"Peter, Feed My Sheep” (8 Of 21)

There are some things about food that we do not understand:

• How you can eat a one pound box of chocolate candy and gain five pounds?

• WHY is it that when we sit down to eat a big meal, we call it a "square meal" when it makes us round?

Talking about food though, I heard they have come out with a new baby food. It's half orange juice and half garlic. It not only makes the baby healthier, but also it makes the baby easier to find in the dark.

Now I have mentioned all these things about food, so that I can remind you again, that the job God gave Peter was to, “Feed my sheep.”

WHAT KIND OF FOOD DOES HE SERVE IN THIS VERSE OF SCRIPTURE?

Illus: Years ago, a church announced they would be having a "Hobo Soup Supper." As soon as the announcement was made, people began to inquire, “What is a Hobo Soup Supper?” It was explained that everyone was to bring a can of vegetable soup, and when they arrived, they were to open their can of vegetable soup and dump it in the large pot, and they would have a "Hobo Soup Supper."

God told Peter to feed His sheep, and in verses 8-9, Peter serves a conglomeration of spiritual food.

He starts this portion of Scripture off by saying, "Finally....” Generally when someone is talking and they have a lot to say, they will save the most important for the last.

Illus: When we eat at a good meal, the desert is always at the end.

Maybe Peter thought this was the most important part, because he says - “Finally,”

He has addressed the:

• Citizens (1 Peter 2:13)

• Servants (1 Peter 2:18)

• Wives (1 Peter 3:1)

• Husbands (1 Peter 3:7)

While all of the above may not have applied to some directly, in the closing part of this section, in verses 8 and 9, he gives something that does apply to everyone.

He speaks to Christians about OUR RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER. He speaks about:

I. OUR UNITY

Look at verse 8, we read, “Finally, be ye all of one mind….” When we think of being all of ONE MIND, we can not help but to think about the Book of Acts. Every chapter is filled with the exciting ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. This church was the greatest church that has ever existed. They surpass any church that has ever existed.

They did not have the buildings, technology, comfortable pews, air-conditioning, classrooms, buses and vans, printing presses, computers, electric lights, and microphones that we have today, but no church that has ever existed has been able to go on record as accomplishing greater things than they were able to achieved.

WHAT MADE THEM SUCH A GREAT CHURCH? The Book of Acts tells us what made them such a great church.

Look at Acts 1:18. We read, “These all continued with ONE ACCORD in prayer and supplication….”

This church had congregated for one purpose ONLY: to worship God.

Listen, today’s church brings people together for many reasons. And what is sad is that we have church leaders who do not care if people come for the wrong reasons, all they care about is that they come.

• Many come to be entertained

• Many come for social reasons

• Many come looking for a handout

• Some come wanting someone to perform their wedding

• Some come looking for someone to bury their dead

• Many come looking for business prospects

• Some come looking for a boy or girl friend

People go to church today for all kinds of reasons.

BUT THE BOOK OF ACTS RECORDS THAT THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH CAME TOGETHER FOR ONE REASON - TO WORSHIP GOD!

Because they came for that one right reason, God mightily used them. After God’s Word tells us what brought them together in Acts 1:18, God’s Word wastes no time telling us how God used them.

Look at the next chapter. Look at Acts 2:1-4, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with ONE ACCORD IN ONE PLACE. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

God filled the church with the Holy Ghost in such a way, that on the day of Pentecost the Bible says they stood up before the lost people of that day, and preached the Gospel to them in their “own language”.