In John chapter 21 verses 15-17, we see Jesus ask three times if Peter loved Him. When Peter replied in the positive, Jesus commanded him to tend, feed, or shepherd His sheep. If a preacher truly loves the chief Shepherd Jesus Christ, he will shepherd the sheep that God has given him. He will feed and nourish with the spiritual food which is the Word of God and protect His sheep from the wolves i.e. false teachers.
A preacher’s chief duty is to feed and nourish his sheep. Let us see how Paul went about this business of feeding the sheep:
“Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
“For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has
made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
“Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:26-32)
Paul taught the whole counsel of God’s word. He did not just give them the basics but took them into the depths of the truth that he was teaching. He was doing a serious and profound bible study to teach them the Word in its wholeness. He went from home to home and taught them. He also warned them of the coming false teachers and their heresies. There were times when he kept teaching them late in the night too. He wasn’t shirking his duty.
He knew that the safest place for a Christian is to be in the Word of God. He committed them in the hands of God and into the hands of the Word that is able to build them up and preserve them until the last day in faith.
Peter’s chief concern was also the same. He warned them about the false teachers and urged them to never deviate from the written Word until Jesus Christ would come back:
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. (II Peter 1:19)
-Pankaj
