What God’s people are and what the service-doers are

February 23, 2021

Relevant Words of God:

The situation now is not what it once was, and My work has entered on a new starting point. That being so, there will be a new approach: All those who see My word and accept it as their very life are people in My kingdom, and being in My kingdom, they are people of My kingdom. Because they accept the guidance of My words, even though they are referred to as My people, this title is in no way secondary to being called My “sons.” Having been made into God’s people, then all must serve with the utmost devotion in My kingdom and fulfill their duties in My kingdom. Whosoever commits offense against My administrative decrees must receive My punishment. This is My advice to all.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 1

Since you are called My people, you should be able to glorify My name; that is, stand testimony in the midst of trial. If anyone attempts to wheedle Me and conceal the truth from Me, or engage in disreputable dealings behind My back, such people will, without exception, be chased out and removed from My house to wait for Me to deal with them. Those who have been unfaithful and unfilial to Me in the past, and who rise up again today to judge Me openly—they, too, will be chased out of My house. Those who are My people must constantly show consideration for My burdens as well as seek to know My words. Only people like this will I enlighten, and they will surely live under My guidance and enlightenment, never meeting with chastisement. Those who, failing to show consideration for My burdens, concentrate on planning for their own futures—that is, those who do not aim with their actions to satisfy My heart, but rather who look for handouts—these beggar-like creatures I absolutely refuse to use, because from the time they were born, they have known nothing of what it means to show consideration for My burdens. They are people who lack normal sense; such people are suffering from “malnutrition” of the brain, and need to go home for some “nourishment.” I have no use for such people. Among My people, everyone will be required to regard knowing Me as an obligatory duty to be seen through to the end, like eating, dressing, and sleeping, something that one never forgets about for a moment, so that in the end, knowing Me will become as familiar as eating—something you do effortlessly, with a practiced hand. As for the words I speak, every single one must be taken with the utmost faith and fully assimilated; there can be no perfunctory half-measures. Anyone who does not pay attention to My words will be regarded as directly resisting Me; anyone who does not eat of My words, or does not seek to know them, will be regarded as not paying attention to Me, and will directly be swept out the door of My house. This is because, as I have said in the past, what I want is not a great number of people, but excellence. Out of a hundred people, if only one is able to know Me through My words, then I will willingly throw away all the others to focus on enlightening and illuminating this single one. From this you can see that it is not necessarily true that greater numbers alone can manifest Me and live Me out. What I want is wheat (even though the kernels may not be full) and not tares (even when the kernels are full enough to be admired). As for those who give no regard to seeking, but who instead behave in a slack manner, they should leave of their own accord; I do not wish to see them anymore, lest they continue to bring disgrace to My name. Regarding what I require of My people, I will stop at these precepts for now, and will wait to make further sanctions, depending on how circumstances change.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 5

A person who can truly be at peace in God’s presence is able to free themselves from all worldly ties, and to attain possession by God. All who are incapable of being at peace in God’s presence are assuredly dissolute and unrestrained. All who are capable of being at peace before God are those who are pious before God, and who yearn for God. Only those who are at peace before God value life, value fellowship in the spirit, thirst for God’s words, and pursue the truth. Whoever does not value being at peace before God and does not practice being at peace before God is vain and superficial, attached to the world and without life; even if they say they believe in God, they are just paying lip service. Those whom God ultimately perfects and completes are people who can be at peace in His presence. Therefore, those who are at peace before God are graced with great blessings. People who scarcely take time to eat and drink God’s words throughout the day, who are busily preoccupied with external affairs and place little value on life entry—these are all hypocrites with no prospect of future growth. It is those who can be at peace before God and who can genuinely commune with God who are God’s people.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. On Quieting Your Heart Before God

A member of God’s house and kingdom—where does this title come from? How do people obtain it? It comes from having paid a price and, through understanding the truth, you have pursued the truth and arrived at a certain level of change in your disposition; you can now submit to God and revere Him, and you have become a member of His house. Like Job and Peter, you no longer have to undergo Satan’s persecution and corruption. You are able to live freely in God’s house and in His kingdom, and you no longer need to fight against your corrupt disposition; you are, in God’s eyes, a true object of creation and a genuine human. This means that the days of hardship suffered by a person who has been corrupted by Satan are completely over; now is the time of peace, joy, and happiness, in which a person can live in the light of the Creator’s countenance and live alongside God.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. They Do Their Duty Only to Distinguish Themselves and Feed Their Own Interests and Ambitions; They Never Consider the Interests of God’s House, and Even Sell Those Interests Out in Exchange for Personal Glory (Part Nine)

Man will be fully made complete in the Age of Kingdom. After the work of conquest, man will be subjected to refinement and tribulation. Those who can overcome and stand testimony during this tribulation are the ones who will ultimately be made complete; they are the overcomers. During this tribulation, man is required to accept this refinement, and this refinement is the last instance of God’s work. It is the last time that man will be refined prior to the conclusion of all the work of God’s management, and all those who follow God must accept this final test, and they must accept this last refinement. Those who are beset by tribulation are without the work of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of God, but those who have been truly conquered and who truly seek after God will ultimately stand fast; they are the ones who are possessed of humanity, and who truly love God. No matter what God does, these victorious ones will not be bereft of the visions and will still put the truth into practice without failing in their testimony. They are the ones who will finally emerge from the great tribulation.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Work and Man’s Practice

If we look at the phrase “service-doers” from a literal point of view, to comprehend it according to human linguistic terms, it means temporary workers who provide temporary services in a certain industry or job, and who are needed on an ad hoc basis. In God’s house, in His management plan and in His work, the group of people referred to as service-doers are absolutely indispensable. When such people arrive at God’s house, and come to God’s workplace, they know nothing about God or about faith, nor do they know anything at all about His work or His management plan. They understand nothing; they are just laypeople. What are laypeople in God’s house called? Unbelievers. When people who are unbelievers in God’s eyes come to God’s house, what can they do? What exactly does God need from them? Because people have corrupt dispositions, and due to their nature essence, what they can do is to do as they are told, carry out whatever instructions God gives them, go wherever His work takes them, and know whatever His words allow them to know. All they can do is know; they cannot attain comprehension. In every part of God’s work that He requires, people only cooperate passively; they do not take any initiative. If you really took some initiative, then you would have understood the truth and God’s will! “Passively” here means you do not know what God wants to do, you do not know the meaning of what He has you do or wherein lies its value, and you do not know what sort of path you should take. When you come to God’s house, you are like a machine; whatever way God operates you is the way in which you function. What does God need you for? (As an object for God’s expressing of the truth to judge humanity.) Correct; you are an object for God to speak His words to. What else? Your gifts, right? Does normal human thinking count? God will only use you if you possess normal human thinking. If your mental state is abnormal, then you are not qualified even to be a service-doer. What else? (One’s skills and strengths.) In other words, all the various skills people possess. What else? (The resolve to cooperate with God.) This, too, is something He requires; it is a kind of aspiration in people to listen and submit, and it can also be said to be the desire to love positive things and the light. If we call it a resolution, then that might be a bit too narrow to encompass it. Aspirations cover a broader range, and they are more minor than resolutions in terms of their reach. That is, you start with an aspiration, and only after you have an aspiration will you gradually develop various resolutions. Resolutions are more concrete, whereas aspirations cover a broader range. In terms of corrupt humans, from the Creator’s point of view, these are the things for which God needs you. That is, when a layperson who has absolutely no knowledge of God, of His management, of His essence, of His utterances, or of His disposition comes to His house, that person is like a machine. What that person can do for God and how they can cooperate with God’s work basically has no relation to the standard that God requires (the truth). The things of a person that God can utilize are those things that were just mentioned: First, one becomes an object for God to speak to; second, the various gifts one possesses; third, possessing normal human thinking; fourth, the various skills a person possesses; and fifth—the most important—is having the aspiration to listen to and submit to God’s words. These things are key. When someone is in possession of these qualities, they begin to work in the service of God’s work and His management plan. They have then formally embarked on the right track, that is, they have officially become a service-doer in God’s house.

Prior to understanding God’s words, the truth, and God’s will, and prior to developing even a shred of reverence for God, the role that every person plays can only be that of a service-doer, and nothing else. That is, you are one whether you want to be one or not; you cannot escape this appellation. Some people say, “But I’ve believed in God my entire life; it’s been several decades since I started believing in Jesus. Am I seriously still just a service-doer?” What do you think about this question? Whom are you asking? You need to ask yourself this: Do you understand God’s will yet? Are you currently just exerting some effort, or are you practicing the truth? Have you set foot upon the path to pursuing and understanding the truth? Have you entered the truth reality? Do you revere God in your heart? If you are in possession of these qualities, can stand firm when encountering God’s trials, and are able to fear God and shun evil, then of course you are no longer a service-doer. If, however, you are not in possession of these qualities, then you are without a doubt still a service-doer. This is inescapable, and it is also inevitable.

When people enter God’s house and they do not understand the truth, but only have various aspirations or develop some resolve to cooperate, the role they can fulfill during this period can only be that of service-doers. “Rendering service” is not a very nice-sounding phrase, of course. To put it another way, it means people serve and toil for the work of God’s management plan, meaning that they exert themselves for it. They do not comprehend or understand anything, but have a few skills and gifts, and are able to learn and pass on what others say and take on some work of general affairs, but when it comes to the various aspects of specific work of God’s salvation and management of humanity, as well as the various aspects of work related to the truth, they cannot dedicate any effort or cooperate at all; they merely put forth a bit of effort and say a few things while doing some work of general affairs, and do some peripheral service-related work. If this is how the essence of people’s duty, or of the roles they play and the work they do in God’s house is, then they will have a hard time shrugging off the title of “service-doers.” Why will they have a hard time shrugging it off? Does it not have to do with what God defines this title to mean? It is quite easy for people to put forth some effort, and do things by their innate abilities, gifts, and intelligence. However, living by the truth, entering the truth reality, acting in accordance with God’s will—these things are very strenuous; they require time, they require people to lead, they require enlightenment from God, and they require God’s discipline. Moreover, they require the coming of God’s words of judgment and chastisement. Thus, during the time it takes to reach this goal, what most people are capable of doing and providing is limited to those handful of things: Fulfilling the role of objects for God to speak to; possessing certain gifts and having some use in God’s house; thinking the way normal humanity thinks, and being able to grasp and carry out whatever jobs are allocated to you; being equipped with certain skills and able to play to your strengths in whatever job you are given to do in God’s house; and, most importantly, having an aspiration to listen and submit. When doing service in God’s house, and when exerting effort for God’s work, if you have that little bit of an inclination to listen and submit, you will be unable to run away or stir up trouble; rather, you will do your best to restrain yourself and do fewer bad deeds and more good ones. This is the state and condition of most people, is it not?

“Service” is not a very elegant-sounding word, nor is it in line with everyone’s wishes, but we should look at whom it is aimed at. The existence of God’s service-doers has a special significance. No one else could play their role, for they were chosen by God. And what is the role of these service-doers? It is to serve God’s chosen ones. For the most part, their role is to give service to God’s work, to cooperate with it, and to accommodate God’s completion of His chosen ones. Regardless of whether they are laboring, carrying out some aspect of work, or undertaking certain tasks, what is God’s requirement of these service-doers? Is He very demanding in His requirements of them? (No, He asks only that they be loyal.) Service-doers, too, must be loyal. Regardless of your origins or why God selected you, you must be loyal to God, to any commissions God entrusts to you, and to the work for which you are responsible and the duties you perform. For service-doers who are capable of being loyal and satisfying God, what will their outcomes be? They will be able to remain. Is it a blessing to be a service-doer who remains? What does it mean to remain? What is the significance of this blessing? In status, they seem unlike God’s chosen ones; they seem different. But in fact, is what they enjoy in this life not the same as that of God’s chosen ones? At the very least, it is the same in this lifetime. You do not deny this, do you? God’s utterances, God’s grace, God’s provision, God’s blessings—who does not enjoy these things? Everyone enjoys such abundance. The identity of a service-doer is one who does service, but to God, they are just one among all the things that He created; it is simply that their role is that of service-doer. Being that they are both God’s creatures, is there any difference between a service-doer and one of God’s chosen? In effect, there is not. Nominally speaking, there is a difference; in essence and in terms of the role they play, there is a difference—but God does not treat this group of people unfairly. So why are these people defined as service-doers? You must have some understanding of this! Service-doers come from among the unbelievers. As soon as we mention that they come from among the unbelievers, it is apparent that they share a bad background: They are all atheists, and were so in the past, too; they did not believe in God, and were hostile to Him, to the truth, and to all things positive. They did not believe in God or in His existence. As such, are they capable of understanding God’s words? It is fair to say that to a large extent, they are not. Just as animals are incapable of understanding human words, service-doers cannot understand what God is saying, what He requires, or why He makes such demands. They do not understand; these things are incomprehensible to them, and they remain unenlightened. For this reason, these people do not possess the life of which we have spoken. Without the life, can people understand the truth? Are they equipped with the truth? Do they have experience and knowledge of God’s words? (No.) Such are the origins of service-doers.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Is “service-doers” a discriminatory way for God to address humans? Has He deliberately used this appellation to belittle people or to expose people and put them through a trial? (No.) So, is it that God wants to use this title to make people understand just what they are? Does God have even a hint of this intention? Actually, God does not have such an intention. It is not His intention to expose people or belittle them or make cutting remarks about them, nor is it His intention to use this term to put people through a trial. The only meaning is this: This title arose and was determined by God based on humanity’s behavior and essence, as well as on the roles humans are fulfilling in this phase of His work, what they are capable of, and how they can cooperate. Looking at it from this meaning, every member of God’s house does service for God’s management plan and has previously fulfilled this kind of role. Can it be put this way? (Yes.) It sure can! God does not want to use this appellation to attack anyone’s positivity or to put your faith or your true belief in God to the test, much less to belittle you, make you more well-behaved, make you more obedient, or make you aware of your identity and status; even less does He have any intention to use the title of “service-doers” to deprive people of their right to fulfill their duties as objects of creation. This title is completely the result of people’s states and essences, and the sort of condition they are in through the process of God’s work while they follow God. Therefore, this appellation has absolutely nothing to do with what sort of identity, standing, position, or destination people will have after God’s work of management is done. The provenance of this title lies wholly in the requirements of God’s management plan and His work of management, and it is a sort of condition people are in while that work is ongoing. As for whether this condition—in which a person is a service-doer providing service for God’s house and is used like a machine—will continue to the very end or can be improved along the way, that depends on a person’s pursuit. If someone pursues the truth, can achieve change in their disposition, and can come to revere and submit to God, then that person will have thoroughly gotten rid of the title of “service-doer.” After losing that title, what do people become? They become God’s true followers, His people, the people of the kingdom—that is, people in God’s kingdom. If, in the process, you merely settle for paying a price, suffering, and putting forth effort, but do not pursue the truth or put it into practice, and if your disposition does not transform in the slightest and you do not act in accordance with the principles of God’s house in anything you do, and you ultimately are unable to achieve submission to God and reverence of Him, then this appellation of “service-doer”—this “crown of laurels”—will remain squarely on your head, and you will forever be unable to shake it off. If you are still in this sort of state once God’s work is finished, and your disposition has still not changed, then you will not have any share in the title of “the people of God’s kingdom.” How can these words be comprehended? Do you understand or not? As soon as God’s work is done, that is, when everyone He is going to save has been saved, when the work God does is finished; when He no longer speaks or guides people or does any further work of salvation for humans, when it is all done, and in that moment, God’s work is concluded, tell Me, does that mean the path of faith in God that everyone is walking will also be finished? There is a line that reads, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Rev 22:11). What do these words mean? They mean the moment God says His work is finished, it means He will no longer do any further work of saving people, or of chastising and judging people; He will no longer enlighten you, guide you, or speak painstaking words of exhortation to you, or words which prune you and deal with you anymore. He will not do these things any longer. What does this mean? It means the outcomes of all things will have been revealed, and the end of humanity will have been finalized. Not a single person will be able to change this; you will have no more opportunities. That is what this means.