Feed My Lambs

by Pastor Mark
May 31, 2018

Junior Camp 2018

It has been an exciting week for our children as we held our Junior Camp this past week. The camp committee has worked tirelessly to prepare and to minister to our children. They have sought to teach the Lord’s Word and to conduct delightful programs for all of them. Let us thank God for blessing our children and for the commitment of our camp officers. This year’s theme “Feed My Lambs” was taken from the tender words of the Lord Jesus to Peter when he was being specially restored by Him. Peter had failed the Lord Jesus by denying Him three times. In discouragement, he and some of the other disciples had gone back to fishing. But the Lord Jesus sought to encourage Peter as he had a meal with them. There were three times in which the Lord Jesus challenged Peter concerning his ministry.

1. “Feed My lambs.” (John 21:15)

Peter was to attend to the lambs. This was a reference to the children. The Lord Jesus gave special consideration to children. In His ministry, He called for them to be brought to Him so that He could love and bless them. (Luke 18:15­–17) It was with such a concern for children that the Lord Jesus challenged Peter to feed the lambs…the children. They too are to be fed spiritually…with the Lord’s Word. Peter was given the task to care for them. In the Junior Camp, we have sought to feed the children spiritually through the teaching of the Lord’s Word. Let us pray that the Word of the Lord will help bring about faith and growth in them.

2. “Tend My sheep.” (John 21:16)

The word “tend” in Greek is “poimaino” which means “to shepherd”. For the second challenge to Peter, the Lord Jesus expanded his focus from lambs to sheep…feeding to shepherding. Peter was tasked with shepherding the flock…to lead and guide them. This was something that Peter fulfilled as he became the outstanding leading shepherd of the Jerusalem church. He also saw himself as a shepherd which he wrote in his epistle, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you.” (1 Peter 5:2) He challenged his fellow pastors to shepherd the flock. We thank God for Pastor Charles who is our shepherd and who leads and guides us as a flock. The pastoral team also seeks to do our part in supporting pastor. But we also recognise that the work of shepherding cannot be fulfilled without the support of many in Bethany. Let us truly appreciate the work of shepherding in Bethany.

3. “Feed My sheep.” (John 2:17)

The Lord Jesus also challenged Peter to feed the sheep in His third challenge to him. Besides the children, all the rest of the flock also needs feeding. The whole flock needs to be fed with the Lord’s Word. We thank God for the tremendous ministry of the Word that we have here in Bethany…that the Word of God is consistently preached and taught throughout all of our ministries. There is the feeding of our flock at all levels. From the young to the old…from the pulpit to our Sunday schools, we are a Word-centred church that ensures that the flock is feed with the Word of God each week and throughout the year.

The challenge to feed and shepherd the flock

When Lord Jesus gave all these three challenges to feed and tend to the sheep and lambs, they were written in the imperative…a challenge for these ministries to be fulfilled. Let us seek to appreciate the absolute importance of the shepherding and feeding of the flock. Let us thank God for the feeding of the Lord’s Word here in Bethany. Let us be committed to the ministry of the Word which is meant to feed us and strengthen us for our life and ministry.

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