By Su Shan, Japan

Once, when an upper leader named Liu Ping came to check on things at our church, she really quickly saw that one of our leaders was an antichrist. She revealed and dissected her evil behaviors, one by one. I really admired her because I’d known that antichrist for a while and had no discernment over her. Liu Ping saw her for what she was in less than a week and was really quick to dismiss her and kick her out of the church. I figured she had the reality of the truth, otherwise how could she take on such an important duty? That thought made me admire her even more.

In a gathering, Liu Ping explained how she’d seen the antichrist was doing evil and being disruptive, how she’d figured out her motives behind these problems, and very sternly described her expressions of evil. Liu Ping also talked about how well the church’s work she was responsible for had gone, that she was managing multiple churches’ work, and upper leadership really valued her. I adulated her even more after hearing this fellowship and felt really honored to be gathering with a leader like her. I was totally caught up in sense of her gloriousness and listened intently, afraid to miss a single detail. Before long, Liu Ping came to the church I was in charge to check on our work, and my partner and I told her about how we’d dismissed Sister Wang. As soon as I finished, she used God’s words to harshly deal with me for being autocratic in my duty: “Why did you do that without approval? Why didn’t you report to me? Don’t you know that’s being authoritarian and punishing, and it’s antichrist behavior?” I was really scared and felt like I’d been condemned, but I struggled to accept it. I was thinking that when false leaders and antichrists appear in the church, God’s chosen people should come together to get rid of them, or several leaders should do that directly. That’s the principle. Sister Wang had always been autocratic and arbitrary, promoting evildoers, causing chaos in the church’s work. We fellowshiped with her and criticized her, but she wouldn’t accept it. She was a false leader. We dismissed her in line with the principles. How could that be autocratic and punishing? Wasn’t Liu Ping arbitrarily criticizing us, slapping a label on us? But then I thought that since she was able to manage so many churches’ work she must see things more thoroughly than me, so she might be analyzing a root-level problem with me. I couldn’t accept it because I was lacking stature and insight, so I figured I should just take it. I didn’t say anything at the time, but I was feeling really down because my motivation in it wasn’t to be punishing and dictatorial. However, what I’d done ended up that way, and I was really afraid and felt this sense of disaster.

Then Liu Ping went on to ask more about the church’s work. There was a leader whose behavior I wasn’t sure about, and I didn’t know what to do, so when I told Liu Ping about it, she suggested we read a passage of God’s words. I’d read it just a couple days prior, and I wanted to confirm my opinion of the leader with her. As soon as I said that, she got really mad, threw her cellphone onto the bed and said to me really harshly, “You understand this leader’s behavior and you’ve read about the principles. Why are you saying you lack discernment and don’t know what to do? She’s a false leader. If you don’t dismiss her, you’re shielding a false leader, hindering the work of clearing out the church, and being a stumbling block.” I didn’t know what to do in the face of such unexpected criticism. I felt really uneasy. In just two days she’d accused me of several antichrist behaviors, like punishing someone, being autocratic, shielding a false leader, and hindering the work of clearing out the church. All those things are offensive to God’s disposition and could get me kicked out of the church. The thought that my years of faith might end just like that was so upsetting and painful for me. I couldn’t hold my tears back. Seeing me crying, Liu Ping asked me what I was thinking. I actually felt really wronged. I just wasn’t sure about that leader’s behavior, but I wasn’t intentionally shielding her. If I wasn’t handling it well enough, she could have fellowshiped to help and support me, not just arbitrarily criticizing and condemning me. I didn’t want to accept it. I was afraid she would say I wouldn’t accept the truth and that I was looking for something against her, then me being dismissed and kicked out would be a matter of time. I also thought it was true that I hadn’t dismissed that false leader right away, so she was probably criticizing the nature of my actions. Also, she knew the truth and had discernment, so she had to be right about my problems. I just didn’t realize it, and I should accept her criticism. I said disingenuously, “You’re right about my problems. I can accept that, and I’ll do some self-reflection.” But in fact, I was really upset and felt like I’d committed too many transgressions before God. I wondered if He’d rejected me. That was the first time I’d been so harshly rebuked and I didn’t know how to get through it. I felt like being a leader was too dangerous, like walking on a razor’s edge. I didn’t know what I might do to offend God, and then my outcome might not be secure. I was thinking that it would be better to just resign and avoid that kind of situation. That way at least I might have a chance of remaining in the church.

That evening I was riding my bike, going to pick some things up for Liu Ping when suddenly I fell and rolled out a couple meters, and my hands and feet got really messed up. I was lying there on the ground in a lot of pain. I didn’t even know how I got myself back up. I didn’t even want to go back to our gathering house, afraid Liu Ping would see my injuries and say God was disciplining me because I’d offended His disposition. I paced back and forth on the road for ages, then finally got up the courage to go back. When I got there I put the stuff down and rushed to the bathroom to clean up my injuries, afraid Liu Ping would see them. When I was taking care of them I realized that that wasn’t an accident, but God’s will was within it. I prayed, “Oh God, I feel really awful now. I don’t know how to get through this. Please guide me to understand Your will.” After praying I was thinking that Liu Ping was just arbitrarily criticizing and labeling me without understanding the context. Was that really right? Then I remembered a passage of God’s words. “If, as a church leader or worker, you are to lead God’s chosen ones in entering the reality of the truth and bearing proper testimony to God, of chief importance is to guide people in spending more time reading God’s words and fellowshiping the truth, so that God’s chosen ones can have a deeper knowledge of God’s aims in saving man and the purpose of God’s work, and can understand God’s will and His various requirements for man, thus allowing them to understand the truth. When you fellowship and preach, you must be real, and not be satisfied with repeating words of doctrine. When you eat and drink God’s words, you must focus on practicing the truth you understand, and only when you practice it will you truly understand the truth. When experiencing God’s words, you must communicate only on that which you know. Do not boast, do not exaggerate, do not make irresponsible remarks, and do not simply repeat words of doctrine. If you exaggerate, people will detest you and you will feel reproached afterward; this is just too inappropriate. Just what is your aim of fellowshiping the truth during assemblies? Can you make people understand the truth and enter its reality if you only deal with and lecture them? If the truth you fellowship is not real, if it is nothing but words of doctrine, then no matter how much you deal with and lecture them, it will be to no avail. Do you think people being afraid of you, and doing what you tell them to, and not daring to object, is the same as them understanding the truth and being obedient? This is a major mistake; entry into life is not so simple. Some leaders are like a new manager trying to make a strong impression, they try to impose their new-found authority on God’s chosen ones so that everyone submits to them, thinking that this will make their job easier. If you lack the reality of the truth, then before long your true colors will be revealed, your true stature will be exposed, and you could well be eliminated. In some administrative work, a little dealing, pruning, and discipline is acceptable. But if you are unable to provide the truth—if you are only capable of lecturing people, and all you do is fly into a rage—then this is your corrupt disposition revealing itself, and you have shown the ugly face of your corruption. As time goes on, God’s chosen ones will be unable to receive the provision of life from you, they will not gain anything real, and so will be repulsed and disgusted by you, and will shun you” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only Those With the Reality of the Truth Can Lead). This showed me that leaders should primarily fellowship on the truth and supply life, and blind rebukes don’t help people gain the truth. When Liu Ping saw some issues in my work, without understanding the context she just blindly pruned and dealt with me, and labeled me, instead of resolving the actual problems. Afterward, I still didn’t know where I’d gone wrong or what to do, but was just scared of her, depressed and on my guard. That’s when I realized her criticisms were coming from human thinking, and in some deterministic things she said, she was making mountains out of molehills. I needed to have discernment and not just submit to it. This thought made me feel a little bit better. At the time I only knew she shouldn’t deal with people that way, that it wasn’t God’s will, but I didn’t try to discern her motives or the nature of her behavior.

Pretty soon, the church was getting ready to hold an election, and my partner, Chen Xiao, was one of the candidates. She cared too much about name and status, was always fighting for that, and was really envious. When she didn’t win, she’d slack off and vent her anger through her duty. Several co-workers felt constrained by her. She was also a really selfish person, just considering her own interests in her duty, not the interests of God’s house. She was afraid of offending people, so she dragged her feet dealing with it when false leaders appeared in the church, which hurt the church’s work. A number of co-workers felt like she didn’t pursue the truth or have good humanity, so wasn’t a good candidate. I wasn’t sure about her, so I talked to Liu Ping about it. Nothing at the time. Then the day of the election, she encouraged Chen Xiao to vote for herself. So with her encouragement, Chen Xiao made it to the final round of the election. I was pretty stunned to see that. It says in Work Arrangements: “Regardless of the person being established in a leadership role, so long as there are objections then more observation is required. We should never blindly promote anyone, and while we are waiting and gaining a better understanding events might change at any time and a more suitable candidate might appear.” “In the church’s election, no one is allowed to designate a candidate, or deliberately incite or force God’s chosen people to vote by following the will of certain people. This is an act that interferes with human rights and that goes against the truth” (Work Arrangements). I’d spoken to Liu Ping about Chen Xiao’s issues, and she not only didn’t look into that, but openly supported her, getting others to vote for her. Liu Ping had such an important duty. How could she be so negligent about something as important as electing a leader? She was perfectly aware Chen Xiao had issues, but kept supporting her. Wasn’t that harmful to brothers and sisters? Realizing this gave me the courage to bring up Chen Xiao’s issues again. She just got back to what she was doing without a single word. I was pretty taken aback and started to doubt myself. Had I been unfair to Chen Xiao? Otherwise, why wouldn’t Liu Ping even respond to me? Would she say I was disrupting the church’s election, weeding out opponents because I wanted to be a leader myself? In Liu Ping’s eyes, I’d already committed so many transgressions. If I kept bringing up Chen Xiao’s problems she might just dismiss me or determine that I was an antichrist, an evildoer, and expel me. And since Liu Ping was an upper leader, I figured she had to understand more truth than me. She’d supported Chen Xiao as a potential leader, so that meant she thought Chen Xiao was just fine and could handle that duty. I should submit, and seek how to practice.

Chen Xiao was elected. Faced with such a result, I felt really uncomfortable. After taking on a leadership role, Chen Xiao just kept fighting for power and status, forming cliques and having conflicts out of envy. No one could work together harmoniously and their duties were impacted. It also held up all sorts of church projects. I felt really conflicted. If I spoke up about her problems, I was afraid Liu Ping would say I was being unfair. But if I didn’t, I couldn’t find peace in my heart. I really didn’t know what to do. Later I came before God and asked Him to guide me. Then it wasn’t long before I got a letter from an upper leader saying some people had reported Liu Ping. They said she always spoke of doctrine, exalted herself and showed off to get others’ admiration, bringing them before herself. And she tended to scold people imperiously, labeling them and casually condemning them, and leaving them discouraged in their duties. She was really arbitrary in appointing people, promoting people however she wanted, prioritizing the ones she liked, really damaging the work of God’s house. She was also being underhanded in the election. When a sister gave her suggestions, she lashed out at her and dismissed her, and was about to kick her out. She was determined to be an antichrist based on her behavior, and the leader wanted us to write about her behavior. I was dumbfounded when I read the letter. I hadn’t imagined that someone I saw as a good leader was an antichrist. Looking at her many evil behaviors and thinking back on all our interactions, I saw that it wasn’t that I didn’t have any discernment or awareness, but I’d never tried to apply my discernment. I felt really remorseful at that point. I didn’t know why I was so numb.

Then I read some of God’s words in light of Liu Ping’s behavior. God’s words say, “Regardless of the manner with which they speak, it is always to make people think highly of them and worship them, to attain a certain position in their hearts, even to take God’s place there—these are all goals that antichrists wish to achieve when they testify to themselves. The motivation behind all that they say, preach, and fellowship is to make people think highly of them and venerate them; such behavior is exalting and testifying to themselves, so as to occupy a position in the hearts of others. Though the way these people speak is not wholly the same, to a greater or lesser degree, it has the effect of testifying to themselves and making people venerate them; and to a greater or lesser extent, such behaviors exist in almost all who work. If they reach a point, the point where they can’t stop themselves, or they become difficult to restrain, and they have a particularly strong and obvious intention and goal of making people treat them as though they were God or some sort of idol, and then they can achieve the goal of controlling and constraining people, and reach the point of getting them to submit, the nature of all of this is exalting and testifying about themselves; this is all part of the nature of an antichrist. What means do people typically use to exalt and testify about themselves? (They speak of capital.) What does speaking of capital include? Talking about how long they’ve believed in God, how much they’ve suffered, how much of a price they’ve paid, how much work they’ve done, how far they’ve traveled, how many people they’ve gained through spreading the gospel, and how much humiliation they’ve had to endure. Some people also often talk about how many times they’ve been in jail without ever selling out the church or the brothers and sisters, or failing to stand firm in their testimony, and so on; these are all examples of talking about how much capital one possesses. Under the guise of fulfilling the duties of leaders, they run their own operation, consolidating their position, creating a good impression in people’s hearts. At the same time, they use all manner of methods and tricks to win people over, even going so far as to attack and exclude anyone who has differing opinions or views from theirs, particularly those who pursue the truth. And as for those people who are stupid, ignorant and muddle-headed in their faith, as well as the ones who only believe in God for a short while, or who are of especially small stature, what methods do they use? They deceive, draw in and even threaten them, using these strategies to achieve their goal of consolidating their position. These are all the tactics of the antichrists” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. They Try to Win People Over). God’s words gave me some clarity on the goals and essence of the things Liu Ping did. Since I first met her, she never exalted or bore witness to God or talked about her own corruption or weaknesses. She was always just showing off, talking up how she had identified and exposed antichrists so people would think she understood the truth and upheld the work of God’s house. And she was always talking about how she managed multiple churches’ work and how the upper leaders valued her so people thought she could do practical work and was after God’s heart. She exalted and bore witness to herself that way, establishing a positive image of herself among brothers and sisters. It was to gain admiration so she could mislead and control others. And when we dismissed Sister Wang without her approval, instead of looking at whether it aligned with the principles, she just casually condemned it. When I asked her about a leader’s problems, she didn’t fellowship on the truth to resolve things or help me gain discernment, but condemned me arbitrarily. She lashed out at anyone who gave her feedback with zero regard for others. She treated brothers and sisters like mortal enemies, scolding them however she wanted, arbitrarily condemning and dismissing them to establish her own authority so people would be too afraid to go against her. She was determined to have everyone under her thumb. She was always commanding instead of speaking to others as equals, as if she hadn’t been corrupted by Satan, and was different from everyone else. She even used God’s words to scold and condemn others, acting like she’d been cleansed and perfected, like she was the master of the truth. Her antichrist essence had been exhaustively brought to light. Looking back on the election with Chen Xiao, God’s house had fellowshiped so many times on the standards for leaders, that they have to pursue the truth and have good humanity. After all her years of work, it wasn’t as if Liu Ping didn’t know the principles, but she insisted on selecting an unsuitable candidate, getting a false leader, an antichrist into an important position. She disregarded principles of the truth and the work arrangements of God’s house. She was really willful and overbearing, and brazenly went head-to-head with God. She was a minion of Satan who had come to dismantle the work of God’s house. She wasn’t going to rest until she’d done that. I saw how cruel and evil antichrists are. But I was blind and foolish. I treated an antichrist like someone who had the reality of the truth, thinking she understood the truth, that she had discernment and experience, so I didn’t look at whether she followed the principles or think about what sort of vile motives she was hiding. I really wasn’t clear-headed.

I remembered the leader saying in her letter that some brothers and sisters reported Liu Ping out of a sense of righteousness. That was hard for me to see. I’d also encountered that antichrist, so why did others have discernment and report her based on principle, and though I knew she wasn’t following principles of the truth, I just blindly went along instead of having discernment? The more I thought about it, the more upset I got. So I came before God to self-reflect. Then I read a passage of God’s words. “There are some people who are often deceived by those who outwardly seem spiritual, noble, lofty, and great. As for people who can speak eloquently of letters and doctrines, and whose speech and actions seem worthy of admiration, those who are deceived by them have never looked at the essence of their actions, the principles behind their deeds, or what their goals are. Moreover, they have never looked at whether these people truly submit to God, nor have they ever determined whether or not these people genuinely fear God and shun evil. They have never discerned the essence of the humanity of these people. Rather, beginning with the first step of getting acquainted with them, they have, little by little, come to admire and venerate these people, and in the end, these people become their idols. … There is only one root cause which makes people have such ignorant actions and viewpoints, or one-sided opinions and practices—and today I will tell you about it: The reason is that, although people may follow God, pray to Him every day, and read His utterances every day, they do not actually understand His will. Herein lies the root of the problem. If someone understood God’s heart and knew what He likes, what He loathes, what He wants, what He rejects, what kind of person He loves, what kind of person He dislikes, what kind of standard He uses when making demands of people, and what kind of approach He takes for perfecting them, then could that person still have their own personal opinions? Could people like this simply go and worship someone else? Could an ordinary human become their idol? People who understand God’s will possess a slightly more rational viewpoint than that. They are not going to arbitrarily idolize a corrupted person, nor will they, while walking the path of putting the truth into practice, believe that blindly adhering to a few simple rules or principles is tantamount to putting the truth into practice” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. How to Know God’s Disposition and the Results His Work Shall Achieve). After reading God’s words, I saw I blindly worshiped and looked up to Liu Ping because I wasn’t focused on seeking the truth, and didn’t understand God at all. I didn’t know what sort of people He likes, what sort He hates, or His standards for assessing people. I looked at people based on my own notions, only focusing on their superficial gifts and eloquence. When I first met Liu Ping, I saw how quick she was to dismiss and expel an antichrist, and I immediately had a lofty image of her. Then in gatherings I heard her talking about how she’d exposed and dissected antichrists, spurred on the church’s work, the important work she managed, and how upper leaders valued her. I just worshiped her even more, thinking she had the reality of the truth. I even felt honored to be in a gathering with a leader like her. So even though she was blindly criticizing and labeling me when she asked about my work, I didn’t have any discernment, but just accepted and submitted to it. Even when I got so negative after being dealt with that I wanted to quit, I still just kept reflecting on myself. I had God’s words’ guidance and I knew what she was doing wasn’t right, but I didn’t try to discern what the essence of her actions was. After just a few weeks, I went from admiring to adulating her, and God lost His place in my heart. I wasn’t a believer, but I was following, worshiping a person.

Through reflection, I saw I’d had the wrong perspective. I felt that since Liu Ping was a leader responsible for all those churches and was good with fellowship, she must have the reality of the truth. I thought she couldn’t go wrong, and I didn’t apply any discernment. Then I read some words of God that helped me understand how to see if someone has reality. God’s words say, “Holding up God’s words and being able to explain them unabashedly does not mean you are in possession of reality; things are not as simple as you imagine. Whether you are in possession of reality is not based on what you say; rather, it is based on what you live out. Only when God’s words become your life and your natural expression can you be said to have reality, and only then can you be counted as having gained true understanding and actual stature. You must be able to withstand examination over long periods of time, and you must be able to live out the likeness that is required by God. This must not be mere posturing; it must flow from you naturally. Only then will you truly possess reality, and only then will you have gained life” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Only Putting the Truth Into Practice Is Possessing Reality). “How can you determine whether a person possesses the reality of the truth? It can be seen from what they say. A person who only speaks words of doctrine does not possess the reality of the truth, and certainly will not practice the truth, so what they say is empty and unrealistic. The words of someone with the reality of the truth can solve people’s problems. They can see the essence of problems. With just a few simple words, a problem that has been bothering you for many years can be solved; you will understand the truth and God’s will, things will no longer be difficult for you, you will no longer feel bound and constrained, and you will gain freedom and release. Is what such a person says the reality of the truth? If you don’t understand what they say, and if they don’t solve the root cause of your problem, then what they say is words of doctrine. Can words of doctrine supply and help people? (No.) Words of doctrine cannot supply or help people and cannot solve people’s practical difficulties. The more words of doctrine are spoken, the more they annoy the listener. People who understand the truth speak differently. With a few words, they can point out the root cause of the problem or the origin of the sickness. Even a single sentence can awaken people and locate the key issues. This is using words that possess the realities of truth to solve people’s difficulties and point out the path of practice” (God’s Fellowship). God’s words are clear. Whether someone has reality isn’t about being well-spoken or how much important work they’ve done, but about if they practice the truth when problems arise, if they can do things by principle, uphold the work of God’s house, if they’re devout in their duty. That’s what it takes to have the reality of the truth. Some people have good caliber and a decent understanding of God’s words, but they’ve never put them into practice, so whatever they say is dogmatic. They have nothing to say about any reality, any details of the truth, and can’t resolve real problems. They’re unprincipled in their duty, but just do their own thing, whatever they want. Everything they do is to protect their own name and status without considering the church’s interests. They don’t have the reality of the truth. And Liu Ping had done quite a bit of work, but she wasn’t ever exalting or bearing witness to God, and she wasn’t sharing her experiences of God’s words to help other people. She just kept spouting doctrine, showing off so people would admire her. Resolving problems, she didn’t share principles of the truth or suggest real paths of practice, but would just seize on a problem to blame and condemn others. When we didn’t report to her right away before dismissing Sister Wang, she accused us of being dictatorial. When I wasn’t sure about a leader’s issues and asked her, she criticized me for intentionally harboring a false leader, for being a hindrance and a stumbling block in the church’s clearing work. She even accused me of being an antichrist. After she said that, I didn’t have a real understanding of what I’d done. I wasn’t sure if I’d done evil or just shown some corruption, or if I’d made some mistakes in my work. I not only didn’t understand the truth, but I got really scared, becoming more guarded against God. I realized that she didn’t know the truth or have its reality, and couldn’t handle real problems. She was also very arrogant by nature. Especially in something as important as selecting a leader, she didn’t seek the truth, but openly violated the principles and played her own game. She didn’t have any reverence for God and didn’t act based on principle, but just resisted God and disrupted the work of God’s house. She didn’t have the reality of the truth at all. But I still blindly worshiped her, which was so foolish of me.

I read some of God’s words later. “When someone is chosen to be a leader by the brothers and sisters, or is promoted by the house of God to do a certain piece of work or perform a certain duty, this does not mean that they have a special status or identity, or that the truths they understand are deeper and more numerous than those of other people—much less that this person is able to submit to God, and will not betray Him. It does not mean, either, that they know God, and are someone who fears God. They have attained none of this, in fact; the promotion and cultivation is merely promotion and cultivation in the most straightforward sense. Their promotion and cultivation simply means they have been promoted, and await cultivation. And the ultimate outcome of this cultivation depends on which path the person walks, and what they pursue. Thus, when someone in the church is promoted and cultivated to be a leader, they are merely promoted and cultivated in the straightforward sense; it does not mean that they are already a qualified leader, or a competent one, that they are already capable of undertaking the work of a leader, and can do real work—that is not the case. When someone is promoted and cultivated to be a leader, do they possess the reality of the truth? Do they understand the principles of the truth? Is this person able to bring to fruition the work arrangements of the house of God? Not necessarily. Do they have a sense of responsibility? Are they possessed of commitment? Are they able to submit to God? When they encounter an issue, are they able to search for the truth? All of this is unknown. Does the person have a heart that fears God? And just how great is their fear of God? Are they liable to follow their own will when they do things? Are they able to seek God? During the time that they perform the work of leaders, do they regularly and frequently come before God to search for the will of God? Are they able to guide people in entry into the reality of the truth? This, and much more, all awaits cultivation and discovery; it all remains unknown. Promoting and cultivating someone doesn’t mean they already understand the truth, nor is it saying that they are already capable of performing their duty satisfactorily. … People must not have high expectations or unrealistic demands of those who are promoted and cultivated; that would be unreasonable, and unfair on them. You can monitor their work, and report the things they do that you believe to be problematic, but they are just in the cultivation period, and should not be viewed as people who have been made perfect, much less as someone blameless, or as people who are possessed of the reality of the truth. … What is the point of Me saying this? In order to tell everyone that they must correctly approach the house of God’s promotion and cultivation of various types of talents, and must not be harsh in their demands of these people. Naturally, people must not be unrealistic in their opinion of them either. It is foolish to be overly appreciative or reverential of them, nor is it humane or realistic to be overly harsh in your demands toward them” (Identifying False Leaders (5)). From God’s words I saw that being elected as a leader doesn’t mean someone has reality or can do real work, that they’re a fit, qualified leader. They’re the same as anyone, with corrupt dispositions, and they’ll violate principles of the truth in their work, too. They need God’s judging, chastising, and pruning, and oversight from others. Being promoted or cultivated by God’s house is a chance to practice, but what’s key to gaining the truth is the path someone takes, if they can pursue the truth. Some people have caliber, pursue the truth, and can take on work in God’s house, so they’re promoted. It just means that they get a chance to practice and be trained. If after a period of time they still don’t seem suitable or they’re not on the right path, like they’re interrupting the church’s work, God’s house will dismiss them at any time. Just like Liu Ping—after she was promoted and given a chance to train, she didn’t pursue the truth or take the right path. Although she was a leader, everything she did was disruptive to the work of God’s house, and she was ultimately eliminated. But I was going by my notions, thinking that since she was a leader, she must have the reality of the truth and insight, more so than me. So I didn’t apply discernment to her, but just adored and submitted to her. God’s words showed me that we shouldn’t blindly look up to leaders and workers or have demands that are too strict, but approach them properly and learn to apply discernment and oversight while also being supportive and cooperative. If they’re correct and what they say is in line with the truth, upholds the work of God’s house, we should accept it and obey. If they’re not doing practical work, or are doing evil and disrupting the church’s work, we need to take a stand, expose, report, and dismiss them. I saw Liu Ping’s arbitrary criticism and knew it didn’t reflect reality and was making a big deal out of things, but I still only looked at myself. How foolish. I also knew God was setting up such a practical situation to help me gain discernment, but I wasn’t focused on seeking the truth or learning a lesson. I was taken in by an antichrist. I got what was coming to me. This filled me with even more regret and guilt, and I felt so remorseful, so in debt to God. I said a prayer, “God, I’m such a coward. When I was oppressed and misled by a false leader, an antichrist, I blindly went along with her instead of applying discernment, which disrupted the work of God’s house. God, I want to repent and stop selfishly protecting myself. I want to stand up, expose and report Liu Ping’s evil deeds.” After that, I honestly exposed Liu Ping’s evil. I got a leader’s response soon after that Liu Ping had done too much evil and wouldn’t repent, so she was determined to be an antichrist and expelled from the church. I was pleased, and also thought about Chen Xiao’s tendency to engage in infighting, to start jealous rivalries and undermine others. She was unrepentant, too, truly a false leader. A few co-workers and I wrote a report on her together, and the leader had us dismiss her based on principle. Through other brothers’ and sisters’ reports, I saw Chen Xiao was obsessed with power and committed lots of evil to protect her status. She was kicked out for being an antichrist.

These experiences showed me how key it is to seek the truth, and to look at people through God’s words. Following notions when interacting with leaders, just looking at their caliber, gifts, and status, blindly worshiping and following them, is resisting and betraying God. In serious cases, you can end up doing evil along with them and lose your chance to be saved. Learning to discern different people and events, and seeing the motives and tactics behind what false leaders and antichrists say and do is the only way to avoid being constrained and led astray, the only way to stand strong.