The Lord Christ shepherding the churches in His humanity (Rom. 16:18; Col. 3:24; Rev. 1:13).

He is clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, denoting He is our High priest:

• living always to intercede for us.

• can be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses and knowing our needs.

He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, denoting He will complete His eternal economy (Rev. 1:17).

He speaks to each and every local church, denoting: (Rev. 1:19-20)

• The Lord's operation, shepherding, presence, and leading are according to His word, not only with logos but also with timely feeding and rebuking rhema.

• The richer the Word of the Lord, the healthier the church.

• A normal local church must be a church filled with the living word of the Lord.

• One of the Lord's greatest blessings to His recovery is that it is full of the Word - the word of revelation, of truth, of life, and of the Spirit.

He holds the seven stars - the messengers, the leaders in the local churches (Rev. 1:20).

• The Lord who walks among the churches always holds the leaders in His hand, showing not only that He upholds them, but that He is responsible for them.

• A healthy church exists because there is a group of healthy leaders.

• How the leaders of a church are is how that church will be.

• The leaders in a local church are the source of the Lord's blessing to that local church.

• The healthiness of the leaders determines the healthiness of a local church.

• The creativity of the leaders determines the opportunity of the work of the Spirit in a local church.

• The leadership exercised by the leaders determines the direction, burden, and progress of a local church.

• The riches in life of the leaders determine the spirituality of the saints.

• The riches in experiences of the leaders determine the growth of the saints.

• The riches in truth possessed by the leaders determine how solidly an dprofoundly a local church stands.

• The spiritual insight and diligent operation of the leaders determine the development and perfection of the saints.

• When the leaders become lazy and lack a fresh charge, a local church will become weak and common.

• When the leaders are involved only in administrative matters, a local church will become institutional.

• For the saints to have the opportunity to learn and to grow, they must learn to honor the leaders in their local church.

• The saints' following of the leaders in their local church will cause them to become operative.

• The saints who commit themselves to the leaders in their local church will have the opportunity to grow and to be perfected.

• When the saints respect the lead and arrangement of the leaders in their local church, that local church will have the proper order of the Body.

• The saints who ignore the leaders, criticize the leaders, or gossip about the leaders, will have no Christ, no life, no growth, no perfection, and no operation.