In John’s Gospel, we are privileged to witness a conversation that Jesus had with the Apostle Peter on the shore of the sea of Galilee, which is also called Tiberias (John 21:15-17). Sitting around a campfire, Jesus asked Peter the same question three times; “Peter, do you love Me?”
Feed My Sheep
Each time when Peter answered in the affirmative, Jesus gave him a commandment, “Feed My sheep,” “Feed My Lambs.”
Jesus was showing Peter and us that if we truly love Jesus, then we will express that love in service to others.
In Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard found in Matthew 20:1-16, we are given an illustration of service. Those who labored all day are given the same reward as those who labored but a little. Salvation is given equally and is not dependent on our works or spiritual development; but we can see from this example that everyone is serving, even those new believers who have not had the opportunity to work as long as those who had been in the faith for many years.
So we can see that the Lord expects all who believe to serve Him in some capacity, even though our service has nothing to do with our salvation.
God expects our work for Him to be a labor of love for our Savior, and the natural response to the Gospel. It is our way of saying, “Thank You” for our salvation.
Our first priority should be sharing the Gospel. We should be “instant in season, out of season” (II Timothy 4:2), ready in every circumstance to “give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you”… (I Peter 3:15). We can always have an effective tract with us to help us explain the Gospel.
Secondly, we can help expand God’s kingdom by tithing to support missionaries. That is the equivalent of investing in God’s “bank.” In Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the one who hid his money in the ground, when he could have put it in the bank so it could have earned interest for his master, is punished severely. The “bank” in this parable represents the investment in ministries that are serving in ways that we sometimes cannot.
And thirdly, and this is the most important; we can pray for those workers and ministries that are serving God, and for the Gospel to spread far and wide. Without prayer, God’s work can be hindered or stopped. Prayer is the oil on the wheels that keeps the Gospel moving forward.
Jesus describes what happens at the judgment in Matthew 25:31-46. Those who out of love and in response to the Holy Spirit living inside them, have exhibited the reality of their salvation by serving others, “The Least of These.” Serving in any capacity, is the natural response of those who are genuinely saved.
Jesus asks us all the same question He asked Peter. “Do you love Me?” If our answer is yes, then we will “Feed His sheep.”
Copyright 2023 by H.D. Shively