(TEXT : John 21:17)
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
FOCUS :
The responsibility Jesus left with us before leaving this world, was to be “intentionally looking after the sheep and feeding them.” When you look after the sheep, that sounds like you are to be monitoring their behavior, protecting them from dangerous animals, making their environment clean at all time and ready to give them constant attention. And when we talk about feeding the sheep, here Jesus is saying: feed them with the right WORD of God Himself, feed them with TRUTH, feed them with the sincere doctrine of God, feed them with wisdom from above, and feed them with the knowledge of the things of God.
Hebrews 3:8-13 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
2 Timothy 2:19-21 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
In addition, Jesus did not just want to assumed that Bro, Peter is “genuinely saved”, Jesus want to be sure; and that is why He tested him for that three times. Sometimes you can be saved but not “genuinely,” and that means, you ain’t broken yet. And if care is not taken, whatever it is that Jesus saved you from, might soon come back into your life, occupies your entire life and claim the ownership of your life even while you’re still going to church. And that is why many people who goes to church nowadays do so for “religious mindset but not necessarily genuinely born again”; and for this kind of people, they can know veres in the Bible, but not having relationship with Jesus who saved them. Whatever you sow in the lives of other people, will equally be what others will sow into your life. You can’t be a child of God and you will not have your own responsibility, even as God Himself have His own responsibilities (in heavens, on earth and underneath). But how responsible are you? One day we will all stand before the judgement seat to give an account of our either being responsible or irresponsible. Are you responsible or irresponsible in the assignment of God to you?
Galatians 6:7-9 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Finally, the responsibility Jesus Christ gave to us was to preach to the sinners, and not to watch them perishing under our watch. And after we have preached to them, we disciple them to become genuine children of God, who one day will have the Grace and boldness to enter Heaven even as we are also going to make Heaven with them one day. “Being gentle or humble” does not mean you are “BROKEN or SAVED.” You can be gentle and humble, meanwhile, you are heading to hell and not Heaven. Which is why, it is the responsibility of every child of God to “preach the Word of God constantly and to teach the Word of God consistently”; so that those who thinks that they are standing right in Faith, but they are not, will be able to sense it that they need to recheck their balance in Christ and now stand properly.
1 Corinthians 10:11-12 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1 Timothy 4:15-16 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!
God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?
T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE