Pray for Your Church: Leaders (7)
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3.17, 18
Response to grace
Peter reminded his readers that they were “beloved”—beloved of God, that is, recipients and heirs of His saving grace in Jesus Christ.
How truly amazing and wonderful is the grace of God! We were His enemies, yet He saved us (Rom. 5.10). He has given us a new heart and put His Holy Spirit within us (Gal. 4.4-6). He has graciously adopted us as His children, brought us into His household, and bestows upon us daily lavish gifts for life and ministry.
God our Father has saved us by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, translated us into His Kingdom, drawn us to participate in Him by faith, and daily unpacks the treasury of His grace for our edification and growth.
How should we respond to such unfathomable grace? Only by desiring more: “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This is our charge in this life, to grow in grace and to increase thereby in our love for Jesus and service in His Name. The more we pursue this goal, the more God supplies grace for all our times of need, and the more we are transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus.
Growing in grace and Jesus is the calling and privilege of every believer. Church leaders must both exemplify such growth and call the people to press on in it, showing their gratitude for grace received by seeking more of that grace for serving the Lord.
The example of Peter
In his first epistle, Peter admonished the shepherds of God’s people to set an example for the sheep, that we may follow their lead into more of the blessings and power of eternal life in Jesus (1 Pet. 5.1-3). Here, Peter shows the way for church leaders to fulfill this calling. I want to point out three key leadership roles for helping the people they serve to continue growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
First, Peter leads his readers to “look forward” (v. 14) to the coming day of the Lord. A new heavens and new earth are being prepared, and as we look to that glorious new beginning, Peter exhorts us to conduct ourselves in all holiness and godliness (3.11, 12). He offers himself as an example of how we should live—and more to the point with Peter, how we should die (1.12-15)—laying aside anything that is sinful and keeping us “blameless” in obedience to God (3.14, 15).
At the same time, Peter calls us to “beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked” (v. 17). We must keep a close watch on our lives and not allow sin to gain any entrance to our soul. Peter would remain steadfast, as would Paul even at the cost of their lives. Their example is instructive for all believers, shepherds and sheep alike, concerning how we may continue to grow into Jesus and His grace.
Finally, Peter calls us to “grow”—αὐξάνετε, auxanete, increase greatly. We can know more grace, but not without effort. As Paul reminded us, we must “work out” our salvation in fear and trembling. Thus we keep pace and cooperate with the Spirit of God Who is at work within us to will and do of God’s pleasure (Phil. 2.12, 13).
To increase in anything requires three things. First, we must have a clear vision of that into which we would increase: Jesus, exalted in glory! Beautiful Savior! Lord of all nations! Son of God and Son of Man! We must look to Him, consider Him, set our mind on Him so that, increasingly, the vision of Jesus, exalted in glory becomes clearer as we pray and seek Him in His Word.
Then we must come to the fountain of grace, feeding daily on the Word of the Lord and drinking from the river of delights He pours for us as we pray. And the grace we realize in those daily times we must put to work (Eph. 2.8-10), sharing with others by good works and true words the grace God has granted us, so that thanks and praise may rise increasingly to Him (2 Cor. 4.15).
Finally, the better we know ourselves as the Lord does, the more we will be able to set goals for increasing in Him. And if we have caring shepherds to guide and direct us, leading by example and encouraging our every step, we will surely increase in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, becoming more like Him day by day and living more completely in obedience to His Word.
Pray for your leaders
So pray for your church’s leaders—worship leaders, preachers, teachers, leaders of every sort—that they may shepherd God’s flock by the example of lives set on a course of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And pray that all those who benefit from their leadership will follow eagerly as the Lord leads, that the Body of Christ, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, may itself increase in beauty and holiness and love, a City set on hill, drawing others to Jesus through our witness.
Pray for your leaders:
Heavenly Father, thank you
for all those who lead our church.
May we see Jesus in them,
and may He increase in us
and we decrease in ourselves,
that the Body of Christ—
our church—may itself
become more visible as the
holy and righteous and good
temple and dwelling place of the Lord.
For reflection
1. Have you encouraged your church leaders lately? Why not do so this week?2. Do you have a prayer partner, someone you pray with regularly? Would having a prayer partner help you in your prayers?3. Every believer is in some way a leader. Who looks to you for Christlike leadership? How will you show Jesus to others by your example today?
Next steps—Transformation: Pray for the leaders of your church. Let them know you pray for them, and give thanks to God for their example and service.
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Enjoying God
Can you say that you enjoy God? Would you like to enjoy Him more? Our book, Enjoying God, can help. And it’s free to put on your e-reader and share with friends by clicking here.
Thank you.
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
