Pastors, elders, and overseers (2)

If you want to pray for the church and its leaders, then there are at least 4 ways that Titus 1:5-9 teaches us to pray. Here's the first for today...

1) I will pray for my leaders’ work.

What’s the job, the calling, the focus of a church leader? You can see part of the job description in Titus 1:5.

"This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you" Titus 1:5, ESV).

It looks like Paul had at some point been on the island of Crete. He had established some churches there with Titus. But from some reason Paul had to leave. That meant that Titus was leading the churches on Crete.

Paul says, “Appoint elders – leaders – to "put what remains into order." It’s actually a medical phrase. Break a bone and go to the doctor, he or she will set the bone before putting on the cast. It means to "properly arrange".

The church is described as a body in the Bible. The church is the body of Christ. And things get broken in the body. We should never be surprised when things need fixing in a church. The church is made up of broken people. We’re all fallen. We’re sinners. So, lives and relationships and priorities and systems will need fixing in the body of Christ. Some bones will be broken and will need to be set. And that’s what leaders do.

Lots of people know this, but they sayd, "I have problems in my own life. I have problems in my own family. Why would a person want to take on the problems of the church, too?"

I remember once reading Acts 20:28 and the words just penetrated my heart. It says, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” It's the phrase "obtained with his own blood" that struck me.

Jesus didn’t shed His blood for a business or for a political party or for a school. He shed His blood for the church. The church matters. And we need leaders who will give themselves to lead the church for which Jesus died.

I decided many years ago that I wanted to work for the good of that for which Jesus shed His blood - the church. What about you? Will you do the work of caring for what Jesus loves and gave His life for - the church? (See Ephesians 5:25.)

Good churches have good leaders who do good work. Pray for them.