FEED MY SHEEP.

I’ve been thinking of different ways to approach this topic that has been on my heart. It has taken me this long to formulate my words and my thoughts. This will be a short read, and I am sure this won’t be the only time I talk about this. But my heart has been grieved of late, so much has been happening on a global scale and in my little world. It has been hard to talk about it in a way that doesn’t cause offence to others. I don’t pretend to even know what it takes to be in a position where you are shepherding God’s flock, so please, if God has placed you in that position, please don’t receive what I say as arrogance or that I think I know everything, because that is not true. I know nothing. I don’t know what it takes to be in such a position, and to be honest, I would never want to know because that is not my calling. But what I do have, which is a gift from God, is spiritual descernment, and I see things before others see things at times.

I love being a part of a community, I love fellowship with my brothers and sisters, and I love church. I know not many people can say that because of things that may have been experienced being apart of the body of believers, and although my journey with others hasn’t always been smooth sailing, I have been hurt by people many times already. But I am mature enough to know that the actions of others aren’t a reflection of the God I love and serve, but an accurate reflection of man’s ability to be weak in flesh. This is why we need Jesus! The Good out weighs the bad, and experiences that aren’t pleasant will not turn me away from serving others. But, I can say that from a place of spiritual maturity. It’s to be expected that when we gather together at church, it is filled with believers at different stages of their faith, some new, some old, some unsure. But coming together and doing life together, we are meant to walk with each other, helping others to become more mature in faith. Church is meant to be a place where we can get fed, where we are helped, and given the tools meant to make us more mature in spirit. Yes, we have a responsibilty to ourselves to feed and cultivate our faith because in the end when we stand before God, we will have to answer for our lives and all that we did with it, and we will not be able to blame a soul for our lack. But God has given us people to guide and teach us. This is why church is so important.

When I became a Christian at the end of 2019, my coming to faith was a direct result of the power of the Word of God! In me reading the bible diligently everyday for a month, well it was more like 4hrs of bible study everyday, my mind was being renewed without me even realising what was happening, because I never intended to find God reading the bible, my intention was to prove God wrong instead. I didn’t start out in church. It was just me and my friend doing bible study every day over the phone because we lived in different countries. I became spiritually mature very quickly because I let the word of God renew my mind and build my faith. ROMANS 10:17 “SO FAITH COMES FROM HEARING, AND HEARING THROUGH THE WORD OF CHRIST.” My story was different. We were in a time (the pandemic) where there was nothing to do because the world had shut down. Now, the world is very much open, and many will not have the time I did to do what I did. So people come to church when they want to explore and find out who God is. This is why the church is so important.

The church has a responsibility to feed and help you to become spiritually mature. But that doesn’t seem to be the goal amongst (some) churches today. It seems that they are more and more becoming consumed with numbers in seats and making money. Although those things are not inherently bad, if that becomes the main focus rather than genuine conversion to Christ, there may be a problem. Having a packed out church may make you feel good and stroke your ego as a leader, but what good is it if it is not cultivating a relationship with Jesus? If people are attending week after week, and month after month, but still can’t tell you who Jesus is, or they have no conviction in their heart that they are living away from God, then it’s quite possible you have created a feel good centre instead of a church! You don’t want to give the people attending the truth, in case you lose butts on chairs. Or worst still, you don’t think the word is sufficient enough because you don’t think the people attending the church can handle the truth, so you make it more palatable? HOW DARE YOU!! HEBREWS 4:12 “FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND POWERFUL. IT IS SHARPER THAN THE SHARPEST TWO-EDGED SWORD, CUTTING BETWEEN SOUL AND SPIRIT, BETWEEN JOINT AND MARROW. IT EXPOSES OUR INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND DESIRES.”

You can think of all the amazing ways to fill your church, but it is all for nothing if it is not centred on the Word of God. Jesus has to always be at the centre of it all. It doesn’t matter if fewer people attend because they can’t handle the unfiltered Word of God. If the truth hardens their heart, then they were never chosen. It is God who does the growing of faith. It is the Holy Spirit who brings people into the revelation of Jesus, not us. We are but vessels that are called to be obedient and share the good news. The people who are meant to respond will do just that!

Jesus asked Peter three times to feed my sheep. Peter, who Jesus made the rock on, which the church was built. He wanted the flock to be attended to, to be brought into spiritual maturity so that they could go on and carry out the task of making disciples. That is still the same for churches today. You can’t expect the flock to become spiritually mature if you withhold the only thing that will bring them into full maturity! 2 TIMOTHY 3:16 “ALL SCRIPTURE IS BREATHED OUT BY GOD AND PROFITABLE FOR TEACHING, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, AND FOR TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS,” notice it doesn’t say to entertain, make you feel good, or tell you what you want to hear. Everything about it makes us reflect on ourselves, search our hearts, and most importantly, turn away from our own desires to carry out the desires of our Father in heaven. It helps us to become righteous!

I think you get my point, so I am gonna wrap this up. This isn’t every church. There are many good churches out there. But it’s a slippery slope, and it is definitely something we need to keep watch from entering our churches. Many are falling away because of it. Leaders, you have a great responsibility. Many souls are under your watch and care. I pray that you will do well in your calling, for not only do our lives depend on it, but your life depends on it also. God bless you all.