Shepherd Care with Godly Rule.
“He
shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm,
and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with
young." - Isaiah 40:11.
_______
In the service
of Lord of holding the office of a bishop requiring special fitness and
spiritual discernment in feeding & heading of the Lord’s flock.
In doing such service it draws
his servant close to his Master in a very peculiar manner, for His mystic
service in the heaven towards His people here on earth is that of the “Great
Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb.xiii.20). And to do such service that He appointed
Peter after His restoration on that day by the river side, when in the presence
of His fellow disciples the Lord thrice questioned him, “Lovest
thou me”? And commissioned him to feed
& shepherd His lambs and sheep (John.xxi.15-17).
To give them the food suited to
their requirement and need and lead them in the right godly paths, just because
they belong to Christ (Mar.ix.41) and are the objects of His love (John. xiii.
1). It is service of the highest kind and if rendered from love to Christ will
assuredly receive His reward (1Peter.v.4) in doing this service there is little
of present recompense.
In doing this service for the
Lord it requires:
Much
patient endurance.
Much
self-denial.
Great
forbearance.
Great
faithfulness.
For the sheep are willful and
often prone to wander and go astray, and need restoration as well as food and
healing as well as heading. And this means personal dealing calling for
spiritual discernment, firm yet tender leaving, restoration of soul as well as
return to the right path.
Nothing short of true love to
Christ, the meekness and gentleness of Christ, loyal subjections to His word
and devotion to the His service, will enable one to continue to serve the Lord
and His people in this shepherd work and so caring for the assemblies of God.
We
Need Such Shepherds, We Cannot Create Them or Appoint. Our
appeal must always to be to the living Lord, the glorified Head of the Church,
from Whom all the true gifts of evangelists, pastors
and teachers come (Eph.iv.11-12). If we are ready to receive and to own and
honor those whom He gives, and follow their head in godly ways, He will not
fail to give us what He sees in good for us. But if we refuse their ministry
and rebel against their guidance and blame them for taking too much upon them
as some did in the ancient days (Num.xvi.3), the Lord will show His displeasure
and may withhold the gifts we lightly esteem. For it is not as in churches of
men, where pastors and preachers have their emoluments and rewards here and
now. For not infrequently those who serve most devotedly, are either traduced
by the carnal or lightly esteemed by the office–seekers who seek nothing higher
than places or power in the sphere they fail.
I have often seen and wondered
why so little esteem is manifested toward those who labor among the saints
(1Thess.v.12-13) and why they are so seldom prayed for in the prayer meetings
of the assemblies. Evangelists get their full mete of honor and praise,
especially such as keep themselves and their work in evidence, and teachers who
can give brilliant and pleasing ministry are much sought after. But those who shepherd the sheep, going after those who
comfort the feeble are betimes called to rebuke and reprove the willful (2
Tim.iv.2) and to ‘warn the unruly’ (1 Thess.v.14) too often are blamed rather
than encouraged in their service, and depressed rather than comforted by it.
But the Lord knows and He will not forget anything done in and for His name.
It is of the greatest value to
have wise and godly men who have “understanding of the times” (1chron.xii.32)
able to give wise counsel in days of difficulty a clear lead in times of
perplexity and who are ready to face foe as David faced the lion and the bear,
who sought to destroy his father’s flock and efface themselves, to save the
sheep over whom they watch. And it is essential to the unity of the Assembly that those who guide and oversee
it, should be found of one mind, acting together, able to speak with “one
mouth” (Rom.xv.6) and so give clear and united lead in all that concerns the
fellowship of saints and the wellbeing of the assembly. In the case of a
difference of judgment arising regarding any path to be pursued or any form
humbly and prayerfully upon God seeking oneness of mind (Phil.iii.3,15) for any
length of time, rather that act hastily and give the enemy the opportunity he
seeks to bring in division and so mar the testimony of the Lord, alas! has so often happened through untempered zeal and
determination to have one’s own way.
The true safeguard against all
such ruptures which bring dishonor on the truth and often take a lifetime to
heal, is to exercise that “lowliness & meekness” so necessary for
maintaining "the unity of the Spirit" (Eph.iv.2,3) in the bond of
peace, the “readiness to yield”(Phil.iv.5) everything that only concerns our
own interests and in the wisdom that is first pure, then peaceful, gentle and easy
to be entreated, full of mercy, without wrangling (Jas.iii.17) to spread our
difficulties and differences before God and leave Him to be the arbitrator and
final appeal, in which He will undoubtedly appear, if our patience does not fail. A somewhat long
and varied experiences of difficulties to be met and divided counsels balanced
and squared before the Lord, convinces us very fully that there is no trial, no
testing in which God may not be called in and none too intricate for Him to
solve. If only in honesty of conviction and humility of mind we acknowledge Him
and leave it wholly to his judgment to direct our path (Prov.iii.5,6) -- sure
there would never be a division to mourn over, or a rash act of discipline to
retrace; but we always be willing to refer our case to God and leave it with
Him.
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