Question 5: Most people in our church cannot tell the difference between being discerning with people and judging people. I’d like to ask, with regard to dissecting and discerning the God-defying essence of the pastors and elders, and calling them the Pharisees of the present age, is this not judging people?
Bible Verses for Reference:
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing. Truly I say to you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mat 24:45-51).
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Mat 7:15).
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in (Mat 23:13).
Relevant Words of God:
The purpose of My work to conquer is not solely for the sake of conquest, but to conquer so as to reveal righteousness and unrighteousness, to obtain proof for the punishment of man, to condemn the wicked, and furthermore, I conquer to perfect those with a heart of obedience. In the end, all will be separated according to kind, and all those perfected have their thoughts filled with obedience. This is the final work done. Those filled with rebellion will be punished, sent to burn in the fires and forever be cursed. When that time comes, those former “great and indomitable heroes” will become the basest and most shunned “weak and useless cowards.” Only this can illustrate all the righteousness of God and that the disposition of God allows no offense.
from “The Truly Obedient Shall Surely Be Gained by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Believing in God and pursuing the knowledge of God is no simple matter. They cannot be achieved simply by gathering together and listening to preaching, and you cannot be perfected by passion alone. You must experience, and know, and be principled in your actions, and gain the work of the Holy Spirit. When you have undergone experiences, you will be able to differentiate many things—you will be able to distinguish between good and evil, between righteousness and wickedness, between what is of flesh and blood and what is of the truth. You should be able to distinguish between all these things, and in so doing, no matter the circumstances, you will never be lost. Only this is your real stature.
from “Only Those Who Know God and His Work Can Satisfy God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Those who only believe in Jesus Christ but do not believe in the incarnate God of today are all condemned. They are all contemporary Pharisees because they do not recognize the God of today, and they all resist God. No matter how devoted their belief in Jesus is, it will all be in vain; they will not receive God’s praise. All those who say that they believe in God yet have no true knowledge of God in their hearts are hypocrites!
from “Be Mindful of God’s Will to Attain Perfection” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Those who read the Bible in grand churches recite the Bible every day, yet not one understands the purpose of God’s work. Not one is able to know God; moreover, not one is in accord with the heart of God. They are all worthless, vile men, each standing on high to teach God. Though they brandish the name of God, they willfully oppose Him. Though they label themselves believers of God, they are ones who eat the flesh and drink the blood of man. All such men are devils who devour the soul of man, demons who purposefully disturb those who try to step onto the right path, and stumbling blocks that impede the path of those who seek God. Though they are of “robust flesh,” how are their followers to know that they are antichrists who lead man in opposition to God? How are they to know that they are living devils who specially seek souls to devour?
from “All Who Do Not Know God Are Those Who Oppose God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Such a person always retains hostility against the new work of God, shows no intent to submit, and has never gladly obeyed or humbled himself. He exalts himself before others and never submits to another. Before God, he considers himself the most proficient in preaching the word and most skillful in working on others. He never discards the treasures already in his possession, but treats them as family heirlooms to be worshiped, to be preached to others, and used to lecture those fools who adore him. … They think preaching the word (doctrine) to be their highest duty. One year after another and one generation after the other, they perform their holy and sacred duty. None dare touch them and none dare openly reproach them. They became “king” in the house of God, acting tyrannically through the ages. These demons seek to join hands and together destroy My work; how can I allow these living devils to exist before Me?
from “The Truly Obedient Shall Surely Be Gained by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Look at the leaders of every denomination and sect. They are all arrogant and self-right, and they interpret the Bible out of context and according to their own imagination. They all rely on gifts and erudition to do their work. If they were incapable of preaching anything, would those people follow them? They do, after all, possess some learning, and can speak a little of doctrine, or know how to win over others and how to use some artifices, through which they have brought people before themselves and have deceived them. Nominally, those people believe in God—but in reality they follow their leaders. If they encounter those who preach the true way, some of them would say, “We have to consult him about our belief in God.” See how they require someone’s consent to believe in God; is that not a problem? What have those leaders become, then? Have they not become Pharisees, false shepherds, antichrists, and stumbling blocks to people’s acceptance of the true way?
from “Only the Pursuit of the Truth Is the True Belief in God” in Records of Christ’s Talks
The Man’s Fellowship:
Using the truth to dissect someone’s state is in conformity with the reality of the truth, it is real. It is not exaggerated, it is not mistaken, it has no intention or purpose and it is not done to oppress anyone—it is using the truth to solve a problem. Judging someone carries one’s individual intentions, it is taking hold of a small fact and blowing it up out of all proportion, or else it carries the desire or inclination to attack someone. Judging someone harms them and causes them pain. When you judge someone, they find it hard to accept. Using the truth to dissect someone convinces them in heart and by word, and it allows them genuinely to know and to hate themselves. The consequence is different. Therefore, using the truth to dissect people and discern problems allows them to understand the truth, and through understanding the truth to recognize their own corruption and their own behavior, so that finally they can hate themselves, hate their corrupt flesh and hate their satanic natures; judgment is when someone else does something and the one judging them blindly comes to a conclusion about them, when in fact their nature is not as the person judging them says, and what they say does not conform with the essence of the matter; they exaggerate it a little, expand on it a little, blow it out of proportion and make far-fetched comparisons, or else they don’t look at the substance of that person’s nature, but look only at this one thing that person has done and they make a judgment, with the result that they put pressure on that person, and they cause them harm and pain. … Fellowshiping the truth and dissecting people, and judging people, are two entirely different things. There is no connection between them. The feelings and the consequences they bring are completely different, and this is how you tell them apart.
from “Questions & Answers” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (VII)
Why does God hate and curse the religion? How did the Lord Jesus say it? “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! … Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (See Matthew 23: 13-33). How many times were these words spoken in the Bible? At least five or six times. These words were continuously repeated. Why would the Lord Jesus need to say these words? Because these Pharisees were the enemy of the Lord Jesus, they continuously condemned the Lord Jesus, they incessantly disparaged and judged the Lord Jesus. … Then the Lord Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” Why did He say this so many times? It’s sufficient to show and to prove that the Lord Jesus hated these Pharisees. He hated these Pharisees, for they were His enemies. He hated them, for everyday they would judge and condemn Him. Isn’t that how it was? Now, for this matter, what purpose did the Lord Jesus have in mind when He condemned the Pharisees? First, to curse those who resisted Him; but second, what was the primary result He wanted to attain? Was it enough to simply curse them and call it quits? What was the ultimate goal? To make religious people discern the Pharisees, abandon them, and no longer follow them, “What you all believe in is the Lord, God, it is not the Pharisees, and it definitely is not the chief priests and scribes. You must distinguish yourselves clearly from them, do not worship them or superstitiously believe in them, do not ask for their opinions on everything. They are not your ancestors, and they certainly are not your Lord, so why do you always listen to them? If you believe in the Lord you ought to follow the Lord, listen to the word of the Lord and seek the truth!” Was this what was meant? So then was the Lord Jesus mistaken in cursing the Pharisees? Some people say: “We cannot judge people!” So was the Lord Jesus wrong in cursing the Pharisees? Could it be that because of this the Lord Jesus is not a loving and merciful Lord? We must distinguish these things.
from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life, B2 Volume 133
God of the last days has exposed all these facts, separating all those unbelievers, those antichrists, those hypocrites, according to their own kinds. The good servants, the evil servants; the true believers, the false believers; the wheat and the tares. They are all exposed, such that you may discern, such that you know how to handle them, such that you know what principles you should treat them with. This way, God’s great work has finally been completed. We say that some people are antichrists, are hypocrites, are unbelievers, how do those religious people view this? “These are your assertions. The Lord Jesus has said: ‘Judge not, that you be not judged’ (Matthew 7:1).” Is this correct? Some say that it’s not correct. Why is this not correct? God’s work of the last days is to place each according to kind, to expose people of all kinds, such that they shall be identified by men. If we have no discernment of other people, and we never read and ponder God’s words, simply believing in God based on our notions and imaginations, ultimately, which ones are able to enter the kingdom of heaven, which ones are unable to enter the kingdom of heaven, which ones shall be praised and blessed by God, which ones shall be left behind, how could such things be revealed? For all those who pay lip service in their belief of God to enter the kingdom of heaven, can such a thing be possible? Can God do such a thing? …
All of God’s words are to be understood by men. We see through the hypocritical substance of the Pharisees, and God says “Woe to the Pharisees,” and with that we say “Amen,” and we obey. Why do we say “Amen” and obey? Because we are now able to discern. Someone says, “Now tell me who are the Pharisees?” You say, “There are so many of them, those who are keen on talking about the literal doctrines of the Bible, those who are keen on discussing theological theories, those pastors and elders who do not experience and practice God’s words, those men are all Pharisees!” “You have finally understood God’s words this time, you are now able to discern according to God’s words. You have seen through the essence of the Pharisees according to God’s words. This is not an assertion; this is to look at men based on truths; this is to see through men in accordance with God’s words.” Such men not only have understood God, but they are also able to discern men, and they are also now able to see through the essence of things. Do such men possess the reality of truth? They do possess the reality of truth.
from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life, A5 Volume 133
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