What does the shepherd recorded in the words of Scripture mean? A shepherd is one who feeds, gives, and cares for the sheep. In other words, it refers to the owner of the flock who, with all devotion, feeds, guards, and tends the sheep as though they were his own children. Therefore, the true shepherd of Christ is one who proclaims to the whole world the love of feeding, giving, and caring for the poor and needy sheep through charity and service.
Why did God give His Word to this earth, create mankind, establish the Sabbath, appoint shepherds, and bestow gifts and prayer? It was only so that, by gaining the love of the cross that serves poor and needy brothers and neighbors as one’s own body, we might be made the perfect children of God, who is the source of love, according to His holy will. In other words, the fundamental reason He gave His Word, shepherds, the Sabbath, worship, gifts, and prayer is to build within us a beautiful temple of the heart—that divine nature of godliness which resembles the perfect God—through the shepherd, by means of charity and service that feed, give, and care for the poor and needy sheep with tithes and offerings, and through the love of the cross by which we care for one another, cherish one another, and serve one another.
However, today’s Christianity teaches, as though it were the eternal food of God, mere words and theories that lack the example and model of Christ who, with the love of the cross, would feed, give, and care for the poor and needy sheep through tithes and offerings, making known to all believers the example of building a beautiful heart that bears the true love of the cross. This is the present reality.
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.(1 Corinthians 1 : 17)
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.(James 2 : 15~17)
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.(Ezekiel 33 : 31)
The love of the cross is a teaching given so that words and theories may not be put forward first. In other words, just as I bore the cross for you, if you also bear your cross and follow, you too will obtain resurrection and salvation; the teaching that makes this known to all the earth is the love of the cross.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.(Matthew 10 : 38~39)
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.(Luke 14 : 26~27)
Faith without the love of the cross is a dead faith. For in order to become the perfect children of God, who is the source of love, there must be a character that possesses not merely human love—moral or ethical love—but the love of the cross, a love that gives even one’s life. Therefore, faith that does not lead into the way of salvation, which builds a beautiful temple of the heart by pursuing the love of the cross that resembles God, who is the source of love, but instead teaches and learns by putting forward only words and theories, is a dead faith without love. Far from becoming an example and model of the love of the cross, it pursues only the momentary emotion and lesson born of excuses and justifications that put forward their own words and theories, and thus it is nothing but a pastor and a teaching that have no relation to salvation.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.(2 Corinthians 9 : 8~9)(Psalms 112 : 6~9)
He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.(Proverbs 14 : 31)
He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD.(Jeremiah 22 : 16)
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.(John 15 : 9~14)
Preaching and worship that put forward only words and theories, without the example of pursuing the love of the cross, are nothing but dead faith, dead preaching, and dead worship; they are not truly the spiritual worship, preaching, or faith of God. The reason God appointed shepherds was so that He might establish within us a beautiful temple of the heart, possessing the divine nature that resembles God and bearing the love of the cross, which is the character fitting to lead us into salvation. Yet because shepherds, instead of using tithes and offerings to feed, give, and care for the sheep, have used them as a means to fill their own selfish desires, advancing doctrines, traditions, customs, and ideologies that put forward only words and theories, they have despised the holy will of God, dishonored the love of the cross, and have become adversaries and enemies of God. Therefore, the word has been spoken that He will utterly tear down the constructed churches, leaving not one stone upon another.
The duty of the shepherd is only this: to carry out the love that feeds, gives, and cares for the poor and needy sheep. Thus, the responsibility of the shepherd is to guide the believers to fully practice the love of the cross—by which they care for one another, cherish one another, and serve one another—so that they may become the perfect children of God, building the temple of the heart that resembles Him. But because of shepherds corrupted by selfish desire, these have been passed down, distorted into distortion, and falsehood into falsehood, so that ideologies, doctrines, and worship that betray the holy will of God and the love of the cross have been produced. The traditions, customs, ideologies, and doctrines of today’s Christianity are those that have been developed and handed down by making people believe in the construction of churches, which has been put forward as a means and justification for fulfilling their greater selfish desires and for stealing the tithes and offerings that should have been used to feed the poor and needy sheep. This is what has been handed down and developed into the traditions, customs, ideologies, and doctrines of today’s Christianity.
Shepherds who do not feed and care for the poor and needy sheep with tithes and offerings, but put forward only words, are nothing but thieves, hirelings, and Pharisees. The true shepherd, for the sake of the sheep, gives up all he has, sacrifices, and teaches the love of the cross, even to the point of laying down his life, in order to lead the believers to build a beautiful temple of the heart where they care for one another, cherish one another, and serve one another. The true shepherd of Christ is one who, having no cause to be rebuked before God, possesses the example and model of goodness and righteousness—feeding, giving, and caring for the poor and needy by sacrificing his own wealth and possessions.
For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.(Titus 1 : 7~9)
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.(1 Timothy 3 : 2~10)