Ⅲ
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 Pet. 5:3-4:
A
To lord it over others is to exercise lordship over those who are ruled (Matt. 20:25); among the believers we are all brothers, and only Christ is our Lord, our Master, and the Lord of the harvest (23:8, 10; Luke 10:2).
B
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.
C
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:
１
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.
２
If you have told others where to move, you must repent and ask them to forgive you because you gave them instructions about what they should do; to do this is to usurp the position of the Lord and to make yourself the Lord.
３
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.
D
We also need to check whether the leading we have from the Lord corresponds to the feeling of the Body—Acts 13:1-4a; 21:4, 11:
１
If the leading ones, after much prayer, are truly burdened about a certain matter, through fellowship they should pass on their burden to the saints and ask the saints to pray; eventually, the saints will receive a personal leading from the Lord, and they may move accordingly.
２
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.
Morning Nourishment
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.Any decisions that you make by yourself for others are an insult to the Spirit. If you have done this, you must repent and, if necessary, ask the others to forgive you because you gave them instructions about what they should do. None of us should ever tell others where they should go. What an insult this is to the Lord! Who are you? Who authorized you to make suggestions to others? You need to help the others to contact the Lord. Young brothers and sisters, you need to pray. Yes, we are burdened and led of the Lord to work on the campuses. But the young people must bring this matter to the Lord, pray, and offer themselves to the Lord once again, saying, “Lord, I want to go on with You. Lord, where do You want me to go?” Everyone must pray until he is clear about the Lord’s leading. Do not expect others to instruct you where you should go. That is organization, religion. Every one of us, from the leaders to the least among us, must be brought into the presence of the Lord to contact Him. Yes, the Lord is moving to the campuses, but perhaps in His sovereignty He will not allow you to go. He may lead hundreds of others to go, but He may tell you to stay where you are. This will be a proof that what is taking place among us is not a movement but absolutely a matter of the Lord’s leading. (CWWL, 1977, vol. 2, “The Spirit and the Body,” pp. 285-286)
Today’s Reading
We all must go into the presence of the Lord and pray for some time….We are not in any kind of movement. Everything must be brought into the presence of the Lord. I cannot go to the Lord for you; you must go to the Lord yourself. We all must learn this lesson that no one can go to the Lord for someone else. That is the clergy-laity hierarchy.Do not say, as if it were a mere slogan, “I am following the flow.” The real flow is the Lord Himself. How wrong it is to stir up a movement! That is an insult to the Lord. It is an offense to Him. There must never be a movement among us in the Lord’s recovery….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….We all must be clear concerning the Lord’s leading to this extent. None of us should give any instructions to others or make decisions for others. Do not take orders from anyone, and do not give orders to anyone. Go to the Lord and pray. This is the proper way.
Suppose the leading ones, after much prayer, are truly burdened about a certain matter. What they should do then is through fellowship pass on their burden to the saints and ask the saints to pray. Eventually, the saints will receive a personal leading from the Lord, and they may move accordingly. In this way no one will be individualistic or rebellious. This is why we have the Body. We have both the Spirit on the one hand and the Body on the other hand. The Spirit and the Body keep us in balance. You need to check whether or not the leading you have from the Lord corresponds to the feeling of the Body. We need to be balanced.
When some hear about being balanced by the Body, they may think that this matter of balance will produce the same result as if the leading ones made the decision and told them where to go. It is possible that the outward result may be the same, but the inward nature is absolutely different.
If you pray and fellowship, you honor the Lord, and you will also have the assurance that it is the Lord who is leading you. Then after you move to a certain place, 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. (CWWL, 1977, vol. 2, “The Spirit and the Body,” pp. 286-289)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1977, vol. 2, “The Spirit and the Body,” ch. 1