72. LEADERS & SHEPHERDS
--page 594--
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, & look well to thy herds (Pro.27:23).
1. Great leaders are usually the humblest of all people, willing to do anything, & really don't feel worthy of their great responsibility at all.
2. Some people don't want to be leaders because they'd have to make decisions which might be wrong & which they would be blamed for.
3. He is not truly great who is not greatly good.
4. Most of the inconspicuous gifts are the ones leaders need most--discernment, knowledge, wisdom & faith.
5. If you know His Word & how to wield this rod of His authority--you can use it to save your flock from the wolves & to lead your little lambs into the safety of His Fold forever!
6. Lead your sheep, don't drive them!
7. It takes a small man, insecure in his authority, to keep insisting on respect, loyalty and obedience, instead of inspiring it voluntarily in his followers' hearts by his own loving and considerate example.
8. If you want a place in the sun, you have to expect some blisters.
9. You can't be trusted to rule over the Kingdom of God if you haven't learned to rule your own family in love, in patience, in faith, in meekness, in gentleness & in quietness. (1Ti.3:5)
10. The greatest leaders that God has chosen usually don't want to be leaders--they are forced into it by the Lord!
11. Greatness in leadership starts with the ability to be a good follower.
12. Every good leader must be aware of the practical as well as concerned about the spiritual.
13. You'd better enjoy being a buck private while you can--with very little worry or responsibility, credit or blame, cursing or fame. One day you may be the general with most of the work, nearly all the worry--& usually, all the blame!
14. Don't envy your leaders!--Pity them!--Pray for them!--Help them!
15. If you're not afraid to face the music, you may some day lead the band.
16. You'll never fully appreciate your leaders till you have to join them in leadership!
17. Goats are very independent, whereas sheep are pretty helpless & can't exist without man. So let the goats take care of themselves, & you get busy taking care of the sheep!
18. Sheep cannot find the way without the Shepherd's voice.
19. It's much easier to be a prophet of doom than a healer of wounds and a feeder of sheep.
20. One of the signs of a good leader is always keeping your eyes open and checking to see that everything is running smoothly--that the snags are all ironed out--that everything is getting done that should be done!
21. Always remember, in whatever you do, that the mark of a good leader is to always consult with others. But be sure when you consult, to consult with the right people!
22. If the shepherd will feed the sheep, the sheep will feed the shepherd!
23. I'm a firm believer in dictatorship--you don't ask dumb sheep what to do, you tell them what to do!--But you do hear their bleatings!
24. You'll be much more merciful to those who follow you if you yourself realise how much you need mercy!
25. Jesus will still lead you after I'm gone. Don't worry about it. The same One that's the Head of us right now is still going to be the Head of you then, & that's Jesus!
26. Rank & riches are chains of gold, but still chains.
27. The quicker you leaders learn to confess your mistakes, the more others will trust & love you, & the more the Lord will use you.
28. Pastors have to be plodders with lots of patience, like farmers.
29. A guy who's a leader has gotta be a fighter, he's gotta take sides!--God's side!
30. A good leader should save himself for the major decisions and heavy burdens and responsibilities of leadership that only he can handle.
31. Any truly good leader welcomes questions, suggestions and even contrary ideas to his own!
32. A chain of command system is no stronger than its weakest link.
33. Most good leaders don't want to be leaders--they have to be!
34. Complete dependency on the Lord is the secret of good leadership.
35. The leader, above all, must be a man in tune with God.
36. The leader has to be thinking, praying, planning and deciding all the time, at least one jump ahead of his followers.
37. Let the leader choose his own team.
38. Titles somewhat clarify for all of us, including each of you, the extent of your authority & the size of your responsibilities, as well as their limitations.
39. Every great leader has had his Judases, including Jesus.
40. If the officer has a question or feels a doubt about executing an important order from a superior officer, then it is his responsibility to voice it to the superior officer. And if he won't listen, then go to a higher authority.
41. Good leaders are usually born--as well as made. They're the brief & final end product of God's infinite care, designing & preparation.
42. If there's anything leaders need, it's wisdom & knowledge! Wisdom is how to use the knowledge of God.
43. The boss has to be able to do everything, & he's not a good boss unless he's a servant of all & is able to do any task.
44. If you haven't learned to be a follower, you'll never be able to be a leader.
45. If the power of your position goes to your head so that you forget what you're there for, you're simply proving that you're still a novice, filled with pride & not ready to be a leader.
46. Your people, your flock, are only going to be as interested in the Word as you are, unless they're unusual.--And the flocks will usually be no better than their leadership.
47. Undershepherds who are so busy with the sheep that they haven't time to listen to the Shepherd's instructions are going to have nothing but trouble.
48. We might be able to do without an arm or a leg or a few fingers, but the Body will not survive very long without the Head!
49. The job of a leader is to try to get other people to do things.
50. One of the worst things in the World you can do, especially to a public leader or to a teacher or pastor or a father or a husband, is to undermine faith & confidence in his leadership.
51. The Lord never breaks His own chain of command, unless some link is failing.
52. I don't think you can ever be a good leader, a wise, humble leader, until you've pulled some awful boners & made some terrible mistakes & committed a few sins & really blown it a few times yourself. For one thing, you'll never be humble enough unless you do!
53. Most good leaders don't want to be leaders--they know what a big job it is & what a serious responsibility, & they often do not feel capable. These are the best leaders, because then they will not be cocky & self-confident, but depend on!
54. That's what it often costs to be a leader: "To live in fame & die in flame!"--Sometimes they have to live in flame & die in shame before the World.
55. Those four unseen gifts are the most important gifts that any leader can have: Knowledge, wisdom, discernment & faith. In fact as far as I'm concerned you can't even be a leader without those gifts, or at least some of them.
56. You'll never be a truly great shepherd until you learn to have compassion on the sheep--until you learn to have great love and great mercy.
57. A leader has two important characteristics: First, he is going somewhere. Second, he is able to persuade others to go with him.
58. When the leader's gone, if the cement of the Work was only his personality, the thing falls apart. But if the cement was strong teaching & doctrine to perpetuate the message & the method, then the work carries on pretty much as the leader founded it & led it.
59. Leaders have to face their fears & think about the worst thing that could happen & be prepared with an alternative.
60. A good executive is not a boss!--He is a servant!
61. Any general who doesn't listen to his officers & doesn't pay any attention to his men is going to be in trouble!
62. Only a novice wants to be the boss and order everybody around!
63. It is only the brand-new, not-yet-dry-behind-the-ears baby executive, who tries to run everything.
64. The executive hand is merely the power who helps to pump out the people-power!
65. A chief executive should only be a guide, who in turn is guided himself by God.
66. A tyrannical spirit makes a leader like the Devil, the first would-be dictator, who didn't want to listen to either God or the other angelic forces!
67. "He that is greatest among you must be servant of all!" (Mt.23:11)
68. As you love God and are thankful for Him, so you should love and be thankful for your leaders, for they care for your souls and have the burden of all of you. (Heb.13:17)
69. One of the greatest dangers of leadership is man-worship!
70. The job of a good leader is not a popular job. You need to teach them to love you, but also to fear and obey you.
71. Let them run themselves and tell themselves what to do, with your oversight and guidance and spiritual leadership.
72. You need to create a machine that can run itself, with you at the wheel and sometimes at the controls.
73. Every good leader is the servant of his people.
74. People get the kind of leaders they want and deserve.
75. "Blessed is he that loveth and ruleth My people well."
76. The boss may not always be right, but he still is the boss.
77. Little men want to do it all themselves. Big men get others to do it for them.
78. People are persuaded more by the depth of your conviction than by the height of your logic--more by your own enthusiasm than by any proof you can offer.
79. A leader shouldn't do anything he can get someone else to do for him--except to set an example.
80. We are now in our training period in this life in preparation for ruling the world in the next!
81. Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done, because he wants to do it.
82. You can never become a leader without doing more than you are paid for.
83. The training of men is the chief job of any executive.
84. Be first a problem preventer, so you won't have to be a problem solver.
85. A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men.
86. Genius is 1% inspiration & 99% perspiration.
87. He who undermines his leader destroys his own house.
88. Holy Ghost power picks a leader for the hour!
89. There's no such thing as horizontal control in the Kingdom of God, it's strictly vertical from the top down!
90. God give us men! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith & ready hands!
Men whom the lust of office does not kill,
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy,
Men who possess opinions & a will,
Men who love honor, men who do not lie.
91. The price of greatness is responsibility.
92. That man is great who can use the brains of others to carry out his work.
93. Power may justly be compared to a great river; while kept within its bounds it is both beautiful & useful, but when it overflows its banks, it is then too impetuous to be stemmed; it bears down all before it, & brings destruction & desolation wherever it comes. Power does not corrupt men; but fools, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.
94. The Buck stops here!--With you!
95. One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognise a problem before it becomes an emergency.
96. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
97. By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss & work twelve hours a day.
98. You can always tell who the boss is: He's the one who watches the clock during coffee breaks.
99. Censure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent.
100. It is better to have a lion at the head of an army of sheep, than a sheep at the head of an army of lions!
101. What a heavy burden is a name that has become famous!
102. Every noble crown is, & on earth will ever be, a crown of thorns.
103. "When you are tired you need to rest. When you are weary you need to retire from the fray & give the battle to others. You need to know when to fight & when to be still, when to give & when to save, when to work & when to play, when to feed & when to pray."
104. "As a shepherdess of the flock you must feed of the firstfruits, like the husbandman & the shepherd, for strength. You must feed of the flock as well as care for them, & they must care for you. They must minister to you as you minister to them."
105. "When you save others, indeed yourself you cannot save, but there are times when you must save yourself if you are going to save others & still others & yet others."
106. Men of force are men of faults, & their biggest fault is to keep on going in their own force, instead of letting the Lord do it!
107. Just conducting business & shearing the sheep & telling the tale of the wool is not all there is to being a shepherd. You have to take care of those sheep as well, feed them & protect them, provide for them, love them & keep them in fellowship with each other, or you are failing in your task as a shepherd!
108. If your preaching is not going to affect your living & the lives of others who live with you, if you're not meddling in their daily affairs & making sure to keep things straight, if you're not meddling in their spiritual life, if you're not meddling with their daily needs, if you're not meddling with whether they're happy & satisfied & contented & loved enough & whatever they need, then your preaching is just so much hot air! If your preaching hasn't gone to meddling, it's not good enough!
109. If we don't care for the lambs, the Words are of no avail.
110. Don't just take people's word for it--investigate yourself when there's trouble. As a leader, it's your business to get nosy & to poke & probe & question & find out what the problem is!
111. Don't let others drag you down to their level, you pull them up to yours!
112. Even an ordinary horse can be outstanding in his own field. If you're leading people to the Lord, you are a leader in soul-winning.
113. Sometimes you have to get a little tough to get action!
114. The crown so beauteous to them that behold it, is so heavy to them that wear it!
115. Responsibility can humble you quicker than anything!
116. It's my job just to give you the general picture in the general direction, & it's your job to figure out the details & the battles & the officers & the modes of attack & all the rest.
117. With the mantle of the office comes the anointing of power of the Spirit.
118. Every great world leader, every great man, was a fanatic that some people hated & some people adored.
119. Lives of great men all remind us
That we can make our lives sublime,
And when departing leave behind us
Footprints in the sands of time!
120. If much has been committed to you, much is going to be required of you. (Lk.12:48)
121. None knows the weight so heavy as he who wears the crown!
122. Great gifts are a great responsibility.
123. With great responsibility comes great grace.
124. If there is no truly controlling head but God, they cannot kill it.
125. Those who only follow a man go back when the man is gone. But those who follow the Spirit will go on forever!
126. Men of force are men of faults.
127. The greatest men in the Bible were guys that made terrible mistakes & realized they were sinners and that they needed God!
128. When the congregation falls asleep, there is only one thing to do--provide the usher with a sharp stick & have him prod the preacher!
129. I don't care how gifted, how talented, how artistic, how cultured, how beautiful, how strong, how educated you are, I don't care what you've got, if you're not 100% loyal, God can't use you!
130. A lot of people seem to like to scatter seed, but not many people seem to want to take care of the results--to patiently, painstakingly train these babes into good leaders!
131. The man-worshippers stop when the man stops!--The God-worshippers keep on going for God!
132. A speech is like a wheel--the longer the spoke, the greater the tire, which is reserved only for big wheels!
133. No one should have all the say, not even God does this!
134. It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test of leadership.
135. They that bear the cross shall wear the crown.
136. Saul's main problem as a leader was that he was a man-pleaser.
137. God's Word says not for the shepherd to follow the sheep, but for the shepherd to go forth & lead the sheep.
138. "Woe to the children of David that hear not the Word of their Shepherd & care not for the sheep!"
139. "Behold, I will hold thee accountable in the day of Judgement for this thing which thou hast done, to withhold the words of My Servant from them that die & are smitten & driven away!"
140. Over-leaders must love the sheep & care for the shepherds.
141. If a leader is anything at all, he is a leader of men, not a mere leader of papers!--But he must push papers too!
142. Young new novice leaders sometimes react rather suddenly & violently because they're unsure of themselves & insecure, so they think they have to put up a bold front of self-assurance. But to come in storming & berating somebody before you've heard all sides of the story is not a good sample, neither are you a very good judge or a good leader.
143. The reason the Ten Commandments are short & sweet is because they were handed down direct, not through several committees.
144. The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away not saying, "What a lovely sermon," but saying, "I will do something!"
145. It's one thing to rule & win people with the love of the Lord, it's another thing to woo & win them just to yourself & the love of your carnal flesh.
146. Watch out about those man-worshippers who fall all over themselves to lick your boots. If something happens to you & you fall or go astray, they'll probably be the first ones to desert you & kick you with theirs!
147. The difference between a real shepherd & a hireling is simple: A hireling is there purely for selfish reasons for what he himself can gain out of it, whereas the true shepherd is willing to lose everything & lay down even his life for the sheep.
148. The worst thing leaders can do to each other is to cut each other down in public, because it destroys the confidence of the sheep.
149. Are you inclined to be too easy on people because you want them to be easy on you? Do you let them get away with more than you should? That's not fair to them--or yourself!
150. When you get so proud & so smart that you can't stand somebody making a suggestion or a correction, you're too proud & too smart!
151. Spiritual maturity is not a matter of years or time, although that helps, but it's just a matter of your connection with the Lord & His Word & your obedience & humility.
152. God has ways of putting people down who get too exalted about their position & their lofty ministry.
153. There is no army in the World, there is no organisation in the World, there is no business in the World, there is not even one family in the World that doesn't have to have a boss!
154. The shepherd, too, must sit upon the hillside & pipe sweet music unto his Creator in praises, to bring peace to his own soul, as well as his sheep.
155. The shepherd himself has to be fed with the Hand of his Creator & the Hand of his Shepherd, if he's going to feed the sheep & bring them the same peace.
156. You cannot even make a move until you first have found that place of rest & calm & sweet peace in the Lord, & have sat down & played your pipe to the Lord. It's all a spiritual thing. If you try to do it in the flesh, you might as well quit.
157. The sheep cannot lead themselves, they have to have a shepherd.
158. You have to learn how to first of all rest at the Lord's feet.
159. The secret of that calm & peace & rest & patience & faith & love is that resting in the Lord! Getting calm before the Lord & praising the Lord & seeking the Lord first. And then you just impart this to the sheep. It's a spirit you impart, that very same atmosphere.
160. They are the diamonds of dust, the smallest of all creations! They are the ones that shine! We are like the dirt on the floor which will catch them, & on which they can rest until Thy breath catches them & they float again into the sunlight. Help us to stay out of the limelight--help us just to be there to catch them when they fall--just to be there to give them a place to land.
161. The shepherd has got to not only lead the sheep, but if they don't follow, then he's got to get behind them & beat them with the rod & sic the dogs on them!
162. A speaker who does not strike oil in ten minutes should stop boring.
163. You cannot take a vacation for a minute when you're on duty & you're the shepherd of the flock!--You've got to watch everything that's happening, you've got to look for trouble before it happens.
164. Spiritual leaders are called, as well as made. It's the Spirit that makes the choice. God's anointing is what makes the difference. You can teach a spiritual leader to be a little more practical & organized, but you can't make a person have that anointing & calling of a spiritual ministry. God does that.
165. Be a person who always tries to speak well of people & who casts a veil over countless sins. (1Pe.4:8)
166. You who have the burden of great responsibility & great decision-making which can influence a lot of people, watch out! Because if you make a mistake, unto you is the greater condemnation! (Jas.3:1) The higher you go, the longer & further you may have to fall!
167. In any new job a person has to be given a little time to learn, & you must forgive a few mistakes in the beginning.
168. A leader will keep on course & try to keep others on course in the direction he's going & pull them his way. But if you have a tendency to be pulled other ways by followers, then you're not much of a leader if you can't buck the tide!
169. Others may, you cannot. Other people might be able to get away with something, but because of your position you can't.
170. You can't treat everybody the same: Some people are so insensitive in the Spirit it takes an open rebuke, others are so sensitive it only takes a hint.
171. You can't run any kind of a family, you can't run a church, you can't run a Home or anything unless you have leaders who are firm & forceful & can see that the job gets done, or make people do the job, & tell them to get out if they don't want to do it.
172. You need to relegate more authority & responsibility to others so that you don't carry such a heavy load yourself. Do only those things no other can do.
173. If the loads get too heavy or hard, it's because you're allowing yourself to be burdened & yoked to heavy responsibilities you should not have, & that others should share or carry. For "My yoke is easy & My burden is light" Jesus says!
174. Sometimes you give people jobs because you know they are capable of handling them. Other times you give people jobs to give them an opportunity to prove if they can handle them, & sometimes you give people jobs to see if they can't handle them. And sometimes you give people jobs hoping they will learn them even in spite of a few mistakes.
175. I don't usually like to give orders, I just drop hints. If they don't take the hint, then I make a suggestion. But if they don't take the suggestion, then I give an order!
176. The main job of a shepherd is to keep in touch with the Lord--to begin the day with sweet music, praise & fellowship.
177. It is the attending shepherd's God-given responsibility for his flock's sake to discern, question & judge outcoming prophecies.
178. If the leader has doubts, his underleaders are bound to suffer, they're bound to feel it & know it & communicate it right on down the line.
179. I don't appoint a team, I appoint a man to choose his own team & I hold him responsible to work out the details.
180. You've got to be up on your data & your stats to know your stock & the stats of your flocks! God's Word says a good shepherd knows the state of his flocks, (Pr.27:23) & you need to have these stats in mind.
181. If you are not leading anybody else but a sister with a child or children, you have become a spiritual leader whether you like it or not & whether you know it or not. And you must learn how to govern your own family or you will never learn how to govern the Family of God.
182. It's always easier for you or your favourite few to do it than to teach somebody else. You'd rather have the ones you've already trained, the chosen few you've had at it months or years, even when the job gets bigger than they can handle.
183. God gives us a lot of leeway & choice, believe it or not; so I think we ought to try to do the same with others, if possible. You'll get a lot better cooperation that way, & go a lot further in the long run than just commandeering forces, & shanghaiing labourers for your job, without consultation or sufficient prayer & consent!
184. I frankly believe that people should usually start at the bottom of the ladder & work their way up to the top through every rung in between, & where we have not followed this procedure, we have suffered from inexperienced & insufficiently trained leadership later.
185. The forty days & nights that Moses spent on the mountain solved more problems than all the months he spent sitting personally on his throne trying to judge all of their affairs himself.
186. When Moses finally saw what a hopeless mess it was & that he could never solve all the problems, he went alone on a mountain & virtually solved all the nation's problems for centuries by getting two tablets of stone & writing it down! Those written laws did more good than all the yakking at them had done for years.
187. Deliver us Lord from this spirit of "busyness"--too busy for You, & too busy for your Prophet.
188. If you keep running around trying to see everybody & do everything, you're in trouble.
189. You have to die to self & some of the things you want to do & say "Lord, I'm going to have to leave that up to someone else in order to do the things You want me to do!"
190. We have to shepherd the Family. And part of the Shepherd's job is not only feeding the Sheep, but shearing the sheep, & in some cases milking the sheep. He's also got to lead them & guide them with definite administration & oversight.
191. Even in the Early Church they had bishops & elders & deacons & overseers & apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, teachers, all kinds of officers & officials that had to shepherd the sheep. So we have to not only publish materials to feed the Family, but we have the responsibility of leading them, overseeing them & administering them right down to the local level.
192. "What is this in thy hand, Son, but the rod of authority of My Word that I have given thee that thou shalt use with love in Jesus' name."
193. If you just let people run around without any supervision, without any reports, without any check-up on what they're accomplishing, they're apt not to accomplish anything.
194. As John Kennedy said about the Bay of Pigs invasion, "It doesn't matter who's to blame, I'm the boss, so it's my fault!"
195. We've just got to get the job done, & we can't have people working for us that can't do it or won't do it or don't do it!
196. With some people you have to say, "You've got to get it done by this time & that's it!--Or else we'll get somebody else to do it! People need deadlines & ultimatums.
197. No leader, no matter who they are, should get the idea that they can get up & walk out on the Lord, that they have more important business to do than fellowshipping with the Lord & listening to the Lord & hearing the Word & fellowshipping with the rest of their family & setting a good example to the rest of the sheep.
198. If you are going to do any kind of public speaking, do your studying beforehand. Read, study, think, pray & get totally full of the subject so that when you stand up to speak, out of the fullness of the heart the mouth will speak.
199. If you're ever going to speak in front of an audience, get full of your subject, don't worry about notes & speak out of the fullness of your heart & God will inspire you & lead you.
200. To get the whole story on a subject you've got to put everybody's story together & you've got to have everybody's opinion. You must be tolerant of the opinions of others.
201. Always qualify your lessons & always say, "Well, maybe none of this is going to work for you. Maybe none of this is true in your case or that of your disciples or your children. But this is the way it happened to me, this is the way it happened to So-&-so & this is the way it happened to most of them & therefore this is the way it will probably happen." Get away from dogmatism. Get away from rigidity, get away from dictatorship. Get away from systematic, rigid, formal, frozen conventionalism. You must allow for differences & freedom.
202. Do what is most important that you have to do first, & the most important thing is for you to keep other people busy, to keep them on their job & doing what they're supposed to be doing.
203. The job of a deacon is to tend the tables, to see the need. It's their job to look at the waves to see how high they are & how deep they are & how bad the storm is & let us know. It's our job as spiritual leaders to keep our eyes on the Lord & find out the answers. We're the Apostles of God, the leaders, & the ones who should be giving our time to the Word & prayer & getting answers from God!
204. One man or woman of God, inspired by the Spirit of God, can have better wisdom to run whole countries of this World than any of their present Worldly politicians.--And one of these days that's what you're going to be doing!
205. When the Lord gets sick & fed-up with all the bigshots who are now running the World, He's going to toss them all in the ash can & use you to run it!
206. Let the Letters be the leaders! Let the local areas operate on their own. Let them take care of their own finances & their own supervision & their own leadership & their own government.
207. Job 9:20 applies to a situation where you are wrong but you're trying to prove you're right. It should not be used as an excuse for keeping people from giving a legitimate humble explanation for their actions in a certain situation.
208. Leaders ought to certainly be thinking about the work they're doing & how to save time & money & work & personnel, how to make shortcuts, cut downs, cut outs in some cases. Leaders should do that sort of thing in their particular area of responsibility, whatever it may be.
(See also No.18, 24, 25, 26, 31, 38, 39, 47, 48, 49, 52, 71, 75, 98, 113, 124, 126, 127, 143, 154, 154A, 156C, 161, 210, 213, 233, 244, 263, 297, 302B, 315A, 328C, 329C, 337A, 354, 546, 606, 653, 662, 674, 675, 734, 813, 962, 974, 985, 1001, 1002, 1250, 1367, 1380, 1442, 1547.)
209. DEU.1:17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me and I will hear it.
210. JDG.21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
211. 2SA.23:3,4 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
212. PSA.75:6,7 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.
213. PRO.20:28 Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.
214. PRO.27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
215. PRO.29:14 The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.
216. JER.3:15 And I will give you pastors according to Mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
217. JER.23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.
218. MAT.20:26,27 Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.
219. MAR.9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
220. MAR.10:42-45 But Jesus called them to Him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.
221. LUK.15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
222. JOH.10:4 And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice.
223. JOH.10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
224. JOH.10:14,15 I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.
225. JOH.21:16b Lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My sheep.
226. ACT.15:36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the Word of the Lord, and see how they do.
227. ACT.20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His Own blood.
228. 1CO.4:10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
229. 1CO.6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
230. 2CO.6:3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed.
231. GAL.6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
232. 1TH.2:7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.
233. 1TH.2:10,11 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children.
234. 1TH.5:12,13 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
235. 1TI.3:2-7 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.
236. 1TI.5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren.
237. 1TI.5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
238. 1TI.5:17-19 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the Word and doctrine. For the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
239. 2TI.2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
240. 2TI.2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.
241. 2TI.4:2b Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
242. TIT.1:7-9 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.
243. HEB.13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
244. JAM.3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
245. 1PE.5:2,3 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
(See also EXO.19:7,8; JOS.1:1-9; JDG.6:11-16; 2CH.1:6-12; ROM.13:1-7.)
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family