*I: We need to become shepherds by enjoying Christ’s shepherding for the fulfillment of God’s purpose

1. We need to enter into Christ’s wonderful shepherding in His heavenly ministry by enjoying and ministering Christ to shepherd the church of God as a slave of God for the fulfillment of the dream of God, the eternal purpose of God—Acts 20:19-20, 28, 31; Eph. 3:11:
1. God’s dream of His eternal purpose is to build up the house of God for His eternal expression—Gen. 28:12, 16-19; Matt. 16:18; John 14:23; 15:5; Rev. 21:3, 22:

God’s dream is the dream of His eternal purpose to have the reality of Bethel, the house of God, the mutual dwelling place of God and man; in this universe God is doing only one thing—He is building His eternal habitation for His eternal expression.

2. We need to experience and enjoy the shepherding of Christ as the great Shepherd—Mark 10:45; Luke 22:26-27; 12:37: (to flow in Christ)

Christ as the Slave-Savior did not come to be served, but to serve; as the great Shepherd of the sheep, He served us in the past, He still serves us in the present, and He is going to serve us in the future.

3. We can then become the channel for Christ to dispense Himself as life into others—John 21; 2 Cor. 3:6:(to flow out Christ)

As the life-giving Spirit, the Slave-Savior shepherds others through us by dispensing Himself as life into us so that we can become the channel for Him to dispense Himself as life into others.

4. Our service to the Lord in time is a preparation for our service to Him in the next age and in eternity:
1. Our usefulness before God is the result of our being mingled with Him; the measure of God in us is the measure of our usefulness before Him—Col. 2:19; Phil. 3:8-9.
2. God’s only goal in time is to dispense Himself into us day by day so that we may be fully mingled with Him; all our service is a matter of God coming into us and coming out of us—John 7:37-39; 2 Cor. 3:2-3, 6, 16-18.
5. We need to become the stewards of the grace of God to dispense Christ for the carrying out of His eternal purpose according to God’s new Testament economy—1 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 3:2; 1 Pet. 4:10:

Christ as the Steward in God’s house makes us the dispensing stewards of the mysteries of God and of the varied grace of God for the carrying out of His eternal economy, His household administration.

* II – V: How to shepherd

2. To shepherd the flock of God by being one with the Lord, watching over the souls of the saints—John 21:15-17; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:1-6; Heb. 13:17:

To shepherd the flock of God is to watch over the souls of the saints, being one with the Lord as the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls in His care for the welfare of their inner being and in His exercising His oversight over the condition of their real person:

1. We must enjoy the Lord every day as grace and truth—Eph. 3:2; 4:29; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 1:9:

For the sake of the flock, the elders must enjoy the Lord every day as grace and truth so that they may be dispensers of grace and truth.

2. We need to pay the price to buy the truth so that we can be constituted with Triune God—Matt. 25:3-4, 9; Prov. 23:23; Rev. 3:18:

The elders need to buy the oil every day, to pay the price to gain more of the Spirit, by buying the truth of God’s economy, buying gold refined by fire that they may be rich toward God, buying white garments that they may be clothed with Christ by living out Christ, and buying eyesalve as the anointing Spirit to heal their blindness.

3. We need to be faithful and prudent slaves to provide food on time, dispensing the full gospel of God’s economy (the gospel of kingdom) to men—Rom. 1:1; Matt. 24:45-47; 25:22-23:

The co-workers and elders need to be faithful and prudent slaves, taking care of the Lord’s possessions and investing their spiritual gift by giving the food of the word of God, the full gospel of God’s economy, to the sinners, the believers, and the churches.

Hymns: 910

Message 6: Entering into Christ’s Wonderful Shepherding in His Heavenly Ministry

to Shepherd the Church of God as a Slave of God for the Fulfillment of the Dream of God

2021 ITERO-F 6e

Burden

Application

Message 6 (Cont. 1)

3. Be clear about the Lord’s direction by prayer in everything — Do not lord it over God’s flock, but lead according to Lord Jesus’s direction—1 Pet. 5:3-4:

The elders should not lord it over God’s flock, which is God’s possession; the churches are God’s possession, allotted to the elders as their portion, entrusted to them by God for their care:

1. To lord it over others is to exercise lordship over those who are ruled; among the believers we are all brothers, and only Christ is our Lord, our Master, and the Lord of the harvest—Matt. 20:25, 23:8, 10; Luke 10:2.
2. The elders in the church can take the leadership (not the lordship) only by becoming patterns of the flock, taking the lead to serve and care for the church so that the believers may follow—1 Pet. 5:3; 1 Thes. 5:12-13; 1 Tim. 4:12; 5:17.
3. We should not make any decision for others by ourselves, but be clear about the Lord’s direction through prayer:

We should not tell the saints where to live, what to do, or where to go without directing them to pray so that we can honor Christ as the Head of the Body:

• Any decisions that you make by yourself for others are an insult to Christ as the Head of the Body; none of us should ever tell others where they should go; what an insult this is to the Lord!—Col. 2:19; Eph. 4:15-16.
• Concerning any move you make in the Lord’s recovery, you must go directly to the Lord Himself and pray; you must have the assurance that the Lord is sending you; everything must be brought into the presence of the Lord, and everyone should pray until he is clear about the Lord’s leadings—Mark 1:35-38; 2 Cor. 2:12-14.
• Our leadings from the Lord should correspond to the feeling of the Body—Acts 13:1-4a; 21:4, 11:

We also need to check whether the leading we have from the Lord corresponds to the feeling of the Body:

• If you move to a place without prayer and fellowship, you will be shaken when tests, afflictions, and persecutions come; if you pray and fellowship, you will have the assurance that the Lord sent you there, and you will never regret your move, no matter what the outward situation may be.
• We need to be careful about directing or controlling the young saints related to their marriages—Matt. 19:5-6:
• In the church life all we can do concerning the young people’s marriage is to minister life to them; we must help them to look to the Lord’s leading, to learn how to walk in the Spirit, and help them not to indulge in lust or to have their own taste or choice—Gen. 2:21-24; 24:64-67.
• To minister Christ as the sin-dealing life — We need to take care of the saints in everything and in every way for the dispensing of Christ into them:
• We need to contact people and minister Christ to meet the need of all kinds of people—Col. 1:28-29; John 12:1-11:

The elders must minister Christ to meet the need of all kinds of people, contacting and visiting them regularly and inviting them to their home for meals.

2. We must contact the saints and minister Christ to them as the sin-dealing life; the life of Christ is a life that deals with sin, a sin-dealing life—Lev. 10:17:
1. If we are going to minister Christ to a person who has been committing sins, we have to trust in the Lord that we may have the grace with the Spirit to soften his hardened heart—Rom. 2:4; Titus 3:3-4; cf. Heb. 3:13.
2. We do not need to mention his weakness, fault, or sin, because the life of Christ ministered into him will heal him, killing the germs, destroying the problems, and building up a permanent, lasting oneness of the Spirit.
3. We have to do our best to recover a fallen saint; even if it took eight months or a year to get one or two sinful saints recovered, this would be a great thing—Gal. 6:1-2; 1 John 5:16a.
4. This is to bear away the iniquity and solve the problems of the people of God; furthermore, this kind of ministry by the Spirit and in love will maintain the oneness of the Spirit in the church life—Col. 3:12-15.

2021 ITERO-F 6e

5. In their fellowship with one another, the elders need to be restricted in their speaking — Do not judge and criticize others, but only speak the word of grace which is good for building up—John 6:63; Acts 6:10
1. Those who cover others’ sins, defects, and shortcomings enjoy, gain, and receive blessing, but uncovering brings in a curse—Prov. 10:12; James 5:19-20; Gen. 9:21-27.
2. The elders need to realize that in their shepherding, they have to cover others’ sins, not to take account of others’ evils—1 Cor. 13:5-7.
3. For love covers all things, not only the good things but also the bad things; whoever uncovers the defects, shortcomings, and sins of the members of the church is disqualified from the eldership—cf. Matt. 24:49.
4. We should not speak reviling words but withstand reviling words—1 Cor. 6:10; cf. Num. 6:6; Lev. 5:3:

The elders should not speak reviling words (to revile is to rebuke or criticize harshly or abusively; to assail with abusive language); those who take in reviling words bear the same responsibility as those who speak reviling words; in order for the church to maintain the oneness, the brothers and sisters must withstand reviling words.

5. The consciousness of sin comes from knowing God; in the same way, the consciousness of reviling words comes from the knowledge of the Body; reviling words are opposed to the testimony of the Body—1 Cor. 1:10.
6. Do not judge and criticize others, only speak the word of grace which is good for building up—Eph. 4:29-32:

God will never entrust authority to those who by nature like to criticize others; the elders, on the one hand, should have a clear sight over the people with much discernment, and on the other hand, they should be blind spiritually.

* VI – VII: The goal is to produce the overcomers to bring in the kingdom of God

6. To cooperate with Christ’s heavenly ministry and shepherd the churches of God in love to produce the overcomers which is the bride of Christ—Rev. 1:13; 2:7; John 10:11, 14; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4; Heb. 13:20:

The organic maintenance of the golden lampstand is Christ’s heavenly ministry to cherish the churches in His humanity and nourish the churches in His divinity to produce the overcomers through His organic shepherding

7. To bring in the kingdom of God by living out and working out the New Jerusalem for the accomplishment of the eternal economy of God—Rev. 7:13-17:

The goal of Christ’s wonderful shepherding in His heavenly ministry is to build up the New Jerusalem for the accomplishment of the eternal economy of God; for eternity we will enjoy the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shepherding us and continually guiding us to springs of waters of life.

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The Goal

Message 6 (Cont. 2)

*I: We need to become shepherds by enjoying Christ’s shepherding for the fulfillment of God’s purpose

1. We need to enter into Christ’s wonderful shepherding in His heavenly ministry by enjoying and ministering Christ to shepherd the church of God as a slave of God for the fulfillment of the dream of God, the eternal purpose of God
1. God’s dream of His eternal purpose is to build up the house of God for His eternal expression.
2. We need to experience and enjoy the shepherding of Christ as the great Shepherd; we can then become the channel to dispense Himself as life into others.
3. Our service to the Lord in time is a preparation for our service to Him in the next age and in eternity; We need to become the stewards of the grace of God to dispense Christ for the carrying out of His eternal purpose according to God’s new Testament economy.
1. Our usefulness before God is the result of our being mingled with Him; the measure of God in us is the measure of our usefulness before Him.

[Mark 10:45] For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

[2 Cor. 3:3 ]…you are being manifested that you are a letter of Christ ministered by us…inscribed…with the Spirit of the living God… in tablets of hearts of flesh.

* II – V: How to shepherd

2. To shepherd the flock of God by being one with the Lord, watching over the souls of the saints

[Heb. 13:17] Obey the ones leading you and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who will render an account, …

[1 Pet. 2:25] For you were like sheep being led astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

• We must enjoy the Lord every day as grace and truth; we need to pay the price to buy the truth so that we can be constituted with Triune God.
• We need to be faithful and prudent slaves to provide food on time, dispensing the full gospel of God’s economy (the gospel of kingdom) to men.

[Prov. 23:23] Buy truth, and do not sell it…

[Matt. 24:45] Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time?

3. Be clear about the Lord’s direction by prayer in everything — Do not lord it over God’s flock, but lead according to Lord Jesus’s direction
1. Among the believers we are all brothers, and only Christ is our Lord; the elders can take the leadership (not the lordship) only by becoming patterns of the flock, taking the lead to serve and care for the church.
2. We should not make any decision for others by ourselves, but be clear about the Lord’s direction through prayer; Our leadings from the Lord should correspond to the feeling of the Body.

[1 Pet. 5:2-3] Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion but willingly, according to God; not by seeking gain through base means but eagerly. nor as lording it over your allotments but by becoming patterns of the flock.

4. To minister Christ as the sin-dealing life — We need to take care of the saints in everything and in every way for the dispensing of Christ into them
1. We need to contact people and minister Christ to meet the need of all kinds of people.
2. We must contact the saints and minister Christ to them as the sin-dealing life; the life of Christ is a life that deals with sin, a sin-dealing life.

[Heb. 3:13] But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called "today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

5. We need to be restricted in our speaking — Do not judge and criticize others, but only speak the word of grace which is good for building up
1. Those who cover others’ sins receive blessing, but uncovering brings in a curse; for love covers all things.
2. We should not speak reviling words but withstand reviling words; the consciousness of reviling words comes from the knowledge of the Body.
3. Do not judge and criticize others, only speak the word of grace which is good for building up. [Eph. 4:29] Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for building up, according to the need, that it may give grace to those who hear.

* VI – VII: The goal is to produce the overcomers to bring in the kingdom of God

6. To cooperate with Christ’s heavenly ministry and shepherd the churches of God in love to produce the overcomers which is the bride of Christ
7. To bring in the kingdom of God by living out and working out the New Jerusalem for the accomplishment of the eternal economy of God

[1 Pet. 5:4] And when the Chief Shepherd is manifested, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

[Rev. 7:17] For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and guide them to springs of waters of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Bird’s-eye View for Prophesying, a Sample

Message 6: Entering into Christ’s Wonderful Shepherding in His Heavenly Ministry

to Shepherd the Church of God as a Slave of God for the Fulfillment of the Dream of God

2021 ITERO-F 6e Musing Abstract

Burden

Application

The Goal

Message 6: Appendix

Do not touch the matters of marriage, money, and business without caution.

We should help the saints in a very profitable way, but with certain practical limitations.

The entire human society is thoroughly sick. There are germs everywhere. If we are careless and do not stand strictly in the truth, in life, and in love, it will be hard for us not to be contaminated. This is why we should pray much and always be careful and trembling in contacting the brothers and in helping them. Always learn to be fearful and trembling and to do things in truth, in life, and in love. Then you will be protected.

All of us love the Lord, love His recovery, love the church life, and love all the saints, but do not think that merely to have a loving heart is sufficient. We must stick ourselves to truth, keep ourselves in love, and always help others in life. This is safe.

<Excerpts from “Elders' Training, Book 04”, Other Crucial Matters Concerning the Practice of the Lord's Recovery,

Chapter 9, “Practical Points for the Elders – Reproving a Sinning Elder”>

In the Lord’s recovery every brother and sister must bear the burden to take care of others, especially the young ones and the new ones. After the meeting, many are accustomed to visit only with certain ones. Instead of doing this, they should take this opportunity to contact the new ones, the young ones, and even some backsliding ones for whom they have been praying. If we all did this, all the young ones and weak ones would be taken care of. Although you may be very busy, you can still take care of someone if you have the heart to do so and are willing to exercise your talent. By spending even ten minutes with someone, we can render him a great deal of edification. After someone has been built up in this way, he will feel warmed and know that he has been cared for. Then he will desire to receive more help. If we all practice this, no one will be neglected. There will be no need for the elders to do everything, for everyone will be functioning to take care of others.

Many, however, consider that functioning is just a matter of speaking in the meetings. But the proper function of the members is to minister the life supply to others by taking care of them.

Do not think that you are so weak. Perhaps you are weak; however, others are even weaker, and they need you. Even if you feel that you are the weakest one, there are some who are almost dead, and they need your help. The best way to use your talent is to take care of others, to become interested in others and concerned for them.

If we are all faithful to practice this, the Lord’s recovery will truly multiply.

<Excerpts from “Life-study of Matthew’’, Chapter 66, “The Purpose of Prayer”>

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