By Zhang Yi, China

In April 2023, I was serving as a watering deacon in the church. At that time, many brothers and sisters doing their duties had been arrested by the CCP and the church’s work had fallen into a state of paralysis. Although a few brothers and sisters and I were cooperating to handle the follow-up work, progress was still very slow. After some time, Sister Chen Ping was elected as a church leader, and I thought, “This is great, with a leader, the work will progress much faster.”

One day, the upper leaders sent a letter asking us to write evaluations of Sister Su Jing, a preacher. Since Su Jing was responsible for the work in our church, we all knew her quite well, but Chen Ping was unwilling to write anything, and she even said she didn’t know Su Jing well. I was puzzled, wondering, “What’s going on with Chen Ping? She’s interacted with Su Jing quite a bit before, so she could give an objective evaluation based on the understanding she’s gained from her interactions with her. Why doesn’t she want to write anything?” A few days later, I met with Chen Ping, and she said to me, “Do you know why I didn’t want to write an evaluation of Su Jing that day? I don’t know what duty the leaders intend for Su Jing to do, but I don’t think Su Jing is a right person.” I asked her for more details, and Chen Ping said angrily, “You have no idea, back in 2012, Su Jing was serving as a leader, and she never did any real work. One time, we painstakingly prepared expulsion materials for an antichrist, but Su Jing halted the process without giving any reason. That person had created utter chaos in the church, but Su Jing wouldn’t let us put together the materials on him. Wasn’t this hindering the church’s cleansing work? Wasn’t she a false leader?” Chen Ping, fearing I wouldn’t believe her, even boasted that she had done cleansing work before and had some discernment of people. But based on my understanding of Su Jing, she wasn’t the kind of person Chen Ping was describing. I had a vague feeling that there might be some personal grudge between Chen Ping and Su Jing, otherwise, why would Chen Ping have such a strong bias against Su Jing? But I didn’t know what had happened, so I didn’t say anything. Chen Ping continued, “Lately, I’ve been reporting issues in the church to Su Jing, but she hasn’t been responding. As a preacher, she’s not solving real problems!” Hearing this, I was somewhat surprised, as I felt that some of what Chen Ping was saying didn’t align with reality. I’d cooperated with Su Jing for over a year, and although she had somewhat of a low caliber, she was still able to do some real work. Besides, I was present when Chen Ping reported the issues, and although Su Jing hadn’t found a solution at the time, she had gone on to discuss and seek solutions with everyone and had resolved some real issues. It wasn’t as Chen Ping said—that Su Jing didn’t do any real work. After a while, Chen Ping tentatively asked me, “My views may not be entirely accurate. You’ve known Su Jing for a long time, so you should understand her better. What do you think?” So I mentioned both Su Jing’s strengths and weaknesses. When I mentioned Su Jing’s weaknesses, Chen Ping seemed very pleased, but when I talked about Su Jing’s strengths, Chen Ping looked unhappy and didn’t want to listen. In the end, she reluctantly said, “Maybe I’m biased against her.” After that, Chen Ping didn’t mention the matter to me again. I felt that Chen Ping had a bias against Su Jing, and it seemed that she was judging Su Jing behind her back when she said these things to me, and that she was trying to sow discord. I thought, “Should I report this to the upper leaders to have them resolve it? Otherwise, their lack of harmonious cooperation will affect the work.” But then I thought, “I don’t fully understand the situation, and if I report this and Chen Ping finds out, will she accuse me of being a rat and make life difficult for me?” With this in mind, I didn’t dare to report it.

A few days later, Chen Ping spread her prejudice against Su Jing to a leader in another church, Wu Xin, and she even roped in the gospel deacon Li Yun, telling them that Su Jing was a false worker. I was a bit surprised, wondering, “How did Li Yun get dragged into this too? Now she’s taking Chen Ping’s side. This seems to be no small issue. I should report this to the upper leaders promptly; otherwise, it will throw the church work into disarray.” But I was also worried, wondering, “Chen Ping is in charge of my work, if I report her issues and she finds out, will she suppress or torment me?” Thinking of this, I felt a bit scared, so I didn’t dare to report it.

A few days later, Sister Danchun, who was in charge of the cleansing work, sent me a letter, saying that Chen Ping had also spread her prejudice against Su Jing to her, and that Chen Ping claimed she couldn’t cooperate well with Su Jing, and that Su Jing wouldn’t accept any suggestions given to her. Chen Ping even asked Danchun to investigate how Su Jing consistently behaved. I was very surprised, I had initially thought that Chen Ping only had a personal prejudice against Su Jing, but after learning of these matters, I realized that this matter wasn’t so simple, Chen Ping was deliberately trying to form cliques and stir up chaos. I came across a passage of God’s word: “The phenomenon of someone being arbitrarily condemned, labeled, and tormented often occurs in every church. For example, some people harbor a prejudice against a certain leader or worker and, in order to get revenge, make comments about them behind their back, exposing and dissecting them under the guise of fellowshipping about the truth. The intent and purposes behind such actions are wrong. If one is really fellowshipping on the truth to give testimony for God and to benefit others, they should fellowship on their own true experiences, and bring benefit to others by dissecting and knowing themselves. Such practice yields better results, and God’s chosen people will approve of it. If one’s fellowship exposes, attacks, and belittles another person in an attempt to strike at or get revenge on them, then the intent of the fellowship is wrong, it is unjustified, loathed by God and not edifying to the brothers and sisters. If someone’s intent is to condemn others or to torment them, then they are an evil person and they are doing evil. All God’s chosen people should have discernment when it comes to evil people. If someone willfully strikes at, exposes, or belittles people, then they should be helped lovingly, fellowshipped with and dissected, or pruned. If they are unable to accept the truth, and stubbornly refuse to mend their ways, then this is a different matter entirely. When it comes to evil people who often arbitrarily condemn, label and torment others, they should be thoroughly exposed, so that everyone may learn to discern them, and then they should be restricted or expelled from the church. This is essential, as such people disturb the church life and the church work, and they are likely to mislead people and bring chaos upon the church. … The behavior of these people not only impacts church life, but also gives rise to conflict in the church. It can even impact the work of the church as a whole and the spreading of the gospel. Therefore, leaders and workers need to warn this sort of person, and they also need to restrict and handle them” (The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers (15)). God’s words are very clear. Arbitrarily judging and condemning others is doing evil. It disturbs the church’s work and people who do this must be restricted immediately. Reflecting on the recent events, I wondered, “Su Jing has some problems, but she can still do some real work, so why does Chen Ping keep fixating on her flaws and issues? If Chen Ping sees that Su Jing is doing something inappropriate, she could point it out to her or report it to the upper leadership, but why is Chen Ping saying these things to me, and even venting her long-held grievances against Su Jing from years ago? Isn’t this sowing discord? Isn’t this undermining Su Jing? Moreover, she’s not only judging Su Jing in front of me, but she’s also trying to rope in the leader and the gospel deacon from another church, and even spreading it to the sister responsible for the cleansing work. What Chen Ping is doing is definitely not to protect the church’s work, nor is it to help Su Jing. She is trying to form cliques and stir up chaos, with the aim of getting people to side with her in judging and isolating Su Jing to bring her down.” These thoughts made me worry, “The church has just gone through a crackdown by the CCP, many brothers and sisters can’t live a normal church life, and all the church’s work is still in recovery. If chaos arises at this time, then both the church’s work and the brothers’ and sisters’ lives will suffer greatly.” I thought about writing a letter to report the matter. But when I was about to write it, I hesitated again, thinking, “Chen Ping is in charge of my work, if she finds out I wrote the letter, will she strike at and exclude me? Will she make life difficult for me, or even seize on my faults to torment or expel me? If that happens, wouldn’t my chance at salvation be ruined?” This thought scared me, and I told myself, “When you’re under someone else’s roof, you have no choice but to bow your head! Chen Ping is responsible for my work, and if I offend her and she torments me, who would know? Who would help me? Forget it, I better not get involved, or I’ll bring trouble upon myself.” So I went on without reporting the issue, but afterward, I felt a constant guilt within me.

One day during a devotional, I came across God’s words: “All of you say you are considerate of God’s burden and will defend the testimony of the church, but who among you has really been considerate of God’s burden? Ask yourself: Are you someone who has shown consideration for His burden? Can you practice righteousness for Him? Can you stand up and speak for Me? Can you steadfastly put the truth into practice? Are you bold enough to fight against all of Satan’s deeds? Would you be able to set your feelings aside and expose Satan for the sake of My truth? Can you allow My intentions to be satisfied in you? Have you offered up your heart in the most crucial of moments? Are you someone who follows My will? Ask yourself these questions, and think about them often” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 13). “A person’s mind is still more agile than that of a machine: They know how to adapt, they know when they encounter situations which actions contribute to their self-interests and which do not, and they are quick to apply every method at their disposal. Consequently, whenever you face certain things, your slight trust in God is unable to stand firm. You act cunningly with God, engage in tactics against Him, and play tricks, and this reveals your lack of genuine faith in God. You think God is untrustworthy, that He may not be able to protect you or ensure your safety, and that God might even let you die. You feel that God is unreliable, and that only by relying on yourself can you be sure. What happens in the end? No matter what circumstances or matters you face, you approach them using these methods, tactics, and strategies, and you are unable to stand firm in your testimony to God. No matter the circumstances, you are unable to be a qualified leader or worker, unable to exhibit the qualities or actions of a steward, and unable to display full loyalty, thus losing your testimony. Regardless of how many matters you face, you are unable to rely on your faith in God to execute loyalty and your responsibility. Consequently, the final result is that you gain nothing” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (19)). God’s words exposed my exact state. When things were going smoothly, I proclaimed that God held sovereignty over everything and that my fate was in God’s hands, but when I saw Chen Ping trying to form cliques and stir up chaos, I knew I should report it to the upper leaders so it could be resolved quickly, but I lacked true faith in God and my heart was full of worries and concerns. I was afraid that if Chen Ping found out I reported her, she’d seek opportunities to torment and retaliate against me, and that she might even have me expelled. To protect myself, I didn’t report Chen Ping’s issues. I claimed to believe in God but didn’t trust His sovereignty. I even believed that my fate was in the hands of the leaders, and that if a leader tormented me, it was uncertain whether God would protect me. How was this viewpoint different from that of a disbeliever? I clearly saw the nature of the problem but was unwilling to report it. I was always protecting my own interests, afraid of being suppressed or excluded by the leader. I wasn’t safeguarding the interests of God’s house at all. I had been so selfish and despicable!

Later, I read another passage of God’s words: “Do not always do things for your own sake and do not constantly consider your own interests; do not consider the interests of man, and give no thought to your own pride, reputation, and status. You must first consider the interests of God’s house, and make them your priority. You should be considerate of God’s intentions and begin by contemplating whether or not there have been impurities in the performance of your duty, whether you have been loyal, fulfilled your responsibilities, and given it your all, as well as whether or not you have been wholeheartedly thinking about your duty and the work of the church. You must consider these things. If you think about them frequently and figure them out, it will be easier for you to perform your duty well” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Freedom and Liberation Can Be Gained Only by Casting Off One’s Corrupt Disposition). After reading God’s words, I felt deeply ashamed. God’s requirements for people aren’t high, He simply hopes that when something happens, people can protect the interests of His house, and do their duty to the best of their ability. In this way, God will be satisfied. I had already confirmed Chen Ping was undermining others, disturbing the church and stirring up chaos, and I also knew that if this problem wasn’t resolved promptly, it would greatly hinder the church’s work. But out of fear of being tormented, I was unwilling to report this. Instead, I chose to avoid it and ignore the issue. Where was my conscience and reason? My attitude was allowing Satan to disturb the church’s work, which was a betrayal of God! I couldn’t seek to protect myself anymore. I had to put the interests of God’s house first. God is righteous, and the truth reigns in God’s house, and if I were to rightly report the issue, Chen Ping couldn’t do anything to me. Even if I were tormented and suppressed, it would be something I should experience and there would be a lesson I needed to learn. I also read the experiential testimonies of some brothers and sisters. When they were faced with antichrists and evil people, some of them initially went into a state of trying to protect themselves, worrying about being tormented, but after understanding God’s intention through praying and seeking, they reported the evil deeds of these antichrists and evil people, and after investigation and verification, these antichrists and evil people were eventually expelled, and the church’s work returned to normal. After reading their testimonies, I felt greatly encouraged. I thought, “I must rely on God to report this issue, so the upper leaders can understand the situation, arrange for someone to quickly resolve this chaos, and restore the normal order of the church’s work. This is my responsibility and duty and I cannot shirk it.” So I wrote down everything that had happened and sent the report to the upper leaders. By practicing in this way, I felt at ease.

Later, I reflected, “Why didn’t I have the courage to expose or report Chen Ping’s attempts to form cliques? What was the reason behind this?” One day, I read God’s words: “Then what is the root of your inability to handle and address evil people? Is it that your humanity is inherently cowardly, timid, and fearful? This is neither the root cause nor the essence of the problem. The essence of the problem is that people are not loyal to God; they protect themselves, their personal safety, their reputation, their status, and their way out. Their disloyalty is manifested in how they always protect themselves, retreating like a turtle into its shell whenever they face anything, and waiting until it passes before sticking their heads back out again. No matter what they meet with, they are always walking on eggshells, have a lot of anxiety, worry, and apprehension, and are unable to stand and defend the work of the church. What is the problem here? Isn’t it a lack of faith? You have no real faith in God, you do not believe that God is sovereign over all things, and you do not believe that your life, your everything is in God’s hands. You do not believe what God says, ‘Without God’s permission, Satan does not dare to move a single hair on your body.’ You rely on your own eyes and judge the facts, you judge things based on your own calculations, always protecting yourself. You do not believe that a person’s fate is in God’s hands; you are afraid of Satan, afraid of evil forces and evil people. Is this not a lack of genuine faith in God? (Yes.) Why is there no real faith in God? Is it because people’s experiences are too shallow and they cannot see through these things, or is it because they understand too little of the truth? What is the reason? Does it have something to do with people’s corrupt dispositions? Is it because people are too cunning? (Yes.) No matter how many things they experience, no matter how many facts are placed in front of them, they don’t believe that this is the work of God, or that a person’s fate is in God’s hands. This is one aspect. Another mortal issue is that people care too much about themselves. They are not willing to pay any price or make any sacrifice for God, for His work, for the interests of God’s house, for His name, or for His glory. They are not willing to do anything that involves even the slightest danger. People care too much about themselves! Because of their fear of death, of humiliation, of being trapped by evil people, and of falling into any kind of predicament, people go to great lengths to preserve their own flesh, striving not to let themselves enter any dangerous situations. In one respect, this behavior shows that people are all too cunning, while in another, it reveals their self-preservation and selfishness” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (19)). From the exposure of God’s words, I understood that the reason I couldn’t practice the truth or protect the church’s work was mainly because my nature was truly selfish and deceitful. Satan’s poisons of “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost,” and “Sensible people are good at self-protection, seeking only to avoid making mistakes,” had come to control me. So when things happened, the first thing I considered was whether my interests would be harmed. I was willing to do things that benefited me, but if something would harm my interests or endanger my safety, even if it would protect the church’s work, I wouldn’t do it. I was well aware that Chen Ping was trying to form cliques and stir up chaos, and that if this wasn’t resolved promptly, it would greatly disturb and hinder the church’s work. But I was filled with constant fears. I worried that after reporting the issue, Chen Ping would retaliate against me, torment me, or even have me expelled, so I didn’t dare make the report and instead acted like a turtle hiding its head in its shell. I didn’t have any genuine faith in God. I was such a coward! I’d believed in God for many years, and I’d been doing my duties in the church because He had exalted me. God’s intention was for me to protect the interests of God’s house at crucial moments, but when Chen Ping tried to form cliques and stir up chaos and this threatened to paralyze the church’s work, I only considered my own interests. I was so selfish and deceitful! To protect myself, I was unwilling to practice even the truth I understood—wasn’t I leading an ignoble existence in this way? If I didn’t change this, I would definitely be spurned and eliminated by God. Especially since the church just went through a CCP crackdown, and various aspects of the work hadn’t recovered, if another bout of chaos were to occur, not only would the church’s work be disturbed, but the life entry of the brothers and sisters would also suffer greater losses. With this in mind, I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. I told myself, “I can’t disappoint God anymore. I must practice the truth to protect the church’s work, and resolve this issue as soon as possible.”

Later on, I cooperated with the upper leaders to look into and verify the situation. After investigating, we found that Chen Ping had held a grudge against Su Jing since 2012. At that time, Su Jing had been a leader, and Chen Ping, eager for status, wanted to be a leader and ganged up with others to try and remove Su Jing. But their plans didn’t succeed. Later, Chen Ping was dismissed, but she always bore a grudge against Su Jing, and kept trying to seize on her faults. Most of the accusations Chen Ping made against Su Jing were baseless. After evaluating everything, it was apparent that Su Jing wasn’t failing to do real work, but Chen Ping was constantly seizing on and magnifying Su Jing’s faults, even trying to rope more people into excluding Su Jing. Chen Ping displayed the serious disposition of an antichrist and was dismissed. The upper leaders dissected the nature and harm of her actions and issued her a warning. Through fellowship and discernment, the gospel deacon Li Yun realized that she had been manipulated by Chen Ping. She also realized that she had disrupted and disturbed the church’s work, and she later wrote a letter of repentance. Based on principles, the church gave Li Yun a chance to repent and kept her on.

After going through this matter, I truly felt in my heart that the truth reigns in God’s house, and that God’s righteous disposition tolerates no offense. Antichrists and evil people who don’t practice the truth and resist or are averse to it will all be eventually revealed and eliminated by God. I also saw that understanding the truth and having a sense of justice are crucial. If we don’t expose and report evil people and antichrists in the church promptly, not only will the church’s work be seriously disturbed, but the life progress of the brothers and sisters will also be hindered. Through this actual environment, I saw how deeply corrupt and lacking I was, and just how selfish and deceitful I was. At the same time, this matter helped me gain some discernment. From the bottom of my heart, I thank God!