Through their experience of the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, the believers should shepherd the saints as the flock of God according to God, that is, according to God’s nature, desire, way, and glory. In Acts 20:28 Paul reminded the elders in Ephesus to shepherd the church of God. The main responsibility of the elders as overseers is not to rule over the flock but to shepherd the flock, to take all-inclusive tender care of the flock, the church of God. Shepherding the flock of God requires suffering for the Body of Christ as Christ suffered (Col. 1:24). This kind of shepherding enables the elders to be rewarded with the unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4).
Peter also said, “Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion but willingly, according to God” (v. 2). To shepherd according to God means to shepherd according to God’s nature, desire, way, and glory, not according to man’s preference, interest, and purpose. The elders should not shepherd the flock according to their own opinion, concepts, or likes and dislikes. Instead, they should shepherd the saints as the flock of God according to God’s choice, desire, intention, and preference.
The believers need to build up the church with the experiences of the processed Triune God as gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Cor. 14:4, 12; 3:12). In 1 Corinthians 3:12 Paul speaks of building on the foundation with three kinds of precious materials—gold, silver, and precious stones. This is very meaningful because these materials correspond to the three of the Divine Trinity. As a precious element, gold signifies something that does not change or become corrupt in nature, referring to the first of the Divine Trinity, God the Father. Hence, gold, which always remains the same, signifies the nature of God the Father. Silver signifies Christ the Son, the second of the Divine Trinity, and the redemption accomplished by Him. Precious stones are transformed substances; hence, they refer to the third of the Divine Trinity, the Spirit with His transforming work (2 Cor. 3:18).
The reason there is so little building among Christians today is that few believers experience the dispensing of the processed Triune God in the way of being transformed and conformed. If the believers do not care for the experience of the Triune God, they cannot build up the church. Although a good number of believers are in the denominations and are actually members of the church, they have been usurped and misused to be a part of only a denomination, an organization. In the Lord’s recovery we are not building up any kind of organization; we are building up an organism—the Body of Christ—by being constituted with the Triune God, that is, by experiencing Him as gold, silver, and precious stones.
As the believers work and labor for the Lord, sometimes they must pray and fast in order to deal with the power of darkness by casting out demons that insist on remaining (Matt. 17:21). In order to deal with the power of darkness, there is the need of the exercise of the authority of the heavenly King. As the heavenly King, the Lord Jesus has such authority, but we need to pray, even with fasting, to execute the Lord’s authority.
Concerning prayer, Acts 1:14 shows that after the Lord’s resurrection, the disciples “all continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer.” God needs His chosen people to pray regarding what He has promised to do in His New Testament economy. God in heaven needs men on earth to cooperate with Him for the carrying out of His plan. Prayer is also related to the ministry of the word (6:4). Prayer is not only to entreat the Lord to do things for His move. Prayer is also to cause our spirit to be exercised and strengthened. Hence, prayer should precede the ministry of the word. Without such prayer, the ministry of the word may not be enlivened and empowered.
In Acts 13:2 the prophets and teachers in Antioch were ministering to the Lord and fasting. They were not conferring with men, nor were they forming an organization; rather, they were fasting and ministering to the Lord. They were ministering to the Lord directly. This means that, spiritually speaking, they were not at the altar in the outer court but were at the incense altar in the Holy Place. In the Old Testament the priests ministered at two places. When they served the people of God, they ministered at the altar in the outer court, offering sacrifices to God for the people. But when they served the Lord directly, they were at another place—the incense altar in the Holy Place—ministering directly to the Lord through their prayers.