When Jesus spoke to Peter after the resurrection, He gave him a simple command: “Tend My sheep” and “Feed My sheep.” John 21:16–17

Those words still speak directly to anyone who has been entrusted with teaching God’s people.

A pastor may preach in a large church with hundreds of people, or he may stand under a tree before a small fellowship. He may have formal education, a library full of books, and years of training, or he may have little more than a Bible in his hands. The setting may be different, but the responsibility is the same.

Feed the flock.

That means the people of God need more than encouragement, enthusiasm, stories, or entertainment. They need the Word of God.

Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2

Notice what Paul placed at the center of Timothy’s ministry. He did not tell him to impress the people. He did not tell him to build his message around clever stories or personal experiences. He told him to preach the Word.

A pastor who stands before the people God has sent him is not standing in a comedy club. He is standing in a place of responsibility. Even stories and illustrations should be used carefully and kept to a minimum. If they help explain the truth, they can be useful. But if people remember the story and forget the Scripture, something has gone wrong.

The question every preacher should ask is not, “Did the people enjoy my sermon?”

The better question is, “Did I faithfully give them what God has said?”

Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

People need Scripture because Scripture does what our cleverness cannot do.

God’s Word corrects us when we are wrong. It exposes sin. It teaches us how to live. It comforts the discouraged. It warns the careless. It points sinners to Christ. It strengthens believers who are suffering. It teaches the church what is true.

Paul wrote, “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16–17

That is why a preacher should never feel that the Bible is not enough.

A pastor may not have access to expensive books. He may not have attended a Bible college. He may not have internet access every day or the opportunity to study under well-known teachers. Education and good Bible resources can be helpful, and we should be thankful for them when God provides them. But no preacher should believe he cannot faithfully serve God because he lacks those things.

What he must have is a willingness to open the Scriptures, study them carefully, pray, and teach what they actually say.

The pastor is not called to invent a message. He has already been given one.

Paul told Titus that an overseer must be “holding firmly the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.” Titus 1:9

That requires work.

A preacher should read the passage in context. He should ask what the writer was saying, who was being addressed, and what the passage actually teaches. He should resist the temptation to make a verse say something simply because it sounds powerful from the pulpit.

The responsibility is especially serious because people may believe what they hear simply because a preacher said it.

James warned, “Do not become teachers in large numbers, my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a stricter judgment.” James 3:1

Those are sobering words.

Standing before God’s people is not an opportunity to show how much we know. It is a responsibility to handle His Word faithfully.

This also means pastors must sometimes preach things people would rather not hear.

Paul told Timothy to reprove, rebuke, and exhort. There will be times when Scripture confronts sin. There will be times when it corrects false teaching. There will be times when people need comfort, and other times when they need warning.

A faithful preacher does not decide which parts of Scripture his people are allowed to hear.

Paul reminded the elders at Ephesus, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” Acts 20:27

That should still be the goal.

Feed them the whole Word.

Teach about grace, but also repentance. Teach about God’s love, but also His holiness. Teach forgiveness, but also obedience. Teach heaven, but do not be afraid to teach judgment. Teach the promises of God, but also teach the commands of Christ.

The flock needs a balanced diet.

Ephesians 4 says that pastors and teachers were given “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:12

The pastor is not supposed to do everything for the church. His teaching should help believers grow strong enough to serve, pray, discern truth, resist false teaching, encourage others, and share Christ.

That is what feeding the flock accomplishes.

The preacher may never become famous. His congregation may never become large. No one may ever upload his sermons to the internet. But if he stands before the people God has entrusted to him and faithfully opens the Bible, explains what it says, and points them to Christ, his ministry matters.

Paul said, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

That is why the pulpit must never become a stage.

It is a place of responsibility.

The people have come hungry.

Feed the flock.