Once at a meeting, the leader asked me: “How often do you have a meeting with the brothers and sisters? And what subjects do you talk about?” I said: “I have a meeting with the brothers and sisters as often as you do with me. After you have a meeting with me, I immediately met with them and convey to them what you have fellowshipped with me.” Complacent, I thought that the leader would commend me for my work. Unexpectedly, she said: “Can you achieve results by having such a regulation-observing meeting? If you have a meeting but do not have a true burden and do not strive to achieve results and satisfy God, then you are doing something that has nothing to do with the truth.” At her words, I was very unconvinced in my heart: How can you say I’m doing something irrelevant to the truth when I’m having meetings with the brothers and sisters?

Seeing that I had no knowledge of what she said, the leader turned The Summary of Christ’s Preachings and Conversations to the man’s fellowship attached and read these words together with me: “Whatever one does, if he does it not for practicing the truth, he is doing something unrelated to the truth and is observing regulations. This also refers to the case that one does things outwardly. Take performing duty for example. If one always does it perfunctorily without any results, is he performing duty? Since he is deceiving God and does not perform his duty properly, isn’t he doing something irrelevant to the truth?” Against these words, I examined how I had the meetings with the brothers and sisters: Every time right after the leader had the meeting with me, I went to the church to have a meeting with the brothers and sisters. I just parroted the leader’s words; with the notebook in hand, I mechanically “conveyed” to them what I wrote down at the meeting. Sometimes my mouth went dry with talking; sometimes the brothers and sisters dozed off during my talking. After having a meeting with each small group, I became empty inside again and then waited for the leader to have the next meeting with me to supply me. I was never concerned with the problems and difficulties in the church and the states of the brothers and sisters. Nor had I ever sought how to fellowship about the truth in light of their states, how to lead them into the reality of God’s word, and what I should do to achieve results. I conveyed the leader’s fellowship like a mouthpiece, only paying attention to the outward practices. Having such regulation-observing meetings without seeking to achieve results, I was essentially working perfunctorily and deceiving and resisting God. So, am I not doing something with nothing to do with the truth?

Now, I have understood that having meetings is not necessarily doing something related to the truth. If I have a meeting without any aim and put stress only on its form but not on the result, then I am doing something with nothing to do with the truth, no matter how many such meetings I have and how well I do in this way. From now on, I will pursue transformation and never again do the work perfunctorily and go through the formality. I am willing to have a true burden for this commission. In doing everything, I will seek God’s intention, act in accordance with God’s requirements, and strive for results, so as to satisfy God’s heart’s desire.

Chen Jing

Heze City, Shandong Province