“Do You Love Me?”: The Heart of Global Missions

In John 21:15–17, Jesus asks Peter a question three times:

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Each time, Peter responds, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” And each time, Jesus replies with a directive:

“Feed my lambs.”

“Tend my sheep.”

“Feed my sheep.”

This passage is often seen as a personal moment of restoration for Peter after his threefold denial. And it is. But it’s more than that. It’s also a commissioning—a sacred charge that reveals the very heart of God’s mission.

Jesus is not just inviting Peter back into relationship; He’s inviting him into responsibility. He’s saying, “If you truly love Me, then your love must lead to action. Take care of My people.”

A Call to Love and Care for God’s People

The question Jesus asks Peter is both simple and piercing:

“Do you love me?”

But Jesus doesn’t stop at the affirmation. He immediately follows it with action:

“Then feed my lambs… tend my sheep… feed my sheep.” This is not a private moment meant to soothe Peter’s guilt. It’s a public commissioning for a global calling. Jesus is declaring that love for Him must overflow into love for others—specifically, for those who belong to Him, scattered throughout the world.

These sheep are not confined to one culture, one language, or one way of life. They include the refugee in East Africa, the church planter in the Middle East, the rural pastor in Latin America, and the young believer in an urban center in Asia. They are the poor, the persecuted, the overlooked, and the unseen. Some are wounded by war. Some are wandering from the faith. Others are waiting for someone to come—someone who loves Jesus enough to care for them well.

This is the essence of the Great Commission lived out with compassion. Jesus is inviting Peter—and all of us—into a life where our love for God is proven not just by our words, but by our obedience, which includes our willingness to love the people He died for. That means crossing cultures, surrendering comfort, and refusing to serve from a place of superiority.

It means showing up with humility, listening before leading, and engaging with people in a way that honors their dignity as image-bearers of God.
Cross Cultural Missions Begins With Cross-Shaped Love

At Cross Cultured, this is our heartbeat. We believe global missions isn’t just about going—it’s about going well. And going well begins with love. Loving Jesus means loving His people—especially those across cultural, geographic, and linguistic boundaries.

It means taking the time to learn their stories, honor their heritage, and serve with humility.

It means rejecting colonial mindsets and embracing the example of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45).

When Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep, He wasn’t referring to just preaching sermons or delivering resources. He was calling him to a life of sacrificial, incarnational love—the kind of love that looks like Jesus Himself.

At Cross Cultured, we help churches and organizations respond to that call by aiding in the designing of culturally humble, biblically grounded, and strategically sustainable missions programs. We’re not just here to send people out—we’re here to send them out faithfully.

Do You Love Me?

Jesus’ question to Peter is not just for him—it reverberates across the generations, reaching each of us who claim to follow Christ:

“Do you love Me?”

It’s a question that cuts through performance, titles, and activity. It’s not about how often we go to church, how loudly we sing, or how far we travel on mission trips. It’s about the heart. It’s about intimacy. It’s about surrender.

Jesus doesn’t ask Peter, “Will you lead?”

He doesn’t ask, “Will you be bold?”

He asks, “Do you love Me?”

Because in the kingdom of God, love is the foundation of all faithful ministry. Without love, our efforts—even in missions—are hollow. Without love, we become like “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). But with love—true love for Jesus—we are compelled to care for His people with tenderness, justice, humility, and truth. This is not an emotional love, nor a shallow one. It is the kind of love that results in action.

It’s the kind of love that drives us to serve those who can’t repay us, to sit with those the world overlooks, and to speak truth in cultures not our own—with humility, honor, and grace. At Cross Cultured, we believe every person involved in global missions must return to this question:

Do you love Jesus enough to love His people well—across every cultural boundary, every language, every painful history?

Are we willing to go beyond charity and into communion—to love not from a distance, but up close, where it costs us?

Jesus’ words to Peter are a sacred invitation to us all:

If you love Me, then show it by how you love My sheep. Not just the sheep in your church, your community, or your nation—but the ones around the world who are hungry for hope, justice, and a gospel that respects their dignity.

When we say “yes” to that call, we say “yes” to the heart of Christ. We say “yes” to missions that don’t just go far—but go deep.

Let our answer not be shallow or sentimental. Let it be sacrificial.

Let it be rooted in love.