“Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Peter writes (2 Peter 3:18, KJV). Based on the previous verse in that chapter, the reason he said they should do that was to safeguard themselves against being led away with the error of the wicked.
We grow in the knowledge of the Lord by learning more of what the Scriptures reveal about Him. And if we truly love the Lord, we will do that because when you love someone you want to know the person better.
In this post, I want to focus on another important reason we need to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. It is so we can tell others about Jesus. You can’t tell somebody else much about someone whom you know little about. The more you know about the Lord, the more effective you will be in telling others about the Lord.
An Example of Why We Need to Grow in the Knowledge of the Lord
An excellent example of the importance of growing in the Lord is found in the book of Acts, chapter 18. There, Luke writes about a man by the name of Apollos. According to verse 24, Apollos was eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures. By eloquent, we mean he was an effective communicator. This verse also says Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures. This word mighty is from a word meaning to have power. So, his message was clearly communicated and with power.
“This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John” (verse 25, NASB).
This verse is saying a number of things. But let’s start at the end of the verse which says that Apollos knew only the baptism of John. Well, what was John’s message? It was the message of baptism and repentance to prepare for the coming of the Lord. That was the limit of John’s message.
So, even though Apollos was eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures and fervent in the Scriptures, the only thing he knew beyond the Scriptures about the Lord was the baptism of John.
The Impact of Growing in the Knowledge of the Lord
As Apollos spoke in the synagogue one day, a couple by the names of Aquila and Priscilla heard him. “They took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” (verse 26, KJV).
Apparently, Aquila and Priscilla noticed a lack of depth and breadth in Apollos’ knowledge of the way of the Lord. He was eloquent, he was mighty in the Scriptures, he was fervent, he was bold, but still he only knew the baptism of John.
It does not matter how passionate you may be about the Lord; you can’t go beyond what you know. Apollos could preach mightily from the OT Scriptures. He could tell the people they needed to repent and be baptized. But that was the limit of his knowledge of the way of the Lord.
But Aquila and Priscilla had been with Paul for 18 months (Acts 18:2,11). Perhaps they heard Paul talk about the bodily resurrection of Christ, the fact that we are a new creation in Christ, or how we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, etc. Whatever it was that they learned beyond what Apollos knew, they poured into him so that he knew the way of the Lord more completely.
Again, the more you know about the Lord, the more effective you will be in telling others about the Lord.
So, what was the impact of Aquila and Priscilla explaining the way of the Lord more completely to Apollos? He became an even greater blessing to the body of Christ. “For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (verse 28, KJV).
I believe many believers shun away from telling others about Jesus because they themselves have not been obedient to the Word to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. They fear that they are ill-equipped to be a witness for the Lord. The way to move beyond that fear is by growing in the knowledge of the Lord.
Also, bear this in mind. When we go to tell others about the Lord, we are not going alone. The Holy Spirit is with us. He empowers our witness, helping us to be effective in sharing our faith.
You don’t have to be a theologian. You just need to be able to tell others about the Lord in a relatable way. The more you know about the Lord, the more effective you will be in doing that. That’s a reason Christians need to grow in the knowledge of the Lord.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.