Comments on: Two Kinds of Shepherding

By: Ben Toh

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 14:59:46 +0000

Yeah, Chris. People who climb ladders are tired, burdened and irritable. But those who treasure the God who graciously reaches down to them is uplifted, comforted and rested.

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By: Chris

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 13:26:52 +0000

“We think that a life of ladder-climbing is a life of freedom.”

Which is foolish because what we think is a ladder we’re climbing up all the time is in reality a hamster-wheel when looking from a distance.

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By: Ben Toh

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 00:13:52 +0000

Thanks Vitaly. Your former director is “cute” for saying that. What he says, thinks and practice is sadly the opposite of the gospel.

Check this out (http://liberatenet.org/2013/07/18/is-your-life-defined-by-a-ladder-or-a-cross/): “Do you read the Bible as a helpful tool in your climb up toward moral betterment or as the story of God coming down to broken, sinful people? In a very real way, our lives are defined by how we answer that question. Specifically, our lives are defined either by a cross or by a ladder. The ladder symbolizes our ascension—our effort to “go up.” The cross symbolizes God’s descension—his coming down.”

In the story of Babel Gen 11:4 is humanity (and your chapter director) in a nutshell: “We want desperately to be known, appreciated, lauded, and extolled. We want to secure our own meaning, significance, and worth. We give our all to these objectives. We are like the tower-builders: addicted to a ladder-defined life. We think that a life of ladder-climbing is a life of freedom.” (And that Ubfriends is preventing them from achieving their goal! Wow, we here are given such a credit, as though we are God.)

I really do pray that God blesses our 2013 ISBC. But I am sorry if anyone’s inner motivation is to give their all so as to use this conference to show how great ubf is. That is why people are burned out and burdened by the conference and by its tremendous amount of work, effort and sacrifice.

I love my brothers and sisters who do give their all for serving this conference because they love Jesus. But I also do feel very sorry if I perceive that they are burned out and burdened because they are simply being used by “someone at the top.”

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By: Vitaly

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 02:51:12 +0000

Dr.Ben, I know how my former director would reply if he ever read your article. He would say, “This Ben Toh doesn’t understand a thing. Disciples are made. We are called to make disciples (the way Confucius did, not the Holy Spirit) and sacrifice all our lives for that (ubf directors think that lording over is the most sacrificial life style)! And when will this Ben Toh leave ubf and stop his satanic destruction of (the God-made perfect church with a mission) ubf through internet?!”

I don’t want to generalize but I think that the majority of ubf directors think this way (in CIS more than 90% of them). I am sure many ubf directors pray that God may bring some bad fortune on every one who write on ubfriends. And as they pray for 100000 ubf missionaries I wouldn’t be surprised if I knew that some of them prayed for the destruction of internet as of a satanic tool.

So I would add to the table:
is not afraid of former ubf members / cursing former ubf members
openminded to Scripture and Christian fellowship in internet / a slave of the Confucian closed system of thinking and acting
loves praise and glory of himself / for His is the glory
master / servant, tool in God’s hands

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By: Green

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 00:57:01 +0000

What I mean: If my motive is not purified but mixed up with any selfish motive, I will be tempted to have a demanding spirit instead of serving sheep from bottom up with genuine humbleness.

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By: Green

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 00:33:08 +0000

I want to add about motive:

Being motivated by selfish ambition Vs. as an expression of love for Jesus (Jn 21:15-17).

Shepherd needs deep trust and love relationship with Jesus first.

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