405. The Mind of a Shepherd—The Nature of a Dog

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation.” Phil. 3:2.

There can be both “dogs” and evil workers in the church of God. Who are the “dogs”? They are people who bark at outward things. There can be good brothers who perform an excellent ministry in the church, but we can still hear the dog nature, in spite of all the good they do. For example, if a woman from outside the church comes to a meeting wearing jewelry, we can hear the dog start barking. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, murders, etc. Barking and biting against these visible things is of little use. It is easy to hurt and break down upright souls. Therefore we must always speak to the heart. The heart that is bound to sin must be set free by the Word of God. When the heart is gripped by a love of purity and godliness, the outward things are sure to come into order before long, according to the Word of God.

It may take a long time before wounds that have been caused by the “dog ministry” of unwise brethren are healed. When you visit places, much work may need to be done to remove twisted understandings that have come in as a result of the “dog ministry.”

Very few brothers have the mind of a father and a shepherd. All of us have some of that dog nature in us—some more, some less—but we must be on guard so that it does not come forth in our ministry. Through God’s light everything gradually becomes clearer, and we learn to serve in the right way and to be a help and a blessing. We must hate all honor seeking, lust for power, and self-love, and keep such things far away from us—and then we must try to help the sheep and watch over them. Little by little we will receive the mind of a shepherd through sacrifice and a love for the Lord and the souls He gives us.

Let not many become teachers, for they will receive a stricter judgment. James 3:1. “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers . . . .” 1 Cor. 4:15. We are to take heed to the ministry we have received, and we are to beware of the dogs. We are not to chase them away or bite back at them, but we are to beware of them.

Quite early on I found myself surrounded by a little group of friends, and I tried to fulfill the ministry of a shepherd. I did bark now and again, but it was against our opponents who were trying to destroy us. I bit the wolves as hard as I could in order to protect the sheep. We sought light in the Scriptures, and we soon became a large assembly. We must carry out the ministry of a shepherd so that people get light, and in this way the church can thrive and grow. The dog nature will never produce growth and development.

Those who have a shepherd’s mind care for everyone, and they are very aware of each person’s personal situation. Everyone needs nourishment—the sick and the weak, the sheep as well as the lambs. The shepherd has a heart for each one. Consequently, they all hear his voice. Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice.” Pay attention to the thoughts that come from a shepherd’s mind, and perform a shepherd’s ministry wherever you go!

We speak much about victory, but there is a great difference between the victory of a field marshal or a general and the victory of a private. The same applies in the church. We may have overcome conscious sin in our lives, but overcoming as a servant in the church is something else entirely. We can call it the first and the second victory. The first victory is that we overcome all sin and personally live a holy life. The second victory continues and increases in our ministry in the church.

The angels of the churches in Revelation had done much good, but the Lord had things against some of them because they allowed various things to reign. I believe there is a lot to learn from them. It is wonderful to overcome things that have bound you and all manifest sin, but it is far greater to lead an assembly on to victory. Many of us may have come to the first victory, but there is still much to be said about the second victory. The second victory makes us effective workers—shepherds who watch over the flock of God—so that all receive the food they need and none are bitten and destroyed or mutilated.

The light of God reveals the dog nature in us, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome and eliminate it from our lives. So we can go forward with great boldness in the Spirit of Joshua and Caleb.