Topical Bible: Church: Ministers Commanded to Feed

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In the New Testament, the role of ministers within the church is clearly delineated, with a significant emphasis on the responsibility to "feed" the flock, which is a metaphor for teaching, guiding, and nurturing the spiritual well-being of the congregation. This duty is rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostolic instructions found in the Scriptures.

Jesus' Command to Peter

One of the most direct commands regarding this responsibility is found in the interaction between Jesus and Peter after the resurrection. In John 21:15-17 , Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him, and each time Peter affirms his love, Jesus responds with a command: "Feed My lambs," "Tend My sheep," and "Feed My sheep." This threefold charge underscores the importance of pastoral care and the spiritual nourishment of the believers.

Paul's Instructions to the Elders

The Apostle Paul, in his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, reiterates this responsibility. In Acts 20:28 , Paul exhorts the elders: "Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood." Here, Paul emphasizes the divine appointment of church leaders and their duty to shepherd the church, highlighting the sacrificial love of Christ as the foundation for their ministry.

Peter's Exhortation to Elders

Peter himself, having received the direct command from Jesus, passes on this charge to other church leaders. In 1 Peter 5:2-3 , he writes: "Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them—not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." Peter emphasizes the attitude and character required of those who shepherd the church, focusing on willingness, humility, and exemplary conduct.

The Role of Teaching

The pastoral responsibility to feed the flock is closely tied to the ministry of teaching. In Ephesians 4:11-12 , Paul outlines the gifts Christ gave to the church, including "pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ." This passage highlights the dual role of pastors as both shepherds and teachers, tasked with equipping believers for service and edifying the church.

Warnings Against False Teaching

The New Testament also contains warnings against false teachers who fail to properly feed the flock. In 2 Timothy 4:2-3 , Paul instructs Timothy: "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine." This charge underscores the importance of sound teaching and the vigilance required to protect the church from doctrinal error.

Conclusion

The biblical mandate for ministers to feed the church is a profound responsibility that encompasses teaching, guiding, and nurturing the spiritual health of the congregation. This duty is rooted in the example and commands of Christ, the apostolic teachings, and the overarching mission of the church to grow in faith and knowledge of the Lord.

Nave's Topical Index

Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Articles of Religion of the Reformed Episcopal Church in America. ...
... It is also repugnant to the Word of God to have public prayer in the Church, or
to minister the ordinances ... Christian ministers are not commanded by God's ...
/.../articles of religion of the.htm

The Holy Catholic Church.
... unable to instruct them in the things commanded by the ... the duty of the second order
of Ministers in the ... Ephesus, and called the Elders of the Church;" and when ...
/.../burbidge/the kingdom of heaven what is it/chapter ix the holy catholic.htm

Preface
... tears, and who had been graciously raised by our Lord, and commanded to "feed ... Well
indeed would it have been for the Church if all her ministers had always ...
/.../ryle/the upper room being a few truths for the times/preface.htm

The Organization of the Apostolic Church.
... ecclesiastical confederation; for though they were commanded to go ... The members of
the Church had "one Lord ... The prayers of ministers and people varied according ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter iii the organization of.htm

On Being Filled with the Spirit
... 2. Because God has commanded it ... nursing, and need rather to be fed, than to undertake
to feed the church ... Sinners, the church, ministers, have a right to complain ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture vii on being filled.htm

Of the Power of the Church in Articles of Faith. The Unbridled ...
... random fabricated, but whatsoever he had commanded (Mt.28 ... does not now belong to
faithful ministers to coin ... each individual, but what the whole Church, is bound ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 8 of the power.htm

A Sermon of the Reverend Father Master Hugh Latimer, Preached in ...
... And it was spoken of a spiritual work of God, a work that was commanded to be done;
and it was of shedding blood ... Should we have ministers of the church to be ...
/.../latimer/sermons on the card and other discourses/a sermon of the reverend.htm

Treatise i. On the Unity of the Church.
... Christ, who does not do what Christ commanded him to ... his ministers as if they were
the ministers of righteousness ... upon this rock I will build my Church, and the ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise i on the unity.htm

The Extension of the Church Throughout the World
... that the Gentile Christians should be commanded so far ... the Apostles' work in founding
the Church of God ... salvation of which they were the ministers and stewards. ...
/.../blunt/a key to the knowledge of church history/chapter iii the extension of.htm

The Ministry.
... Then said the Interpreter, "Come in; I will show thee that which will be profitable
to thee." So he commanded his man to ... MINISTERS, SERVANTS OF THE CHURCH. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xxii the ministry.htm