Cooperating with the Heavenly Ministry of the Ascended Christ
Message Two
The Apostolic Ministry in Cooperation with Christ’s Heavenly Ministry to Shepherd the Church of God as His Flock for the Building Up of the Body of Christ
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Shepherd My sheep—John 21:16.
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—Heb. 13:20.
Word of Appetizer
The entire Gospel of John covers the earthly ministry of Christ, beginning with His incarnation as the Word of God to become a man in the flesh and ending with His resurrection as the last Adam to become the life-giving Spirit; hence, chapter 21 should be an appendix. Although it is correct to say this. What does John 21 reveal to us more intrinsically?
John 21 is the completion and consummation of the Gospel of John. Without John 21 there was no completion. It consummates the entire Gospel of John by showing that Christ’s heavenly ministry and the apostles’ ministry on the earth cooperate together to carry out God’s economy.
Spiritual Burden
In His heavenly ministry Christ is shepherding people, and we need to cooperate with Him by shepherding people; if this fellowship is received by us, there will be a big revival on the earth to bring the Lord back.
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.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Psalms 22 through 24 are a group of psalms revealing Christ from His crucifixion through His shepherding to His kingship in the coming age.
John 21 reveals the apostolic ministry in cooperation with Christ’s heavenly ministry; it is the completion and consummation of the Gospel of John.
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.
The 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.
The organic maintenance of the golden lampstand is Christ’s heavenly ministry to cherish the churches in His humanity and nourish the churches in His divinity to produce the overcomers through His organic shepherding.
The Experience of Life
Christ indwells us to be our life and everything, but He is also overseeing, observing, the condition and situation of our inner being. He shepherds us by caring for the welfare of our inner being and by exercising His oversight over the condition of our soul, our real person.
Through Christ’s wonderful shepherding, we will enjoy Him as our blessings both today and for eternity.
Practice and Application
In His heavenly ministry Christ is shepherding people, and we need to cooperate with Him by shepherding people.
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. 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.”
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
Jehovah is my Shepherd; I will lack nothing—Psa. 23:1.
I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep—John 10:11.
And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, And in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle—Rev. 1:12-13.
In His heavenly ministry Christ is shepherding people
I. Psalms 22 through 24 are a group of psalms revealing Christ from His crucifixion through His shepherding to His kingship in the coming age.
III. In John 10:10-11 and 16 the Lord unveiled to the disciples that He was the good Shepherd who came that the sheep might have life abundantly and that He had other sheep (the Gentiles) which He must lead to join with them (the Jewish believers) to be one flock (one church) under one Shepherd.
IX. The organic maintenance of the golden lampstand is Christ’s heavenly ministry to cherish the churches in His humanity and nourish the churches in His divinity to produce the overcomers through His organic shepherding.
X. Through Christ’s wonderful shepherding, we will enjoy Him as our blessings both today and for eternity.
Key Verses (2)
He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Shepherd My sheep—John 21:16.
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine; He pastures his flock among the lilies—S.S. 6:3.
The apostolic ministry in cooperation with Christ’s heavenly ministry
II. John 21 reveals the apostolic ministry in cooperation with Christ’s heavenly ministry; it is the completion and consummation of the Gospel of John.
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.
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.
Key Verses (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—1 Pet. 5:2.
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—Acts 20:28.
Take care of God’s flock; Shepherd the believers
IV. The Lord commissioned Peter to feed His lambs and shepherd His sheep: Peter exhorts the elders to shepherd the flock of God among them so that when the Chief Shepherd is manifested, they, the faithful elders, will receive the unfading crown of glory.
V. The 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.
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.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 To enjoy Christ’s shepherding, we need to be in the flock, that is, in the church (Psa. 23:1, footnote 2)
(According to Psalms 23, what are the five stages Christ shepherds us?)
T2 John 21 reveals the apostolic ministry in cooperation with Christ’s heavenly ministry (John 21:15-17)
(Please explain that John 21 is the completion and consummation of the Gospel of John.)
D2
T1 The Lord was the good Shepherd (John 10:11)
(Please explain that the Lord’s shepherding was firstly in His earthly ministry (Matt. 9:36). The Lord’s shepherding is secondly in His heavenly ministry (1 Pet. 5:4).)
T2 The Lord commissioned Peter to feed His lambs and shepherd His sheep (John 21:15-17; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:1-4)
(Please use Bible verses to explain that Peter’s word indicates that the heavenly ministry of Christ is mainly to shepherd the church of God as His flock, which issues in His Body.) (Refer to Outlines IV. A-F)
D3
T1 The main purpose and goal of the apostolic ministry incorporated with Christ’s heavenly ministry are to build up the Body of Christ (cf. Eph. 3:2, 8-9)
(What are the words of the apostle Paul that show the incorporation of the apostolic ministry with Christ’s heavenly ministry to take care of God’s flock? Please use Bible verses to explain this. (Acts 20:28; Heb.13:20)) (Refer to Outlines V. A-C)
T2 We must take the shepherding way to preach the gospel and revive the church (John 10:16; 21:15-16)
(Please use your experience to explain that we have to learn how to feed, shepherd, and flock people together.) (Refer to Outlines VIII. A-C)
D4
T1 Christ today is walking in the midst of the churches to care for them (Rev. 2:1; 1:13, footnote 1)
(Please use your experience to explain that to enjoy His care, we must be in the churches.)
T2 Being girded at the loins and being girded about at the breasts (Rev. 1:12-13) (Refer to Outlines IX. A)
(Please explain that now He takes care of the churches with the girdle not on His loins but on His breasts, signifying love.)
D5
T1 Christ cares for the lampstands by trimming the wicks of the lamps of the lampstand (Exo. 25:38)
(Please explain what the negative things within us must be cut off are.) (Refer to Outlines IX. B)
T2 Being receiving His trimming and His infilling (Exo. 30:7; 27:20)
(Please explain that in the Old Testament there was the lampstand in the tabernacle. Every morning these lamps were trimmed by having their charred wicks snuffed, In addition, they were kept supplied with oil.)
D6
T1 Christ today is our high priest (Heb. 4:15)
(Please explain that He takes care of us in His humanity to make them proper, cherishing us that we may be happy, pleasant, and comfortable.)
T2 The outcome of Christ’s ministering in the churches is that a number of overcomers are brought forth (Rev. 2:7b)
(Please explain that in His divinity Christ is nourishing us so that we may grow and mature in the divine life to be His overcomers to accomplish His eternal economy.)
