Learning from Paul to Shepherd the Saints in Love in the Church as the Flock of God

We need to learn from Paul to shepherd the saints in love in the church as the flock of God.

We need to shepherd people according to the pattern of the apostle Paul, who shepherded the saints as a nursing mother and an exhorting father, taking love as the most excellent way to care for the saints and to be anything in the church life.

Thank the Lord that both the Lord Jesus and the apostle Paul were such a good pattern to us in the matter of shepherding.

The Lord Jesus is the good Shepherd, the great shepherd of the sheep, and the chief Shepherd; we need to cooperate with Him in His heavenly ministry of shepherding so that we may shepherd the saints in love.

In the book of Revelation in the first two chapters, we see the Lord Jesus walking among the churches, girded at the breast with a golden girdle, speaking to the churches as the golden lampstands.

He cares for them in love in His ascension, and in His shepherding, He cherishes them in His humanity and nourishes them in His divinity.

He is the walking Christ and the speaking Spirit. As He walks among the churches, He gets to know the condition of each church.

Then, according to what He sees, He speaks to us so that all the saints in the churches would hear His voice, listen to Him, and become His overcomers.

As He speaks to us, the saints in the churches are metabolically and organically transformed with the aim of becoming the Lord’s overcomers (Rev. 1:12-13; 2:1, 7).

The Lord as the Good Shepherd sees the situation in the churches and the situation of the saints, and He speaks to both expose the situation and to supply us with what we need for us to grow in life and be the overcomers He needs today.

As He speaks to us, we see our situation and condition, and we repent, confess, and come back to the Lord. He supplies us with what we need to overcome, and He Himself is the overcoming One in us.

Even more, He promises many things to those who overcome, and we become the things He promises us and enjoy these things as we cooperate with the Lord to overcome.

May we open to the Lord to enjoy His shepherding in His heavenly ministry so that we may be produced as the Lord’s overcomers, and may we cooperate with Him to shepherd the saints in love for them to be produced as the Lord’s overcomers.

Thank the Lord for His pattern of shepherding people in the gospels, and thank Him for coming to us as the Shepherd today to take care of us, cherish us and nourish us, and perfect us so that we may be produced as the Lord’s overcomers.

Amen, may we all cooperate with the Lord to be produced as overcomers and to shepherd others for them to be the Lord’s overcomers today, those who bring Him back!

The Pattern of Paul in Shepherding the Saints as a Nursing Mother and an Exhorting Father – Shepherding in Love

The book of Acts and the Epistles show us the pattern of the apostle Paul, who shepherded the saints as a nursing mother and an exhorting father in order to take care of God’s flock (1 Thes. 2:7-8, 11-12; 1 Tim. 1:16; Acts 20:28).

Paul was one of the foremost sinners, but the Lord met him, saved him, converted him, and made him a pattern to all the believers.

He was a pattern to us in the way he lived, worked, and shepherded the saints.

We need to shepherd people according to the pattern of the apostle Paul; he said that he was with the believers like a nursing mother and an exhorting father.

Paul was one of the greatest apostles, but he did not come to people as a great apostle but as a nursing mother and an exhorting father.

He didn’t come to them as a spiritual giant but rather, lowered himself, came to their level, cried with them, felt with them in their situation, and became what they were for the sake of gaining them for the Lord.

In Acts 20:20 we see that he shepherded the saints in Ephesus by teaching them publicly and from house to house.

Furthermore, he admonished each one of the saints with tears for three years (vv. 31, 19), declaring to them all the counsel of God.

He did not only speak in the meetings, publicly but also from house to house, visiting the saints and declaring to them all the counsel of God.

He declared to them all the counsel of God and admonished each one with tears for three years.

For us to shepherd others in love, we need to learn to shed tears, having compassion for them and their situation.

He had an anxious concern for all the churches and for all the saints.

This should be our attitude in shepherding people in love; we need to learn to shed tears for them, care for them, and bear them on our shoulders and on our breasts in love.

Paul had an intimate concern for the believers (2 Cor. 7:2-7; Philem. 7, 12), and he came down to the weak ones’ level so that he could gain them (2 Cor. 11:28-29; 1 Cor. 9:22; cf. Matt. 12:20).

To the Corinthians, he lowered himself to be on the same level with them, so that he could gain them.

We can never shepherd people if we have a high standing; that will not work – we need to come down from our “throne”.

We need to come down to the weak ones’ level so that we can gain them.

We should not think that others are weak but we are not weak; we should not think that others have weaknesses but we are strong.

Rather, we need to come down to others’ level as Paul did, burning in sorrow and indignation over the cause of stumbling of all the fallen ones (2 Cor. 11:9).

The Corinthian believers had a lot of opinions about Paul; they thought that Paul deceived them and cheated them, so he was misunderstood by others.

But he still continued to shepherd them. Paul was willing to spend what he had (referring to his possessions) and even to spend what he had (referring to his being) for the sake of the saints (2 Cor. 12:15).

He was a drink offering, one with Christ as the wine-producer, sacrificing himself for others’ enjoyment of Christ (Phil. 2:17; Judg. 9:13; Eph. 3:2).

He didn’t just enjoy Christ for himself, being happy with the Lord as the fresh new wine; he himself became a sacrifice for the saints to enjoy and be cheered up.

We need to be such a living sacrifice, not only enjoying the Lord for ourselves but even more, being one with Christ to be those shepherding in love to cause others to be happy by ministering Christ to them as the cheering wine.

We need to comfort others and minister Christ to them; when they are down and hurt, we need to minister the Spirit as the oil and wine to soothe them and cheer them up.

This should be our living, that others would receive the blessing. May we have such a heart to shepherd the saints in love.

Paul walked by the Spirit to honor God so that he could minister the Spirit to honor man (2 Cor. 3:3, 6, 8; Gal. 5:16, 25; Judg. 9:9).

We need to walk by the Spirit so that we may minister the Spirit to others. When we walk by the Spirit and are filled in spirit, we honor God.

When we minister the Spirit to others in their situation as we are shepherding in love, we honor man.

May we follow the pattern of the apostle Paul to shepherd people in love, caring for them even as a nursing mother cares for her baby and an exhorting father is concerned for his children.

Lord Jesus, we want to shepherd the saints as a nursing mother and an exhorting father so that we may take care of God’s flock. May our care for the saints be both in the meetings and from house to house. Save us from thinking that we are strong but others are weak. May we lower ourselves to others’ level and learn to shepherd them in love, admonishing each one with tears and declaring to them all the counsel of God. Amen, Lord, grant us to have an intimate concern for the saints and lower ourselves to their level so that we can gain them for the Lord. Oh Lord, we cannot do this in ourselves, but we open to You! Make us willing to spend what we have and what we are for the sake of the saints. We take You as our drink offering and we want to be one with You as the wine producer, sacrificing ourselves for others’ enjoyment of Christ!

We need to Shepherd the Saints in Love for the Building up of the Body of Christ

We need to realize that the church life is not a utopia, where only good things happen, everyone lives in their spirit, everyone treats one another in a fair and nice way, and there are no problems whatsoever.

Rather, the church is like a home, a loving home, to raise up children.

Many times the children are naughty and cause problems, but the parents know that, when this happens, the children need more raising up.

The church is not a police station to arrest people or a law court to judge people; rather, the church is a home to raise up the believers.

In the church life we want to take the most excellent way: love.

We are learning to shepherd the saints in love for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.

The church is a home full of love for the raising up of the children of God.

The church is also a hospital to heal and recover the sick ones.

We may think we’re not sick, but the truth is that we all need the Lord’s healing in our soul for the building up of the church.

The church is a school to teach and edify the unlearned ones who do not have much understanding.

Most of us need much education, teaching, and edification, because we are unlearned and do not have much understanding.

So we need to be in the church under the Lord’s care and under the shepherding in love of the more mature ones.

In the church life as a home, a hospital, and a school, we need to be one with the Lord to raise up the saints, heal and recover them, and teach them in love.

And the way we take in the church life is the most excellent way, which is love. Love prevails.

The most excellent way for us to be anything and do anything for the building up of the Body of Christ is love.

Love is the most excellent way.

Paul revealed that love is the most excellent way for us to be anything and to do anything for the building up of the Body of Christ; love prevails (1 Cor. 8:1; 12:31; 13:4-8a; Eph. 1:4; 3:17; 4:2, 15-16; 5:2; 6:24; Rev. 2:4-5; Col. 1:18b; 1 Thes. 1:3).

We need to learn to shepherd the saints in love for the building up of the Body of Christ.

We shouldn’t take any other way; there are many ways to care for others, but the best way is love.

Knowledge puffs up but love builds up. Love suffers long. Love is kind.

Love is not jealous, it does not envy and it does not boast. Love is not proud. It doesn’t dishonour others, nor is it self-seeking.

Love is not easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love doesn’t delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

May we hold to the truth in love and bear one another in love. May we function and build up the Body in love.

May we walk in love and love the Lord and the brothers with Christ as love.

If we take the way of love in shepherding others, love will prevail.

We may not have the best education or the most excellent character, but if we take the way of love and learn to shepherd the saints in love, we will do a work for the building up of the Body of Christ.

May we all pick up the burden of shepherding one another in love so that we may practice the teaching and functioning in mutuality as revealed in Eph. 4:12-16 and 1 Cor. 14:26.

We need to have a daily revival and a daily overcoming as a base for us to live an overcoming life and shepherd the saints in love for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.

Thank You, dear Lord, for bringing us into the church life as a home full of love for all the children of the Lord to be raised up in love. Amen, Lord, thank You for the church life as a hospital to heal and recover us and as a school to teach and edify us in love. We want to take the most excellent way in living and working in the church life. Oh Lord, fill us with Yourself as love. We want to learn to shepherd the saints in love for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ. May we take the most excellent way in being anything and doing anything in the church life. Amen, Lord, recover the matter of shepherding in love among us so that You may have a way to care for all Your saints in love for the building up of the church.

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 126-127, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming (2023 ICSC), week 5, entitled, Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming by Having a Revived Living and a Labor of Shepherding.
• Similar reading on this topic:
  – Shepherding and ministering life, a portion from, All Ages for the Lord’s Testimony, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee.
  – How Psalm 23 Reveals the Organic Shepherding of the Pneumatic Christ, article via, Holding to Truth.
  – Shepherding the Lord’s flock and the need for further training, a portion from, The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of John, Chapter 62, by Witness Lee.
  – Properly Representing the Lord in the Exercise of Discipline, a portion via, Shepherding Words.
  – Prayer for the saints to shepherd people out of love for them, an interest in them, a burden for them, and adequate prayer for them, a portion via, Beseeching.
  – Cherishing the believers and imparting their own souls, a father exhorting his children, a portion from, Life-Study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 12, by Witness Lee.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – To the lost world minister Christ, / Not just by word, but by life, / Imparting Christ by living deeds / To the poor souls living in strife. / To the lost world minister Christ, / By daily walk making Him known; / Imparting Christ by whom you live, / Share with all men what you own. (Hymns #922 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – In the church of Jesus there is love for you, / Love most pure and tender, love most deep and true; / Why should you be lonely, why for friendship sigh, / When the church of Jesus has a full supply? / In the church of Jesus there is life for you, / Warm as summer sunshine, sweet as morning dew; / Why should you be fearful, why take anxious thought, / Since the church of Jesus cares for those He bought? (Hymns #1278 stanzas 1-2)
  – The love of God poured out from God, / Through Christ into our hearts, / Is nothing less than Christ Himself / Who spreads through all our parts. / It covers, bends, endures all things, / Love’s strength to last is great; / The love of God, like none on earth, / Cannot discriminate. / Now let this love, the love of Christ, / Support, sustain the weak; / Supply the love to build the church, / And care for all God’s sheep. (Song on, Love Prevails, Never Fails, stanzas 2-4)