While the Lord Jesus is teaching, he warned his disciples to keep on the watch of his return or coming.(Luke 12:35-40) Unsure of whom the Lord is saying to, Peter asked: “Lord, are you telling this illustration just to us or also to everyone?” The Lord answered him: “Who really is the faithful steward, the discreet one, whom his master will appoint over his body of attendants to keep giving them their measure of food supplies at the proper time?”.(Luke 12:42-44; Matthew 24:45-47) Are the apostles the only group of whom the Lord appointed to give food for his sheep at their proper time?
Let’s look at another illustration the Lord gave to his disciples. “A man of noble birth traveled to a distant land to secure kingly power for himself and to return. Calling ten of his slaves, he gave them ten miʹnas and told them, ‘Do business with these until I come.”(Luke 19:12,13) The “man of noble birth” in the illustration pertains to the Lord Jesus when he goes back in heaven. Who are then the ten slaves? Remember, “ten” is a symbolic number here which represents all of the anointed slaves just as the “ten virgins” represent all of the anointed.(Matthew 25:1,2)
But how will the slaves give “proper food at the proper time?” Apostle Paul explains in his letter: “Now undeserved kindness was given to each one of us according to how the Christ measured out the free gift. . . he gave gifts in men. . . And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, to build up the body of the Christ, until we all attain to the oneness of the faith and of the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to being a full-grown man, attaining the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ.”(Ephesians 4:17-13) Clearly, the apostles are not just the only ones who have given the responsibility to feed the congregation—the Body of Christ. “For, indeed, the body is made up not of one member but of many. . . But now God has arranged each of the body members just as he pleased. . . The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” or again, the head cannot say to the feet, “I do not need you. . . so that there should be no division in the body, but its members should have mutual concern for one another. . . And God has assigned the respective ones in the congregation: first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then powerful works; then gifts of healings; helpful services; abilities to direct; different tongues.”(1 Corinthians 12:14-28)
Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans, further explains this feeding of the body: “For through the undeserved kindness given to me, I tell everyone there among you not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think, but to think so as to have a sound mind, each one as God has given to him a measure of faith. For just as we have in one body many members, but the members do not all have the same function, so we, although many, are one body in union with Christ, but individually we are members belonging to one another. Since, then, we have gifts that differ according to the undeserved kindness given to us, if it is of prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or if it is a ministry, let us be at this ministry; or the one who teaches, let him be at his teaching; or the one who encourages, let him give encouragement; the one who distributes, let him do it liberally; the one who presides, let him do it diligently; the one who shows mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”(Romans 12:3-8)
So all the anointed brothers of Christ are given responsibility to feed his Body, whether spiritually or materially. (Romans 15:25-27; 2 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 6:6) As each slave is given a talent according to his ability, let us all do what we can to feed the Body of Christ in spiritual things or material things according to what they need.(Matthew 25:19-30) Let us “slave for one another.”(Matthew 20:26,27; Galatians 5:13)
All can have a part in feeding the Body of Christ. Even the other sheep can have a share and expect their reward in the end.(Matthew 10:40-42; 25:31-40) So in the end, we can hear the Lord saying to us: “Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things. I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.”(Matthew 25:21) And to the other sheep: “Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.”(Matthew 25:34)
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