Comunidad y discipulado

Why Pastors Need Intercessory Praters (Rom. 15:30)

2014.05.11Rev. Eddie Byun

Pastors need the church's intercessory prayer because God calls the church to pray for its leaders, who face greater accountability, fierce spiritual attack, and the call to be effective, and the church's prayer is the pastor's life support.

God calls the church to strive in prayer for its leaders (v. 30)

Paul asked the church in Rome to strive together with him in prayer, and this request rests on three things. It is grounded in the work of Christ, through whom we gain access to the Father. It is motivated by the love that comes through the Spirit. And it is a wrestling, like Jacob wrestling God at Bethel in Genesis 32, because the church is in a real battle. God calls the church not only to pray for pastors but to fight for them on their knees.

Greater responsibility means greater accountability

Because greater responsibility requires greater accountability, pastors will face a stricter judgment. James warns that teachers will be judged more strictly, and Luke 12:48 teaches that much is required of those entrusted with much. Jesus warns that whoever leads others into sin faces a far greater judgment. The pastor, like the captain of a ship, must give an account for the ministry, so the church should support its leaders so that their work is a joy and not a burden.

Pastors are under an all-out spiritual attack

Peter warns us to be sober-minded and watchful, because our adversary the devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking to devour God's people, especially through spiritual leaders. Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat, yet he prayed that Peter's faith would not fail. A survey by the Schaeffer Institute found that 70 percent of pastors constantly fight depression, 90 percent feel inadequately trained, and over 1,700 pastors leave the ministry each month in the United States.

Prayer makes pastors and ministries more effective

Paul asked the Thessalonians to pray so that the word of the Lord would spread rapidly and be honored. Prayer releases God's presence, power, and purposes in a special way, so covered ministries bear more fruit. In a study of 130 pastors, intercessors who prayed fifteen minutes a day for a year saw about 89 percent of pastors report positive change in their lives and ministries, and daily prayer proved more effective than weekly or monthly prayer. The blessing flows from the top down, so when pastors are well prayed for, the whole church is blessed.

Apply to Life

  • Let us pray for our pastors every day, as Paul asked the church in Rome to strive together with him in prayer.
  • Let us wrestle in prayer for our leaders, fighting on our knees for them in spiritual warfare.
  • Let us remember that our pastors are tired and discouraged, and lift them up in prayer rather than only coming to them for prayer.
  • Let us pray for our pastors' wisdom, faith, and strength, so that the ministry may bear fruit in the church.
  • Let us become a house of prayer that covers our pastoral staff with prayer for the rest of this year.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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