By Xunqiu, USA

Last year, I was a supervisor for the church’s watering and gospel work. Because I’d just started, I was unfamiliar with many details of the work, so I relied heavily on those team leaders. I thought they were proficient in those fields and better than me at everything, so I should learn from them, especially Sister Lily, who had quite good caliber and was a talented worker. She always presided over work discussions at gatherings and her group’s gospel work was a bit more fruitful than the others’. As a result, I thought highly of her and trusted her. I normally only had a simple understanding of her work and never delved into the details. I had the utmost confidence in her. At the time, my brothers and sisters reminded me that I should take some time each week to check on Lily’s work, and despite agreeing to do so, I thought: “Lily can be headstrong at times, but she does pretty well in every aspect of the work and she’s the most talented in this field, so she probably won’t have any big issues. If I’m always inquiring about her work, it’ll seem like I don’t trust her.” So I didn’t take their suggestions seriously. One day, two sisters told me that Lily wasn’t doing practical work. They said she often didn’t follow up on the team’s work or fellowship to resolve the brothers’ and sisters’ issues and struggles, and when she occasionally did check in, it wasn’t very helpful, so the team’s gospel work was becoming less effective. I was shocked to hear this. How could Lily not be doing practical work? She’d told me she was following up with the team’s work, and every time I’d asked, she’d said there were no issues. So why were the others saying she wasn’t following up on their work? But then I thought: “Lily’s team has been doing well overall, maybe these sisters don’t know the whole story. I can’t go on their words alone. Plus, these sisters have some problems themselves—even if Lily is having issues in her duty, that’s normal. Nobody’s perfect!” So I didn’t think too much of their complaints and just gave Lily a quick reminder in private, telling her to focus on following up on the team’s work in the future, and that was the end of that. To my surprise, not long after, major issues arose in Lily’s work.

One day, a leader said that Lily had been reported again for not doing practical work. She hadn’t been following up on the gospel work, even when it wasn’t going well, and she wouldn’t respond to her team promptly when they had problems sharing the gospel. She also never saw things through when implementing work—she’d lay out plans during meetings, but wouldn’t follow up on them later, so they couldn’t be carried out, directly impacting the results of the gospel sharing. Hearing this, I once again felt shocked—I knew Lily had a few problems in her duty, but I didn’t know they were this serious. She had good caliber and was very proactive in her duty, how could she not be doing any practical work? I just couldn’t believe it was true. Later, the leader fellowshiped with her and pointed out her issues. I thought she’d reflect on herself and learn a lesson through this, but to my surprise, she didn’t reflect and she completely lacked an attitude of acceptance and submission. She just said she wasn’t cut out to be a team leader and offered to step down. Not only was she not doing practical work, she wouldn’t accept being dealt with. She was ultimately deemed to be unsuitable as a team leader based on the principles and reassigned. After that, I felt awful. How did I fail to notice that a team leader wasn’t doing practical work? I came before God in prayer, and said: “God, I’ve been so blind. Please enlighten and guide me to find the reason for my failure.”

One day, during devotionals, I saw this passage of God’s words. Almighty God says, “False leaders will not look into supervisors who are not doing actual work, or who are neglecting their responsibilities. They think they just need to choose a supervisor and everything will be fine; afterward, the supervisor will handle all work matters, and all they need to do is hold assembly every so often, they won’t need to keep an eye on work or ask how it’s going, they can stay hands-off. If someone reports a problem with a supervisor, the false leader will say, ‘It’s just a minor problem, it’s fine. You can handle it yourself. Don’t ask me.’ The person who reports the issue says, ‘That supervisor is a lazy glutton. They do nothing but eat and entertain themselves, and they are bone idle. They don’t want to suffer even a little bit of hardship in their duty, and they always find ways to cheat and make up excuses to avoid their work and responsibilities. They are unqualified to be a supervisor.’ The false leader will answer, ‘They were fine when they were selected as supervisor. What you’re saying isn’t true, or even if it is, it’s just a temporary manifestation.’ The false leader doesn’t try and find out more about the supervisor’s situation, but judges and determines the matter based on their past impressions of the person. Regardless of who reports problems with the supervisor, the false leader ignores it. The supervisor is out of their depth, they are not competent enough to complete their work, and are already close to messing it all up—but the false leader doesn’t care. It’s bad enough that when someone reports the supervisor’s issues, they turn a blind eye. But what is most despicable of all? When people tell them about really serious issues the supervisor is having, they don’t try and sort these out, and even come out with all sorts of excuses: ‘I know this supervisor, they truly believe in God, they would never have any problems. Even if they did, God would protect them and discipline them. If they make any mistakes, that is between them and God—we need not concern ourselves.’ This is how false leaders work: according to their own notions and imaginings. They pretend to understand the truth, and to have faith—with the result that they make a mess of church work, or even bring it to a standstill, all the while they feign ignorance. Are they not just paper pushers? False leaders are incapable of doing real work, nor do they approach the work of group leaders and supervisors with any seriousness. Their view of people is only based on their own impressions and imaginings. Seeing someone acquitting themselves well for a time, they believe this person will be good forevermore, that they will not change; they do not believe anyone who says there is a problem with this person, they ignore it when someone points something out about the person. … False leaders also have a major failing: They are quick to trust people based on their own imaginings. And this is caused by not understanding the truth, is it not? How does God’s word reveal the essence of corrupt humankind? Why should they trust in people when God doesn’t? Instead of judging people by appearances, God keeps a constant watch on their hearts—so why should false leaders be so casual when they judge others and place their trust in them? False leaders are too conceited, are they not? What they think is, ‘I wasn’t wrong when I spotted this person. Nothing could go awry; they are definitely not someone who messes around, who likes to have fun and hates hard work. They are absolutely dependable and trustworthy. They will not change; if they did, that would mean I was wrong about them, wouldn’t it?’ What kind of logic is this? Are you some kind of expert? Do you have x-ray vision? Is this your special skill? You could live with this person for one or two years, but would you be able to see who they really are without a suitable environment to lay their nature and essence utterly bare? If they were not exposed by God, you could live side-by-side with them for three, or even five, years, and would still struggle to see just what kind of nature and essence they have. And how much more is that true when you rarely see them, are rarely with them? You blithely trust them based on a fleeting impression or someone else’s positive appraisal of them, and dare to entrust the work of the church to such people. In this, are you not being extremely blind? Are you not being impetuous? And when they work like this, are the false leaders not being extremely irresponsible?” (The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers). Pondering God’s words, I realized that people have corrupt dispositions, and before they’ve attained the truth and changed their dispositions, they’re all unreliable and none of them can be trusted. But false leaders don’t understand the truth, they can’t discern people’s essences, and they casually put trust in others, failing to supervise or follow up on their work for long periods. They are very arrogant and irresponsible. I was behaving like that too. The main reason I didn’t supervise or check on Lily’s work was because I put too much trust in her. I saw she had good caliber and was experienced and effective at gospel sharing, so I trusted her completely and thought highly of her, never bothering to supervise her work. When the others reported her issues to me, I didn’t pay them any mind, and even thought that they were the ones with issues. As a result, major problems arose in the work without me realizing. I didn’t view people and things through God’s words, I just trusted my own eyes, like I was some expert with incredible insight. I was so conceited. In reality, no corrupt person can be completely trusted—nobody knows what they themselves will do at any time. Just because someone has temporary success and does some practical work, that doesn’t mean they are completely trustworthy. People have corrupt dispositions, so they may act willfully and violate principles in their duty, they may slack off and be perfunctory, and cause damage to the work. What’s more, I’d only known Lily for a short time and didn’t truly understand her, yet I’d put so much trust in her, thinking she was good at everything and didn’t need to be supervised to work well. How arrogant and blind I was! It never occurred to me that Lily was so selfish. She was a team leader, but she only cared about converting more people herself, and disregarded her team’s work. When the others had problems in their work, she didn’t fellowship to resolve them. She didn’t do any of the work required of a team leader. I’d always thought she was a talented worker with good caliber, able to do practical work, so I held her in high esteem. It was only then that I realized that wasn’t true. Lily was selfish by nature, she only cared about her own work, and didn’t protect the overall interests of the church. She was only suited to spreading the gospel on her own, not to being a team leader. Because I blindly trusted Lily, I didn’t check on her work, and didn’t catch the deviations and oversights in it promptly. As a result, the gospel work was held up. As a supervisor, this was inexcusable. The more I reflected, the more guilty I felt, so I prayed to God, wanting to really reflect and change my incorrect state and views.

Later, I saw this passage of God’s words. “It’s safe to say most people consider the phrase ‘Do not doubt the people you employ, and do not employ the people you doubt’ as the truth, and they are deceived and bound by it. They are disturbed and influenced by it when selecting or appointing people, and even let it dictate their actions. As a result, many leaders and workers always have difficulties and misgivings whenever they check up on church work and promote and appoint people. Ultimately, all they can do is comfort themselves with the words ‘Do not doubt the people you employ, and do not employ the people you doubt.’ Whenever they inspect or inquire about the work, they think, ‘“Do not doubt the people you employ, and do not employ the people you doubt.” I should trust my brothers and sisters, and after all, the Holy Spirit observes people, so I shouldn’t always doubt and monitor others.’ They have been influenced by this phrase, haven’t they? What are the consequences brought about by the influence of this phrase? First of all, what you are loyal to is not God’s word, not God’s commission for you, and not God, it is satanic philosophy for living and satanic logic. You believe in God while blatantly betraying God and God’s word. This is a serious problem, isn’t it? Second, this is not merely a failure to keep to God’s word and your duties, this is taking Satan’s schemes and philosophy for living as if they were the truth, and following and practicing them. You are obeying Satan and living by a satanic philosophy, aren’t you? Doing this means you are not a person who obeys God, much less a person who abides by God’s words. You are a scoundrel. Putting God’s words aside, and instead taking a satanic phrase and practicing it as the truth, is betraying the truth and God! You work in God’s house, yet act by the satanic logic and philosophy for living, what kind of person are you? This is someone who rebels against God and someone who gravely shames God. What is the essence of this act? Openly condemning God and openly denying the truth. Isn’t that the essence of it? In addition to not following God’s will, you are allowing Satan’s fallacies and satanic philosophies for living to run rampant in the church. In doing this, you become Satan’s accomplice and aid Satan’s actions in the church. The essence of this problem is serious, isn’t it?” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Excursus One). Through God’s words, I realized the phrase “Do not doubt the people you employ” is not positive or the truth. It’s Satan’s philosophy. The reason I’d trusted Lily and hadn’t supervised her work was mainly because I lived by this philosophy and put too much trust in her. Even when I wanted to check on her, I’d worry that if I was too thorough, she’d think I didn’t trust her. After all, she had been doing this duty for a long time and had lots of experience, she was better than me in many ways and her results were satisfactory. What major issues could a person like her possibly have? I thought I didn’t need to look into trifling little matters, that if I assigned her work, I should trust her, that there wouldn’t be any issues. Because I was dominated by that satanic philosophy for living, I never supervised or looked into her work. Even when people reported issues with her, I didn’t believe them or investigate it further. As a result, the gospel work suffered, the harm I’d done was irreparable. In fact, God demands that leaders and workers supervise and follow up on work so that we can catch and resolve problems and deviations quickly. This is beneficial both to people’s duties and the church’s work. But, instead, I lived by the satanic philosophy of “Do not doubt the people you employ” and didn’t supervise or check on people after assigning them work, let alone guide or assist them. I was being perfunctory in my duty and not doing practical work—this was the behavior of a false leader. I kept a team leader who didn’t do practical work on staff, this not only didn’t help the church’s work, it actually severely disrupted it. I was doing evil! Only then did I see that this satanic view of “Do not doubt the people you employ” was extremely harmful. If we always live by that idea, we’re liable to delay the church’s work. The more I reflected, the more remorseful I felt, so I prayed to God: “I don’t want to treat people and my duty according to Satan’s philosophy anymore. I’m ready to strive to fulfill my duty according to God’s demands. I don’t want to do anything else I’ll regret.”

Later, I read this passage of God’s words and found a path of practice. Almighty God says, “Do you believe the phrase ‘Do not doubt the people you employ, and do not employ the people you doubt’ is correct? Is this phrase the truth? Why would someone use this phrase in the work of God’s house and in fulfilling their duty? What is the problem here? These are clearly the words of the unbelievers, words that come from Satan—so why do they treat them as the truth? Why can’t they tell if they’re right or wrong? These are patently the words of man, the words of corrupt humankind, they are simply not the truth, they are utterly at odds with the words of God, and should not serve as the criterion for people’s actions, conduct, and worship of God. So how should this phrase be approached? If you are truly capable of differentiation, what kind of criterion should you use in its place to serve as your principle for practice? The criterion should be to ‘perform your duty with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ To act with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind is to be restrained by no one; it is to be of a single heart and mind, and no more. This is your responsibility and your duty, and you should perform it well, as is ordained by Heaven and acknowledged by earth. Whatever problems you encounter, you should act according to the principles. Handle them however you ought to; if pruning and dealing are called for, so be it, and if dismissal is called for, so be it. Act based on God’s words and on the truth. Isn’t this the principle? Is this not the exact opposite of the phrase ‘Do not doubt the people you employ, and do not employ the people you doubt’? What does it mean to not doubt the people you employ, and not employ the people you doubt? It means that if you have employed a person, you should not doubt them. If you have employed a person, you should let go of the reins, not supervise them, and let them do as they please; and if you doubt them, then you should not employ them. Is this not what it means? This is terribly wrong. Humankind has been deeply corrupted by Satan. Every person has a satanic disposition, and is capable of rebelling against God and resisting God. You could say that no one is reliable. Even if a person swears to the end of the earth, it is of no use because people are constricted by their corrupted dispositions and cannot control their actions. They must accept God’s judgment and chastisement before they can resolve the problem of their corrupt disposition, and thoroughly resolve the problem of them resisting and betraying God—resolve the root of people’s sins. All those who have not gone through God’s judgment and purification and achieved salvation are not reliable. They are not worthy of trust. Therefore, when you employ someone, you must supervise, direct, prune and deal with them, and frequently fellowship on the truth. Only in this way will you be able to see clearly whether they can continue to be employed. If there are some people who can accept the truth, accept being pruned and dealt with, are able to perform their duty loyally, and who have continual progress in their life, then only these people are truly employable” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Excursus One). Through reading God’s words, I found a path of practice. God asks that we put our whole hearts into our duties. For all the work under my supervision, no matter if I’m familiar with a person or not, or what I think of them, I should still carry out my duty based on the principles God laid out for leaders and workers, and do everything that’s expected of me, supervising everyone’s work, thoroughly understanding it, finding issues and resolving them promptly, and dealing with and pruning those with serious problems. Those are the principles of my duty and the only way for me to do my duty well. After realizing this, I felt a lot clearer and had a path forward in my duty.

After that, the church assigned Lily to water newcomers, and she was happy to do so. I thought to myself: “She can probably learn from her dismissal and do her duty well this time.” But not long after, many of the newcomers she watered weren’t gathering normally. This seemed odd to me, so I asked her for more details about why this was happening. To my surprise, she just made excuses about not having time to follow up on them. I was really upset when I heard this. I thought that after being dismissed, she would reflect on herself and do some practical work, but it turned out that I was wrong. I knew I couldn’t keep viewing people based on my own notions. As a supervisor, I had to oversee, check and direct the work, and fulfill my responsibilities. At that time, I thought of God’s words: “To act with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind is to be restrained by no one; it is to be of a single heart and mind, and no more. This is your responsibility and your duty, and you should perform it well, as is ordained by Heaven and acknowledged by earth. Whatever problems you encounter, you should act according to the principles. Handle them however you ought to; if pruning and dealing are called for, so be it, and if dismissal is called for, so be it. Act based on God’s words and on the truth” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Excursus One). That’s right. I had to do my duty in accord with God’s words and demands. After that, I pointed out and exposed all of Lily’s problems to her and fellowshiped with her, dissecting her careless attitude in her duty and its dangerous consequences. Only then did Lily finally realize her problems. Later, I periodically inquired into and checked Lily’s work and if I noticed a problem, I’d fellowship with her to rectify it. After that, Lily got much better results watering newcomers. I was so excited to see this and really got a sense of how viewing things and acting according to God’s words yields the best results in my duty. I also felt much more at ease and peaceful.