Topical Bible: The 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 throughout the Scriptures.

Biblical Foundation

The command for ministers to feed the flock is prominently highlighted in the Gospel of John. After His resurrection, Jesus Christ reinstates Peter with a threefold charge: "Feed My lambs," "Tend My sheep," and "Feed My sheep" (John 21:15-17). This passage underscores the pastoral responsibility to provide spiritual nourishment and care for the believers.

The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this duty in his farewell address to the Ephesian elders. He exhorts them, "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" (Acts 20:28). Here, Paul emphasizes the divine appointment of ministers as shepherds, tasked with the oversight and feeding of the church.

Pastoral Epistles

The Pastoral Epistles, particularly 1 Timothy and Titus, provide additional guidance on the qualifications and responsibilities of church leaders. In 1 Timothy 3:2, Paul states that an overseer must be "able to teach," highlighting the importance of doctrinal instruction. Similarly, in Titus 1:9, he instructs that an elder must "hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it" . These passages affirm the minister's role in teaching and safeguarding the truth of the Gospel.

Peter's Exhortation

The Apostle Peter also addresses the role of church leaders in his first epistle. 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" (1 Peter 5:2). Peter's exhortation emphasizes the voluntary and eager nature of pastoral ministry, driven by a desire to serve God and His people.

The Role of Teaching

Teaching is a central component of feeding the flock. In Ephesians 4:11-12, Paul explains that Christ "gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ" . This passage highlights the teaching role of pastors as essential for equipping believers and fostering spiritual growth within the church.

Conclusion

The biblical mandate for ministers to feed the flock is a profound responsibility that encompasses teaching, guiding, and nurturing the spiritual lives of believers. This duty is rooted in the example of Christ, the instructions of the apostles, and the overarching mission of the Church to proclaim and live out the Gospel.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

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.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

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