Outline
Ⅴ
The following words of the apostle Paul also show the incorporation of the apostolic ministry with Christ's heavenly ministry to take care of God's flock:
A
In Acts 20:28 Paul told the elders in Ephesus, "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers to shepherd the church of God, which He obtained [or purchased] through His own blood."
B
Paul said, "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock" (v. 29); the apostle did not care for his own life (v. 24), but he was very concerned for the future of the church, which was a treasure to him and to God.
C
Paul says in Hebrews 13:20, "God…brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, in the blood of an eternal covenant":
１
The eternal covenant is the covenant of the new testament to gain a flock, which is the church issuing in the Body and consummating the New Jerusalem; the eternal covenant of God is to consummate the New Jerusalem by the shepherding.
２
God raised up our Lord from the dead to be the great Shepherd to consummate the New Jerusalem according to God's eternal covenant.
Ⅵ
The main purpose and goal of the apostolic ministry incorporated with Christ's heavenly ministry are to build up the Body of Christ, which will consummate the New Jerusalem for the accomplishment of the eternal economy of God—cf. Eph. 3:2, 8-9; 1 Pet. 5:10.
Ⅶ
The matter of shepherding God's flock for the main purpose and ultimate consummation of the eternal economy of God is even referred to in Song of Songs:
A
"Tell me, you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock [for satisfaction]? / Where do you make it lie down at noon [for rest]?"—1:7a.
B
"Go forth on the footsteps of the flock, / And pasture your young goats / By the shepherds' tents"—v. 8b.
C
"My beloved is mine, and I am his; / He pastures his flock among the lilies [the seekers of Christ who live a life of trusting in God with a single heart]"—2:16.
D
"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; / He pastures his flock among the lilies"—6:3.
Ⅷ
To shepherd the believers is very crucial for their growth in life; we must take the shepherding way to preach the gospel and revive the church:
A
We should pray, "Lord, I want to be revived; from today I want to be a shepherd; I want to go to feed people, to shepherd people, and to flock people together."
B
In John 10 and 21 the Lord used three words concerning shepherding: feed, shepherd, and flock (10:16; 21:15-16); we can also use the word flock as a verb.
C
All the churches have to learn how to flock together so that they can be blent together; the elders and co-workers should take the lead to practice this.
Morning Nourishment
Acts 20:28 Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers to shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood.Heb. 13:20 Now the God of peace, He who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, in the blood of an eternal covenant.
The…words of the apostle Paul [in Acts 20:28] confirm [that shepherding is the incorporation of the apostolic ministry with Christ’s heavenly ministry to take care of God’s flock].
Although Paul was on an urgent trip back to Jerusalem, while he was journeying, he sent word for the elders in Ephesus to come to him. Then he gave them a long word recorded in Acts 20…The flock is the church [cf. vv. 28-29]. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” p. 447)
Today’s Reading
God raised up our Lord from the dead to be the great Shepherd to consummate the New Jerusalem according to God’s eternal covenant [cf. Heb. 13:20] .This matter of shepherding God’s flock for the main purpose and ultimate consummation of the eternal economy of God is referred to even in Song of Songs. In this book Christ shepherds His seeker and pursuer. In Song of Songs 1:7a the seeker says, “Tell me, you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock [for satisfaction]? / Where do you make it lie down at noon [for rest]?” The Shepherd responds to the seeker by saying, “Go forth on the footsteps of the flock, / And pasture your young goats / By the shepherds’ tents” (v. 8b). Under the Lord as the Chief Shepherd there are many other shepherds. The many shepherds pasture their young by their tents, that is, where they live. The Lord is pasturing all His seekers as lilies, taking care of them, feeding them, and shepherding them that they may grow [cf. 2:16].
Shepherding works. We should not desire to be giant speakers to make a name for ourselves. People may be attracted to come to listen to us, but who will take care of them afterward? The way of having large gospel campaigns does not work. In some places this has been tested out. We may have big gospel meetings with many people, but eventually not many of them are added to the church. Also, we should not use famous or well-known people to testify in our meetings. This will not save people to be added to the church. Even if someone is the president of the country, he should be in the meeting just as anyone else. The way that can save people effectively must be by small vital groups, and everyone in this small vital group must be a shepherd. After a short time the church will be revived. No other way is more prevailing than this shepherding way.
I hope that we would pray, “Lord, I want to be revived. From today I want to be a shepherd. I want to go to feed people, to shepherd people, and to flock people together.” In John 10 and 21 the Lord used three words concerning shepherding: feed, shepherd, and flock. He said, “Feed My lambs,” and, “Shepherd My sheep” (21:15-16). He also said, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must lead them also, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd” (10:16). The other sheep are the Gentile believers who would be joined together with the Jewish believers to be one flock. The Lord used the word flock here as a noun. I also like to use it as a verb. We should learn to feed, to shepherd, and to flock together. All the churches have to learn how to flock together so that they can be blent together. In the atmosphere of flocking, people are subdued, convinced, nourished, and stirred up by the Lord. All the nearby churches should be flocked together for the saints to be shepherded and stirred up. The elders and co-workers should take the lead to practice this. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” pp. 448-449, 451-452)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1980, vol. 2, “The Mending Ministry of John,” ch. 13