One truly thrilling moment in sports is the last quarter mile of a horse race, when “down the stretch they come!” Spectators are mildly interested in the initial legs of the race, as the horses jockey for position and conserve their energy for the home stretch. But their roar is deafening when the horses turn the final corner and break into a full gallop for the finish line.
Paul had a race in mind when he asked the Thessalonians to pray that “the Lord’s message will spread rapidly” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). The Greek term for “spread rapidly” is trecho, which means to run at full speed. As spectators rise to their feet and scream “Go! Go! Go!” so Paul commands us to cheer the spread of the gospel in our lives and across the world.
We let the gospel run in our lives when we humbly receive the forgiveness of sin and then patiently forgive those who have sinned against us. The gospel surges through us as we celebrate our Father’s love and then pass it on by serving the least among us. In sum, we unleash the gospel when we gladly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and then live out that reality in daily experience.
We let the gospel run in the world when we follow Paul’s instructions to pray for its progress. We can’t force others to submit to the lordship of Jesus, but we can ask God to open their eyes so that they might “see the glorious light of the Good News” (2 Corinthians 4:4). We can ask our Father to bring His kingdom soon, so that His will is “done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
The only thing sadder than a throttled thoroughbred is a gospel that is kept in check. Let it run.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 1:35-51
More:
Read Paul’s letter to Philemon to see how— through his practice and his prayers—Philemon could let the gospel run.
Next:
What specific attitude or activity has held back the gospel in your life? What do you need to do, with God’s help, to release the freedom of Jesus in your life?
selahgirl on June 17, 2011 at 7:54 am
A good reminder that we need to let God have place in our lives so the gospel can be seen through us. 2 Timothy 4:7 reminds us of the big picture and how life’s only a roadtrip. I want to live with heaven in my mind’s eye and always a step closer.
eppistle on June 17, 2011 at 8:00 am
This is a great prayer to pray every day: “…pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
The Apostle’s Paul’s prayer request was granted in the first few centuries after Christ with the speedy growth of Christianity, and the respect that people had for Christians. This prayer request is also being answered in many parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America. But let’s pray boldly that the Gospel will not just grow, but grow RAPIDLY in our own towns, and let’s be part of the answer to that prayer request by boldly sharing the Gospel and living lives of radical love.
Let’s also continue to pray that the Gospel will spread rapidly in other parts of the world. The Operation World website (operationworld.org/today1) is an excellent tool for doing that.
mike wittmer on June 17, 2011 at 5:17 pm
What a treasure our gospel is! We really do have the answer for the groaning and travails of our fallen world. If I believed this, how much bolder would my witness and life be?