
but I was afraid of embarrassing her and offending her.
The words were on the tip of my tongue,
but I held them back.
Pleasers really are just confused people with no sense of righteousness.
Yes, pleasers hurt themselves and others.
The dreadful incident in our church should be a lesson for us!
Exactly.
Tell me,
if we can't escape these satanic dispositions,
how can we attain salvation?
That's right.
Yes, we have these corrupt dispositions,
and if we want to attain salvation,
we must accept God's judgment and experience many setbacks and failures.
Yes.
Otherwise, we have no way to understand our own corruption and weakness,
never mind escaping our corrupt dispositions and attaining salvation.
Yes.
In the past,
I often lived according to Satan's philosophies.
In my relationships,
I always tried to keep the peace and avoid conflict.
Even when I saw others speak and act in ways that violated the truth,
I would just close my eyes and try to protect our relationship.
I remember one year,
I worked as a watering deacon in a church,
and I noticed the church leader's disposition was arrogant.
She only spoke of letters and doctrines to show off,
and she would exclude and attack whoever had an opinion about it.
Many of those brothers and sisters suffered her limitations.
I wanted to report her,
but I was afraid she'd make it hard for me if she found out,
so I didn't report her.
After that, her behavior infuriated the others,
and we finally reported and exposed her
and she was removed.
Only then did I feel secure and at peace.
Afterward, I reflected on my behavior.
Why didn't I report her earlier?
If I had reported and exposed her earlier,
she wouldn't've been able to do so much wickedness in the church
and harm our brothers and sisters for so long.
Yes.
It was my selfish nature that prevented me from doing the right thing.
To protect my own reputation and status,
I allowed a false leader to speak only in doctrine and cause harm to God's chosen people.
Doesn't protecting a false leader make me an accomplice of Satan?
That was a grave violation of the truth, a rebellion against God,
an offense against God's disposition.
That really is true.
I thought about how God had lifted me up,
giving me grace and the chance to perform my duties,
but I hadn't been protecting the work of the church
or compliant with God's will.
Instead, I let a false leader harm God's chosen people.
I saw that I was selfish, despicable, deceitful and petty,
a black-hearted person who repaid kindness with betrayal.
I truly made God loathe and despise me.
When I understood this,
I felt remorse and hated myself.
I fell to my knees to confess my sins and repent before God,
committing to pursue the truth from that point forward,
and escape my corrupt disposition and be born again.
Thanks be to God!
Thank God!
Later, I read this passage of God's word:
Amen!
Sister Yang, you read the next passage.
OK.
Thanks be to God!
After I read God's word, I understood,
God loves honest people,
and only honest people are good people.
Yes.
Genuinely good people have a conscience and use reason, are sincere with God,
are considerate of God's will, and treat people fairly.
Yes.
Truly good people are honest and upright, distinguish between love and hate,
and have a sense of righteousness.
They can love and accept the truth,
and focus on practicing the truth once they understand it.
Only people like this are good in the eyes of God.
That's right.
But the people I thought were good were those
who could get along with others and offend no one,
who only focused on protecting their relationships when problems arose,
and who had no sense of righteousness.
They were obviously pleasers, deceitful people,
the kind of people that God loathes and despises.
God's word made me understand the standards a person should live by,
and made it clear that I should never rely on my notions in my belief of God.
What I should do is pursue being an honest person based on God's word.
Yes.
Otherwise, I would think my belief was in vain,
and would never gain God's approval.
Yes, understanding the truth is so important.
Only when we understand the truth can we discern
and know our weaknesses, and know our goals.
Right, fellowship like this makes me understand what it takes to be a good person.
A genuinely good person is honest, upright, and has a sense of righteousness.
Yes.
God's word states the path to becoming an honest person very clearly.
In the past few years,
I've been practicing being an honest person according to God's word.
I pray often, and focus on accepting God's observation.
When things happen,
I consciously seek the truth and act according to God's will.
In matters involving the principles of truth,
I first try to understand how to act in accordance with the truth,
how to benefit the church's work and my brothers' and sisters' entry into life,
and then I do so.
When I first started practicing,
I always struggled inside.
I was still constrained by my vanity and pride,
as well as my reputation and status,
and I feared offending others,
but when I thought about how I didn't uphold the principles of truth
and muddled through in the past,
and the damage I had done to the church work and my brothers' and sisters' lives,
I felt deeply regretful, and that I owed God better.
Especially when I remembered God's word,
I feel that God is by my side,
and is observing everything that I do,
so I can't disappoint God again.
No matter what, I have to forsake the flesh,
and practice according to God's word.
I can't be a pleaser again.
To live like that is too selfish and despicable,
and makes me unworthy to be called a human.
Yes, that's right.
And that's how I have practiced.
Without realizing it, I've slowly come to understand some of the truth,
and come to know more of my own corrupt dispositions.
When things happen that expose these corrupt dispositions again,
I have discernment.
In my heart, I loathe and despise myself,
and I have the motivation to forsake the flesh.
I don't feel the constriction and bondage of my vanity and pride, or reputation and status.
I also speak and act more honestly than before,
and I've escaped much of my deceitfulness and falsity.
In my duties, I am more responsible,
and my work is more and more effective.
Thanks be to God!
I've truly experienced that God's word
can change and purify people indeed. (Right. Yes.)
As long as we practice God's word and pursue being honest people,
we can understand the truth,
and over time, we can escape our arrogant, selfish, cunning,
and deceitful satanic dispositions,
live out the true likeness of a man, and gain God's approval.
Thanks be to God!
Yes. Experiencing God's work this way is very practical.
Yes, after hearing this fellowship, I see clearly.
Now I have a path to escape the corrupt ways of a pleaser.
Thanks be to God!
As long as we strive to be honest,
focus on pursuing and practicing the truth and forsake our incorrect will,
we can enter the reality of the truth as an honest person!
Yes.
Looking back, I realize I believed in and served God out of enthusiasm,
when I understood some doctrines, I understood the truth.
I didn't seek the truth or act according to principle,
I rarely examined my own intentions and impurities,
so I had no awareness of my corruption,
and could never actualize change in my life.
These setbacks and failures are God revealing myself to me.
It is God taking pity on me and saving me.
Yes! Thanks be to God!
God's work is so wonderful.
Now, I am determined to pursue being an honest person.
I'm sure that if I focus on practicing the truth
and seeking to act by principles,
I can change my crooked, deceitful ways,
escape my hypocritical nature, and become an honest, upright person.
Thanks be to God!
Thanks be to Almighty God! God has done a wonderful thing!
I've gained so much from today's fellowship!
Yesterday when you went to the Lijiazhuang meeting,
were our brothers and sisters well? (Yes, they were doing very well.)
Now our brothers' and sisters' meetings are normal,
they want to perform their duties,
and they've started seeking the truth and experiencing God's word.
Switching to a group leader who pursues the truth
really produces different results.
Thanks be to God!
Lately, as partners in our duties,
we've sought the truth together and acted according to principle,
making my heart feel calm and joyful.
This truly is a blessing from God!
Yes. Thanks be to God!