Relevant Bible Verses:
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven” (Luk 6:37).
“And why behold you the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?” (Mat 7:3).
“Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus said to him, I say not to you, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Mat 18:21-22).
“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another” (Jhn 13:35).
Relevant Words of God:
Regardless of whether one becomes angry in the sight of others or behind their backs, everyone has a different intention and purpose. Perhaps they are building up their prestige, or maybe they are defending their own interests, maintaining their image or keeping face. Some exercise restraint in their anger, while others are more rash and flare up with rage whenever they wish without the least bit of restraint. In short, man’s anger derives from his corrupt disposition. No matter what its purpose, it is of the flesh and of nature; it has nothing to do with justice or injustice because nothing in man’s nature and substance corresponds to the truth.
Once a man has status, he will often find it difficult to control his mood, and so he will enjoy seizing upon instances to express his dissatisfaction and vent his emotions; he will often flare up into rage for no apparent reason, so as to reveal his ability and let others know that his status and identity are different from those of ordinary people. Of course, corrupt people without any status will also frequently lose control. Their anger is frequently caused by damage to their individual benefits. In order to protect their own status and dignity, corrupt mankind will frequently vent their emotions and reveal their arrogant nature. Man will flare up in anger and vent his emotions in order to defend the existence of sin, and these actions are the ways with which man expresses his dissatisfaction. These actions brim with defilement; they brim with schemes and intrigues; they brim with man’s corruption and evil; more than that, they brim with man’s wild ambitions and desires. When justice contests wickedness, man will not flare up into anger to defend the existence of justice; contrarily, when the forces of justice are threatened, persecuted and attacked, man’s attitude is one of overlooking, evading or flinching. However, when facing the forces of evil, man’s attitude is one of catering, and of bowing and scraping. Therefore, man’s venting is an escape for evil forces, an expression of the rampant and unstoppable evil conduct of the fleshly man.
If you want to have a proper relationship with God, your heart must turn to God, and on this foundation, you will also have a proper relationship with other people. If you don’t have a proper relationship with God, no matter what you do to maintain your relationships with other people, no matter how hard you work or how much energy you exert, it will still belong to a human philosophy of life. You are maintaining your position among people through a human perspective and a human philosophy so that they will praise you. You do not establish proper relationships with people according to the word of God. If you don’t focus on your relationships with people but maintain a proper relationship with God, if you are willing to give your heart to God and learn to obey Him, very naturally, your relationships with all people will become proper. This way, these relationships aren’t established on the flesh, but on the foundation of God’s love. There are almost no interactions based on the flesh, but in the spirit there is fellowship as well as love, comfort, and provision for one another. This is all done on the foundation of a heart that satisfies God. These relationships aren’t maintained by relying on a human philosophy of life, but they are formed very naturally through the burden for God. They don’t require human effort—they are practiced through the principles of the word of God.
Excerpted from “Establishing a Proper Relationship With God Is Very Important” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
In the dispositions of normal people there is no crookedness or deceitfulness, people have a normal relationship with each other, they do not stand alone, and their lives are neither mediocre nor decadent. So, too, is God exalted among all, His words permeate among man, people live in peace with one another and under the care and protection of God, the earth is filled with harmony, without the interference of Satan, and the glory of God holds the utmost importance among man. Such people are like angels: pure, vibrant, never complaining about God, and devoting all their efforts solely to God’s glory on earth.
Excerpted from “Chapter 16” of Interpretations of the Mysteries of God’s Words to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
God asks that people live out normal humanity in real life, not just in church life; that they live out the truth in real life, not just in church life; that they fulfill their functions in real life, not just in church life. To enter into reality, one must turn everything toward real life. If believers in God cannot enter into real life and know themselves or live out normal humanity in real life, they will become failures. Those who disobey God are all people who cannot enter into real life. They are all people who speak of humanity but live out the nature of demons. They are all people who speak of the truth but live out doctrines instead. Those who cannot live out the truth in real life are those who believe in God but are detested and rejected by Him. You have to practice your entry in real life, know your own deficiencies, disobedience and ignorance, and know your abnormal humanity and weaknesses. That way, all your knowledge will be integrated into your actual situation and difficulties. Only this kind of knowledge is real and can allow you to truly grasp your own condition and achieve your dispositional transformation.
Excerpted from “Discussing Church Life and Real Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Sermon and Fellowship Excerpts for Reference:
After their life disposition changes, people can become kind, treat everyone with fairness, and be especially gracious toward those who are particularly good. First, they won’t cheat you. Secondly, they won’t try to trap you. Thirdly, they surely won’t intend to hurt you. You never have to worry about these things. Further, if you hurt them in some ways, they will forgive you and won’t remember your transgressions. They will tolerate you, forbear you, be patient with you, and still treat you with love. Wouldn’t it be much safer if you met someone like this? A person whose life disposition has changed has a kind heart and has love for every person and is willing to help them. Even if you hurt them or do wrong to them, they can forbear, be patient with, and forgive you. Such is a person with normal humanity and the likeness of a real person. Someone in the likeness of a real person treats people with conscience, sense, and through the truth. They obey God, have a loving heart, and carry out true worship. That’s a person whose life disposition has changed. People nowadays have too many malevolent ingredients in them, so how do they act? If they see anyone they dislike they will judge and belittle them. Isn’t that malicious? Also, if they see anyone who reveals some corruption, they won’t treat them like human beings, and will instead treat them as demons. Not treating people correctly—isn’t that malicious? If someone does wrong to them or says some things they shouldn’t have said, such as words that judge them or doubt them, or offend them, they will be unforgiving, they will want revenge and to go tit for tat. Isn’t that vicious? On top of that, they always try to take advantage of people, order them around and get others to do things for them, but they never help anyone else. Isn’t that nasty? All of these are malignant expressions. Kind people don’t have evil in their hearts. If you owe them, they won’t mind, but they won’t owe you anything because for them that’s definitely unacceptable. Plus, it’s not a problem if you offend them, but they would never want to offend you, let alone harm you. Isn’t that kind-hearted? When anyone does something unfavorable toward them, they can also put themselves in that person’s shoes and be considerate toward them, can forgive them, and understand them. This is also the expression of a kind heart. Some people committed a lot of evil in the past, but they now have faith in God and can pursue the truth, and further they can forgive others and treat them correctly and fairly. This type of person is classified as a kind-hearted person. Kind-hearted people have forbearance, mercy, forgiveness, and endurance in their hearts, and even more so they have love and sympathy. That is why everyone loves to be in contact with someone like this and is willing to make such a friend.
Excerpted from “The Truth One Must Enter Into to Achieve Dispositional Change and Expressions of Dispositional Change” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life IV
Right now, for example, you set yourself against a brother or sister. You become irrational when that person is mentioned. You lose your temper and you start to hate them. In this situation, is it easy to put the truth into practice? Is it easy to forgive them from your heart? What should you do? You pray to God. You pray to God continuously. You say, “I am willing to put the truth into practice. I am willing to forgive this person. Why am I unable to forgive this person? There are things in which this person is better than me. Why do I look down upon them? What am I? I am not necessarily a good person. Perhaps I am worse than them. …” After you finish praying two or three times, you see that you are worse than that person and that you should hate yourself and not hate that person. Doesn’t this indicate that you have changed for the better? Once you hate yourself, you will be unable to hate that person, your hate for that person will diminish. At that point, seeking to forgive that person will be easy. This is how you should pray in this situation. Are you able to rely on prayer to resolve your problems? God is able to give you strength, enlighten you, and allow you to appropriately deal with other people. He can set your heart free so that you can do things rationally.
Excerpted from “Compulsory Conditions for Entering onto the Right Track of Believing in God” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life V
There are a few things within a normal humanity that one must have. Among them is being wise to interact with others. Do not be too direct with matters that have the potential to harm others. If there are some matters in which someone cannot accept dealing and pruning, do not deal with and prune them. Be wise and flexible. Let others accept, change and improve. This is how things should be done. Additionally, when we interact with our brothers and sisters, what else must we possess? We must possess an honest heart. We must be sincere and honest with one another. Do not tell lies. Do not peddle falsities and do not put on disguises. Say the truth. Say the truth even if it seems like it will hurt your brothers and sisters. Actually, your brothers and sisters will understand since you are speaking the truth and you are a simple and open person. In other words, you must be sincere to your brothers and sisters. Besides, one must be principled when it comes to interacting with others. What principle is this? There are many details when it comes to this principle. If the other party causes us to commit sins, this is not good. If the other party causes us to do something that is harmful to the benefit of God’s family, this is not good. Also, if the other party says something that is not in accordance with the truth, we must not accept it. However, we must not also directly come into conflict with them. Be wise when dealing with this situation. One other is when brothers or sisters truly commit an offense against us, we must be able to forgive and be tolerant. We must treat them as our brothers and sisters. We must treat them with a loving heart. Do not treat them as your enemies. What should you do if you are unable to keep your temper in check and you feel like your fleshly nature is about to break out? Pray earnestly. Pray immediately. … In summary, to have a normal humanity, one must possess these five aspects: tolerance, patience, wisdom, honesty and being principled.
Excerpted from “How to Establish Normal Interpersonal Relationships” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life I
No comments:
Post a Comment