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I know that our brothers and sisters in Zion are always working hard for the gospel, regardless of hot summer or cold winter weather conditions. God came to this earth to seek and save the lost and preached the gospel. This gospel, which leads human beings to the kingdom of heaven, is the new covenant that we are keeping and preaching now.
If we summarize the gospel of the new covenant in one word, we can say that it is the “gospel through which we take care of others.” The Bible likens the relationship between God and His people to the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. Christ, the good Shepherd, took care of His people, represented as the sheep, with love and care, and He did not even spare His own life to protect them (Ps 23:1-6; Jn 10:10-16). The reason Christ showed us this example was because He wanted us to follow in His steps. We, who have been called to salvation through the gospel earlier, should take care of those who are weak and go to the eternal kingdom of heaven together with them.
The task entrusted to those who love Christ
The gospel ministry, which God Himself carried out when He came to this earth to save human beings, is usually described as pastoral care. Doing pastoral care means taking care of God’s sheep. This pastoral care or ministry can be condensed into the following three duties: The first duty is to find God’s sheep, the second is to take care of them, and the third is to lead them until they reach salvation.
This is the task that Christ Himself carried out, and it is also something that everyone who has received the gospel of the new covenant must pay attention to and put into practice. First, we have to find our lost brothers and sisters and then take good care of those who are found. And we should also lead them to heaven so that they can attain salvation.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” Jn 21:15-17
When Jesus appeared to Peter after His resurrection, He asked him the same questions three times: “Do you love me?” Peter repeatedly confessed his love to Jesus. Then Jesus said, “Feed my lambs,” “Take care of my sheep.” “Take care of my sheep.” By saying this, Jesus meant: “If you love me, take great care of my lambs. Since they are still spiritually indiscreet and weak in faith, plant in them the seeds of hope for heaven and faith as well, and lead them to heaven, always taking care of them with love.” This is the will of our God.
God has entrusted this task to those who love Him. We are to always take care of God’s sheep; if they go astray, we should lead them on the right path, and if they lose spiritual strength, we should give them new strength. This is the gospel of the new covenant.
Christ came to save us
The reason we should preach diligently is to carry out our first duty for the gospel to “find God’s sheep.” If we examine the footsteps of Jesus which He left on this earth, we can see what we have to do for the sake of the gospel.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Lk 19:10
Jesus said that the purpose of His coming to this earth was to seek and to save the lost. That is why our brothers and sisters all around the world are working hard to find God’s lost children, anytime and anywhere.
First, we need to seek the lost. Then we have to take good care of them, so that they will never be taken away by Satan again. This is God’s will: The children of Zion who are first should wholeheartedly take care of those who are last, and ultimately lead them to salvation. Heaven is not the kind of place where we can go alone. That is why Jesus has told us to take care of one another until we attain salvation in heaven.
Christ, who came as the good Shepherd, promised that He would come again as the Shepherd to save us in the last days (Eze 34:11-31).
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Heb 9:27-28
The purpose of Christ’s coming to this earth, both at His first coming and His second coming, was to save us. So we, who have received the truth in this age, should go where God has opened the way for us to be saved, together with our brothers and sisters. Carrying out the gospel ministry does not just mean preaching God’s word. Finding our lost brothers and sisters from heaven, taking care of them, and leading them to salvation in the end this is the complete fulfillment of the gospel.
God chose shepherds
In Genesis it is written that Abel kept flocks and offered a righteous sacrifice to God (Ge 4:1-5). There are many cases in the history of the Old Testament where God chose shepherds to be prophets or kings.
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian … Ex 3:1
… One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him.” Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 1 Sa 16:17-19
Moses was called by God when he was tending the flock of Jethro. He delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, and became a great prophet to receive the law of the old covenant from God. David was anointed when he was a young shepherd boy, and he became the second king of Israel (1 Sa 16:11-13). The Bible describes David as the king who completely believed and trusted in God and ruled his kingdom wisely according to God’s will.
God knows better than anyone else that the shepherds who tend their sheep well can also take good care of those whom He has entrusted to them. So, God chose the shepherds, who would be able to defeat wolves when they tried to attack His sheep and to lead His sheep to green pastures when they were hungry and beside quiet waters when they were thirsty, and He established them as the leaders for His great work of salvation.
David, when he tended the flock, protected them even at the risk of his own life. This is why God was pleased with him, saying, “A man after my own heart” (Ac 13:22).
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” … 1 Sa 17:32-37
When a lion or a bear carried off a sheep from the flock, David rescued the sheep from its mouth without fail by fighting against it. This kind of courageous faith is required of us, spiritual shepherds. Let us find our lost brothers and sisters, take care of them and lead them to the way of salvation, so that we will not lose any of them but bring them all to heaven together.
Take care of God’s flock with love
“Feed my sheep,” “Take care of my sheep.” We have received this holy command from God. There are still our brothers and sisters around us who do not yet realize hope for heaven while living the life of faith. It is our duty to diligently feed them the truth and take care of their souls. We should have faith mature enough to care for our brothers and sisters and help them, instead of just being taken care of by others.
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them… . Ac 20:29-31
In Today’s English Version, we can see the former part of verse 28 written as follows: “So keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock which the Holy Spirit has placed in your care.”
And the latter part of verse 28 says, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he [God] bought with his own blood.” Sometimes we find it hard even to take care of ourselves alone. So, taking care of others is not an easy thing to do. That is impossible without the mind of love and sacrifice.
Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Ro 13:10-14
Now let us wake up and be clear minded; and let us put on the armor of light, setting aside the worldly things of darkness. As the kingdom of God is drawing nearer, we must fulfill the last part of the New Covenant Law through love. As people of Zion, let us take care of one another and lead each other through God’s gracious words, always worrying about one another, so that we will all attain salvation, without any of us failing to be saved.
With Mother’s heart of love and sacrifice
In a family, it is the mother who takes better care of the family members than anyone else. The mother does everything to save her children, even things that seem impossible. Without this kind of sacrificial love, we cannot take care of others.
If we have the heart of Mother, we can care for all our brothers and sisters. Just as David rescued a lamb from a lion by holding the lion by its beard, even at the risk of his own life, let us all strive to attain salvation together by taking care of one another with love. Until the day when Father comes, we should continue to put into practice love which is the “fulfillment of the law” in the gospel of the new covenant.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 Jn 4:7-9
God is love. To save us, God came to this earth and demonstrated His own love for us by willingly going through all kinds of suffering and sacrifice. Without this kind of love, it is impossible to take care of others.
When each and every member of Zion is made perfect in love, the gospel of the new covenant can be accomplished. The new covenant is the gospel of love, through which we take care of one another.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Co 13:1-7
Of course, the greatest love of all mentioned here is the love of God who has given us, His children, His flesh and blood through the Passover sacrifice. However, God has also given us this command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So we should have this love and put it into practice as well.
To take care of our brothers and sisters and lead them to heaven, we must have patience and kindness in our hearts. 1 Corinthians 13 shows us that whatever is done without love is something incomplete. Fruit borne without love or knowledge of God’s word obtained without love is still incomplete.
Keeping God’s commandments, preaching the gospel, teaching God’s words, serving our brothers and sisters and our neighbors, and so on all these things must be done with love. To fulfill the greatest commandment to “love” in the truth of the new covenant, Jesus gave us this last command: “Take care of my sheep.”
Let us pray for one another, give courage and strength to each other, and help one another reach the kingdom of heaven. I want you all to have the same kind of courageous spirit as that of David who even risked his own life to save a lamb from a lion or a bear by holding its beard when it took the lamb from the flock. Thinking about the love of God who always protects us and takes care of us, let us take good care of our brothers and sisters in Zion and lead many souls into the arms of God, so that we can fulfill the whole law as God’s children full of love.