Spiritual Momentum
“”Pray...that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Momentum—the power to increase or develop at an ever-growing pace.
I looked up some well known idioms we hear associated with the idea of momentum.
They are “on a roll,” means they are in the midst of a series of successes. This phrase is often used in baseball, “The Indians are on a roll; they’ve won nine games in a row.” (Please!)
They are “firing on all cylinders!” means things are going as well as possible. A business might say,
“When we understood the new software the office started firing on all cylinders.”
One thing is for sure, momentum is power and energy that increases forward movement that translates into success. I believe this is what Paul was speaking of in his letter to the Thessalonians. “Pray...that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified” 2 Thes. 3:1. Similarly in Acts we read that, “the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” Acts 19:20. This means God’s word was growing in its influence and power so that more and more people were being affected by it and coming under the mighty power of the Spirit who always accompanies the faithful proclamation of the Word. It’s called revival. We should long for this. We should believe in the possibilities of what revival can accomplish.
Momentum is not magical. It doesn’t just happen. There are tangible things that contribute to it. It would be correct to say that momentum can be created in a sports organization, a business, an individual’s life or in a church. I see four components of spiritual momentum in 2 Thessalonians 3:1-4.
The prayer component: “Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified.” (vs. 1) This is where spiritual momentum begins. Through prayer we are tapping into the greatest spiritual force in the universe—God Himself. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible with God. No wonder the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
The resistance component. “Pray...that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for not all have faith.” (vs. 2) A baseball team cannot have a winning streak without other teams to oppose and resist them. So it is spiritually. Whenever we set out to obey God and get serious about doing His will we will encounter opposition. We should expect this. It’s actually a sign we’re doing something right! We have an enemy and through prayer we will overcome him.
The faith component. “But the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (vs. 3). Spiritual momentum increases as we learn to trust in the Lord and His faithfulness. We mature as we understand that God allows opposition, hardship and difficulty to grow us and make us better. Faith keeps us positive, focused and most of all believing.
The obedience component. “And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.” (vs. 4) This is the practical side of spiritual momentum. We must trust God to do His part but we must do our part. We must do the things He commands us. There is no spiritual momentum without old fashioned obedience.
The hymn says, “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.” Amen!
There are visible signs of spiritual momentum. There is a growing prayer movement that is global in nature. The church is reconnecting with her Head. Christ is bringing His body into alignment with His word and into unity with itself. Many are awaking from a long “spiritual slump”. The signs of God’s supernatural activity are increasing.
Pray, resist, trust and obey. The best days for the church of Jesus Christ are still before us.
Pastor Dan Barker