Page 25 - May 2025 - Truth & Tidings

od has blessed in a recent series God,” amongst many other descriptors
1
of gospel meetings in your area (2Ti 3:1,4). Some of these people come to
Gwith precious souls coming to an end of themselves and, by the grace of
know the Lord Jesus as Saviour. Some God, are reached and saved. What hap-
may be from stable Christian homes, but pens next? They may not have any godly
possibly some have been saved out of examples amongst their friends or families
completely different circumstances. What to help them along the Christian pathway.
is our responsibility? How can we see How can we help?
these believers, redeemed by the blood
of Christ, develop into mature Christians The Care for the Sheep
who will bring honour and glory to our The Responsibility
God? Remember that just before He returned

A Challenging Society to heaven, the Lord Jesus gave John a two-
fold responsibility: “Feed my lambs” and
The Table “Feed my sheep” (Joh 21:15-17). While
Many of us were brought up in homes lambs may describe more the youth and
where the Bible was read on a consistent helplessness of the sheep, in both we see
and regular basis around the table, while the need for pastoral care. There are two
others are perhaps part of the genera- related yet different words that Christ
tion that knew something about the fear uses for the care of the believers, with one
of God, maybe even citing “The Lord’s meaning the constant provision of food
Prayer” in a school classroom. and the other speaking more generally
While it is true that there are many of tending sheep. But how is this done?
pressures on families today, it is vitally The Reading
important to spend time together with the Peter tells us that they will have an ap-
Word of God opened. Remember, our chil- petite, but they may not know how to go
dren’s young minds are being influenced about reading the Word of God. We cannot
in so many ways, and it is incumbent upon force-feed newborn believers, but we can
us to instill scriptural principles in them. give them some simple suggestions about
The Times Bible reading to whet their appetite. How
However, we know that things have encouraging it is to hear a new believer
changed, and it is not uncommon to meet express amazement over some truth she
has found in the Word of God in her own
people who have no working knowledge daily reading! Could you set aside some
of the Bible at all. Paul describes “peril-
ous times” as those when men will be 1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV
“lovers of pleasures more than lovers of unless otherwise noted.

153
TruthandTidings.com I May 2025 153