When Jesus told Peter to “feed my sheep” in John 21:15-17, he was entrusting Peter with the responsibility of caring for and leading Christ’s followers. This metaphorical language draws on the imagery of a shepherd caring for his flock.
In simplicity, Jesus was calling Peter to do the work of a pastor concerning believers in Christ. The NT word for pastor (Cp. Eph. 4:11) is the Greek word, “poimeno,” which simply means shepherd. Those who are called to this ministry are entrusted with spiritually caring the needs of God’s people. As God’s under-shepherd Peter’s calling was to care for the flock of God, making sure that God’s sheep would be spiritually fed, nourished, guided, and protected.
One important aspect of taking care of God’s sheep is the importance of teaching the Word of God to the church. Peter recognized this when he urged the church to choose deacons for the purpose of meeting the physical needs of the poor. Peter instructed, “It is not reason [i.e., right] that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.” (Acts 6:2). Peter was not unwilling to minister to the church in distributing food and necessities to the poor, for we know that he gladly served in this manner as a disciple of Jesus. When needs arose concerning widows and the poor, Peter knew that his calling was to care for the overall health of the church, and we see his wisdom concerning the role and function of deacons in the church. Peter said, “… Seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.” (Acts 6:3) In this delgation, Peter understood that the teaching and preaching of the Word of God was his primary calling as a shepherd of God’s people, but also that the physical necessities of the poor must not be left undone. How important we see was his calling to delegate, and to lead.
We who are called to be pastor/shepherds in the church must employ the same leadership, emphasizing the ministry of the Word of God for the sake of feeding God’s sheep, and giving instruction to caring for the needs of the church.
When the Word of God is given its proper place these healthy aspects of the church will result :
Spiritual Health: Believers who are fed from the pulpit with the healthy “food” of the Word of God will increase in spiritual health. Just like natural food, the lack thereof will result in spiritual fatigue and believers becoming spiritually weak and malnourished. Proper teaching and preaching of the Word of God results in the health of the believer and the strengthening of the soul.
Spiritual Growth: SWhen the Word of God is regularly and effectively taught, the result will be the spiritual maturity and growth of God’s people. This together with discipleship principles, teaching believers that they themselves can have a vital relationship with God in the Word of God, prayer, and worship, and ministry to others, will have profound effect in the lives of God’s people When the urging of teachers is be “doers of the Word, and not hearers only,” (James 1:22), the church will grow and become mature in faith. When such teaching and training is absent in the pulpit, the life of the believer may be stunted in their spiritual growth.
Unity and Love: The Testimony of Jesus to the World: Jesus prayed before entering the Garden of Gethsemene that the church would be one.
John 17:21-23 – “21 … that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Christ’s prayer must be taught and exemplified in our churches. This will result in love for one another, in which the world will take notice. This is all a result of a healthy church filled with solid biblical teaching which places emphasis on the message of salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. Any lack of clear, biblical teaching can lead to confusion and disunity within the church, as members may not have a solid foundation of truth to stand
Discernment and Safety Concerning False Teachings: When accurate biblical teaching in in the pulpit, church members grow to become spiritually aware of false teachings that creep into the church. Without solid biblical teaching, believers can become more susceptible to false doctrines and misleading teachings, and practices in the church. The result of which is confusion, and potential division of the church
It is therefore crucial and of the highest importance that we who are called as pastors to the church, practice of life of diligently studying the Word, coupled with prayer, and personal worship, seeking to live the Word of God, and to then teach and impart this to the family of God. Such practices will ensure the spiritual health and growth of our congregations.
