FORWARD PROGRESS

2 Thess. 3:1-2

 

     “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith."

 

     I often say that prayer is the oil of ministry.  When people stop praying, the work becomes harder and harder, the oppression becomes stronger and stronger, the gears of ministry begin to grind, and eventually the work becomes impossible.  That happens because authentic ministry is not something that any man can do apart from the enablement of God and the gifts of the Spirit.  The apostle Paul knew very well that, without prayer, the Word would neither be honored nor effective, so he wrote: "Pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored . . ."  

 

      I assume this is true of all pastors, but it seems like every time I check my email I find invitations to attend conferences on church growth or church planting, worship conferences, preaching conferences, evangelism conferences and the like.  I am sure that many of these are very good and would probably prove helpful; but the truth is that in the absence of prayer no amount of training is going to make one bit of difference in the quality or the power of ministry.  It is like trying to start your power mower without putting oil in the crankcase and fuel in the gas tank.

 

     Notice that the passage isn't about Paul's word; it is about "the word of the Lord."  It is God's help that is needed and that is what Paul is seeking.  And also note that Paul didn't ask the church to pray for him alone, he wrote, "pray for us."  His request represents the universal need of all ministers of the Word. So I am asking you today: pray for your pastor, pray for your teachers, pray for all of the leaders in your church, pray for one another, pray for us.

 

Pastor Keith Andrews