Before Jesus entrusted the feeding of the lambs to Peter, He asked him, "Lovest thou Me?" It was not until He had received a satisfactory answer that He bid him, "Feed my lambs." Every leader and teacher must be a genuine image of a true Christian.
The choosing of leaders and teachers is a heavy responsibility for the church. An Adventist church is one which realizes a child can be taught all the fundamental principles of Christianity by the time he reaches his teens. A child can also be removed from all Christian surroundings, and those principles which were firmly instilled into his life by a genuine Christian leader or teacher will keep him true and faithful to God. "The eyes of our brethren and sisters should be anointed with the heavenly eyesalve, that they may discern the necessities of this time. The lambs of the flock must be fed, and the Lord of heaven is looking on to see who is doing the work He desires to have done for the children and youth. The church is asleep and does not realize the magnitude of this matter" -Testimonies to the Church, Vol 6, pp. 196, 197.
Every child attending our church must be taught four fundamental principles: (1) the fear of God; (2) the folly of sin and idolatry; (3) the love of truth and justice; and (4) how to worship the living God.
By selecting leaders and teachers who can fill the minds of our children to the fullest with these four principles the church will care for the lambs of the flock. The Holy Spirit can then call to remembrance those spiritual lessons taught by such a devoted, godly leader or teacher that in later years it will continue to be possible for God to speak to the heart and be heard.
W. M. Abbott was secretary of the Sabbath School Department in the Alabama-Mississippi Conference when this article was written.
