Letter from the Church Council
John 21:15-17 “ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you 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 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.” As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to take care of each other, serve each other, and feed each other what Jesus has shown in his life and through his people spiritually, physically, emotionally, in times of trouble, and in happiness. We serve and feed people of God by showing them the Lord’s love, it is not a must that we do a lot. Small things also matter. By doing all these things we are fulfilling what the Lord has asked us to do, when he said in John 13: 34-45 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” and when he said in Matthew 25:35-36 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11 explains, “The Holy Spirit has given everyone a gift to be used in the church and everywhere.” By using those gifts, we fulfill what the Lord has asked us to do. We should use those gifts for his church which is his body. ACC has committees where you can put your gifts in use, from praying for others, to singing in church, to teaching Sunday school. This is your time to do so. Do not wait for the perfect time to volunteer to serve God. There are needs to be met every day, every second.
In John 21:15 and Ephesians 4:11, we clearly see that Jesus wanted us to follow his terms in all matters. Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we are to care for one another.
All of us are members of the body of Christ, we should love and help each other as by doing so we are doing it to God himself. Apostle Paul says, “Let the strong carry the weak.” The unity of the Spirit is brought by the bond of peace and love. As always, the Good Samaritan in Luke epitomizes the whole issue.
Continued on page 2 below 1 2 Continued from Page 2 above Pastoral care is a duty entrusted to all Christians by God where we are directed to take care of others and ourselves.
The Book of Acts 20:28 is a reflection of what we as Christians should do in our journey of faith, the word of God reads as follows;
“Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son”.
The main practices of pastoral care include: Spiritual care. Simply put, spiritual care is attending to a person’s spiritual or religious needs as they cope with pain, loss, loneliness or illness by helping them heal physically and emotionally and regain their sense of spiritual well-being.
Taking care of others is a duty which God has imposed to mankind, God has reminded us to always love others as we love ourselves, by doing this we show and remind each other what God is like, what he represents, and what he stands for. Let us be good ambassadors of God by doing good deeds.
~ Sion Miraa, ACC Council Chair