Certain Types of Food at Particular Times

            Are you getting the right kind of food in the church services you attend? Many pastors cringe when they are challenged as to the content of their sermons, but they sometimes forget that they have a responsibility to the church to make sure they are feeding not only spiritual food but also the right kind of spiritual food. They not only have a responsibility to the church to make sure they are built up in the word of God sufficiently, but they will also have to give an account to their master on how well they are feeding his people, and what kind of food that they are distributing to the house of God (1Cor.4:1-2; Heb.13:17).

            When Jesus was teaching his disciples one day, just days before he was betrayed by Judas, he brought forth the following question, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season” (Matt.24:45, HNV)? Preceding this question he was describing the catching away of the church to them, using symbolic language from verse thirty six through to this question, his attention was on the church in general, but now, with this provocative question, he directs his attention to those who are the shepherds over Gods house; those who feed the church the word of God. In the preceding verses he was instructing the church to keep watch because the church does not know the exact day the trumpet will sound (Matt.24:42), in addition, he gives further warning, church be ready, for the trumpet will sound at an hour when you do not think it will sound, therefore there is the potential for you to be caught unaware (Matt.24:44).

            The Christ carefully illustrates how the catching away of the church will occur, using two examples from the Old Testament, the destruction of the flood and the destruction of the city of Sodom. He describes that when the flood came every person was swept away to their death, except for Noah and his family, every individual was caught unaware because they had no knowledge of how great the surging waters would fill the earth (Matt.24:37-39). He added that when Lot was taken out of the city of Sodom, by the two angels manifesting in the image of men, fire and brimstone fell upon the city destroying it without warning to any of its inhabitants (Gen.19:16-25; Lk.17:28-30). In the same way, when the Lord raptures the church (1Thess.4:16-17), it will be similar in nature to these two events; the earth’s population will be caught off guard. Jesus is exhortative in his teaching of how quickly he will come to catch the church away, by using the preceding examples, but now, after strongly urging the church to watch and be ready for his appearance, he then turns his attention to the faithful and wise servant, who is a kingdom officer (Eph.4:11), an overseer of the church.

            Verse forty five reveals that the overseers have a great responsibility to feed the church certain types of food at particular times; “their food in due season.” It is up to the overseer to know what season the church is in, and they must know what kind of food to feed them in the various seasons. The food that must be administered to the church is distinctly the word of God, it is not fables, it is not stories, but rather it is what God has said and what has been recorded in the Scriptures. It is every book and every letter written, it is every chapter and every passage recorded, broken down and interpreted properly, so the church can know without any doubt what God is saying. The word of God feeds the spirit and soul, it nourishes them like we nourish our body so that the body can live and be healthy—when the word of God is not provided to the church, with a healthy provision, provided constantly and interpreted correctly, the spirit man gets anemic, begins to get weak, and when it gets weak there is the possibility of death.

            God expects the overseer to feed the church certain types of food, meaning certain doctrines, in the various stages and seasons of the church, he expects the church to grow so they must begin on the milk of the word and then advance to the meat of the word (Heb.5:12-14; 1Pt.2:2). The overseer must know what season the church is in, is the church in the early beginnings or is it in the final days of the church age, there is milk and meat for both seasons and the overseer must know what to feed the church in whatever time period the church is in. The apostles recorded both milk and meat for the churches nourishment needs, both for the early beginnings of the church age and for the final days of the church age; and of course in between these periods as well. When the kingdom officer feeds the church in this generation, the final days of the church age, they can feed the church milk and meat that pertain to the early beginnings of the church age but they must also inform the church that this is the type of food they are receiving, therefore, since we are living in the final days of the church age the overseer must primarily feed the church milk and meat that is suitable for this particular time.

            What do I mean by feeding the church food that is suitable for this particular time? What I mean is that the overseer must realize that we are living in the final days of the church age, which means we are living in the days when the catching away of the church can happen at any hour (Jms.5:8), so the food to be administered in this season, and on a constant basis, is food pertaining to the coming of the Lord, the rapture of the church, the signs of the times, the tribulation period, the second coming, etc.—the overseer must stop being men pleasers, stop tickling the ears of their parishioners, and preach the word of God. It is up to the kingdom officers to know Gods word and to know how to divide it properly, how to administer it for the season (2Tim.2:15), so they can nourish the church, so the church does not grow weak and fall away from the faith (2Thess.2:3; 1Tim.4:1; 2Tim.4:3-4), and most important, so the church can watch and be ready for the coming of the Lord (Matt.24:42, 44; 25:13). 

            Jesus asked something specific in the verse above “Who then is the faithful and wise servant?” He is questioning his hearers, specifically questioning those whom he has appointed to be kingdom officers; do they know that they have been given the responsibility to feed the church, to feed them certain types of food at particular times? Do they know that this is what God has chosen them for? In the following verse, verse forty six, Jesus encourages the faithful and wise servant saying that he is blessed if he feeds the church the right kind of food when he comes to take his church into the heavenly realm. After this he then proceeds to say what the rewards and consequences of their obedience will be.