The Run-Gospel-Run Mindset!

In the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, Jenny Curran tells Forrest Gump, "Run, Forrest! Run!" He does run, but bullies on bikes chase him, causing his leg braces to break. Once free of the braces, Forrest is able to run very fast. "Now you would not believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was going somewhere, I was running!" And for years his whole life is that of running fast through one life experience after the other. Finally, after running back and forth across the USA, with a huge crowd of runners following him - and after running for three years, two months, 14 days, and 16 hours - Forrest turns around and looks at runners behind him. One of the Runners said: "Quiet, quiet! He's gonna say something!" Forrest Gump said: "I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now."

I have titled this teaching “The Run-Gospel-Run Mindset” based on what Paul wrote in 2 Thess. 3:1, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you,” (NKJV). 

Paul’s “finally” is like many preachers’ “finally”: it doesn’t mean that the sermon is almost over! In 1 Thess. 4:1, Paul says “finally” and then goes on for two more chapters. The phrase means, “As far as the rest is concerned,” or, “in addition.”

So in these verses, we have a two-part prayer request (3:1-2); a two-part expression of confidence (3:3-4); and a two-part prayer/benediction (3:5). I am going to outline with the emphasis on where it lies – PRAYER.

1. Pray for the Speedy Success of the Gospel Message – 3:1

Paul’s been writing about God’s electing love. Now he asks for prayer to be made to God for sinner’s salvation. In many people’s understanding, they think that election and prayer for the salvation of the lost are incompatible ideas, but Paul puts them right next to one another, as do other biblical authors. Paul and other New Testament writers juxtapose notions of divine sovereignty and human accountability without so much as giving a hint that there is any tension. Thus Jesus says, "No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (Matt. 11:27), and then, almost in the same breath, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt.11:28). Paul follows suit throughout his epistles. In Roms.10:1 he says, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved," yet only a few verses earlier he says that salvation "does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy" (Roms. 9:16). Indeed, Paul commands his flock to "pray continually" (1Thess. 5:17) and then says that "the one [God] who calls [them] is faithful and he will do it" (1Thess. 5:23-24). What the Bible has joined together, let no one put asunder. Therefore, while it is true that God elects people, saints are to pray for the evangelization of lost humanity because Scripture tells them to do so. Jesus and his apostolic spokesmen endorse both ideas equally.

A. Pray that the word of the Lord will spread speedily through the gospel being received.

Pray that the word of God would continue to spread rapidly as it had been already.

Acts 6:7, “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem …”

Acts 12:24, “But the word of God grew and multiplied.” 

Acts 13:48-49, “Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.” 

The “word of the Lord” is basically a synonym for the gospel, regarded either as the message proceeding from the Lord, or concerning him. The word of the Lord is used to reveal that it is the gospel of God. He is its author. It is not a message that Paul or any other apostles or men had conceived. Rather, it is “the word of the Lord.” It comes from the Lord and centers on the Lord. It is the good news that God became a man in Jesus Christ. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died (in our place).  Three days later he rose from the dead proving that he was the Son of God and offering the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins to those who repent and believer in him.

In the gospel is revealed the Lord’s thinking, his treatment of man’s most serious problem, and his terms to receive its benefits. Paul probably had in mind Psalm 147:15  He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. The present tense verb literally pictures the gospel of God as running in a race where it is pictured as going on being strong and active.

The portrayal here is not of Paul "running the race" of the Christian life to win the prize, like in 1 Cors. 9:24-27, but of the gospel itself running for the prize, namely, victory over people's hearts and over false religions and philosophies that have competed with the gospel and formerly held pagans in their grasp. Bishop Lightfoot translates “may have a triumphant career.”  God will demonstrate before history ends that the gospel of Christ is stronger than the lies of the devil; that the gospel is the true "winner" in history against all competing worldviews and thus is the only true and living faith persuasion.

So Paul is asking for the prayers of the believers in Thessalonica for the spread and success of the gospel. This is the much-needed prayer for God’s people to be praying continuously. We must understand that gospel success is not contingent upon evangelistic giants like the Apostle Paul. The word of the Lord had run with success in Paul’s ministry not because of his ability but because of his availability. God’s blessing is what causes the spread and success of the gospel. The Thessalonians themselves were evidence of God’s blessing in ensuring that his word run, and had thus far keep on running with success.

Looking back to 1 Thess. 2:13, Paul had told them he was praising God because “when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” Now he’s asking them to be concerned for the ongoing spread and success of the gospel by being diligent in prayer for him in his missionary endeavors.

Pastor Stephen Cole was right when he added: “For the word of the Lord to spread and be glorified, it must be the true gospel and not a perversion of it.

“From the earliest times, Satan has infiltrated the church with teachers who promote a false “gospel” that is really bad news, not good news. In the churches of Galatia, the Judaizers had come in with the message, “Paul was basically right: we are saved by God’s grace through faith. But also you must be circumcised and keep the Old Testament law.” Many were being led astray by this seemingly “slight” alteration of the gospel. But Paul forcefully wrote (Gal. 1:8-9), “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

“Even so, there are many false “gospels” today: “Believe in Jesus and He will give you wealth and health!” “Believe in Jesus and be baptized, and you will be saved.” “Believe in Jesus and add your good works, so that eventually you will earn enough merit to get out of Purgatory.” So pray that the gospel that is being proclaimed will be the true gospel, not a perversion of it.

Before moving on, we do well to listen to Professor Ligon Dugan when he said, “One of the ways that you know that the gospel has taken hold of your heart is that you care about the gospel taking hold of other people’s hearts. If you don’t care about the spread of the gospel - if you don’t care about other people coming to faith in Christ as the gospel changes their hearts and lives - it’s doubtful that your life has ever truly been changed by the gospel; because those who have been transformed by the grace of God - who have grasped the undeserved, Christ-bought forgiveness of God - want everybody to experience that.”

2. Pray for the Safety of the Gospel Messengers – 3:2

“and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.”

Paul identified the source of danger as wicked and evil men. Wicked or perverse (atopos) literally means “out of place,” and denotes what is unbecoming or inappropriate (cf. Luke 23:41; Acts 25:5; 28:6). Here it refers to men who were improper, wrongfully out of place, unrighteous. As if to underscore how dangerous those men were, Paul further described them with the adjective evil (poneros), meaning “malignant,” or “aggressively wicked.” He desired deliverance from the threats and power of such enemies of the gospel whom Satan used to prevent his companions and him from preaching the saving message (cf. 1 Thess. 2:18).

Paul was not so much trying to save his own skin, but that he wanted to see the gospel continue to spread. If the messengers are protected from evil men, they have more freedom to proclaim the message. Granted, Paul evangelized the Praetorian Guard while he was a prisoner in Rome. And the testimonies of many martyrs have resulted in many coming to faith through their deaths. But there is nothing wrong with asking for prayer for protection from persecution for those who take the gospel into hostile areas. The main aim is for the word of the Lord to spread.

Note the prominence of “the Lord” in verses 1-5. In verse 1, it is “the word of the Lord.” In verse 3, “the Lord is faithful.” In verse 4, “We have confidence in the Lord.” In verse 5, “May the Lord direct your hearts ….” In times of trial or persecution for the sake of the gospel, it’s important to remember that Jesus is the Lord, the sovereign of the universe. No one can harm you or kill you unless it is in God’s good and loving purpose for His glory.

Scholars differ over who these perverse and evil men who did not have faith were. Some think that Paul was referring to the unbelieving Jews in Corinth as recorded in Acts 18:12-17.

But other scholars argue that he was referring primarily to false believers in the church, who were either promoting false doctrine or whose lives did not back up their profession of faith. Often, such people can cause more harm to the church from the inside than those who are outside the church. Jesus warned (Matt. 7:15) about false prophets who come into the flock disguised as sheep, but really are ravenous wolves. Paul warned the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:29-30), “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” He also said (2 Cor. 11:14-15) that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and his servants as servants of righteousness.

3. Pray for Strength and Protection from the Evil One – 3:3

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” Here’s good news every believer can count on: No matter what difficulties faced them, Paul knew the Lord would be faithful to accomplish His purposes for them. God is so faithful that, as they trust in His spiritual provisions, believers will always be able to handle assaults from the world’s evil system: “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

Paul wants all believers, then and now, to be very clear that we are engaged in deadly spiritual warfare with a supernatural, personal force, who has an army of demons under his command that wants to destroy us (Read 2 Thess. 2:9). But he wants us to know that the devil and his demons have already been defeated at the cross and are limited in what they can do. So believers can live confident that the Lord will deliver us from the evil one.

Question? Do we ever factor in this reality? In the struggles that we experience in life - whether they be in marriage or family or vocation or some other arena - do we keep in mind (and in prayer) that the evil one is seeking to destroy God’s people? I’m not talking about blame-shifting or finding a demon beneath every burp and behind every bush. But I am talking about acknowledging the reality of a supernatural, devil and demons in this universe who wants to destroy us – to kill, steal, and destroy us; “a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Do we realize that it’s not just our sin and the opposition of the world that we have to be on the lookout for? The world, the flesh, and the devil are all arrayed against the Christian. When we realize this, it will change the way we pray against opposition: we will acknowledge that we are in a battle which only the Lord can win. Only if we know this will we truly appreciate what Paul is saying here: that he is confident that the Lord will establish and guard us against the evil one. He is with us; he will not leave us or forsake us. He will protect us. And that is a tremendous truth, which we so often forget right when we need to remember it.

Paul assures us that our faithful Lord will both strengthen and protect us. The Lord here is a reference to our Lord Jesus. He is able both to strengthen and protect his people all around the world when they are under attack shows that He is God. But Paul’s word of assurance raises a problem: If the Lord promises to strengthen and protect His people, then why do they suffer terribly under persecution? Why are there martyrs if the Lord is protecting them?

We need to understand that the Lord’s promise for protection is not a guarantee of deliverance from every enemy. In Luke 21:16-18, Jesus says, “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish.” By saying, “not a hair of your head will perish,” Jesus was not promising immunity from death, which He just said will happen to some. Rather, He means that if we are faithful to the Lord under persecution, even if they kill the body, they cannot touch the soul (Luke 12:4-5).

Martin Luther, in his grand hymn declared this truth so powerfully: For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe. His craft and power are great And armed with cruel and hate. On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide Our striving would be losing. Were not the right Man on our side -The Man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He Lord Sabaoth His Name - From age to age, the same -And He must win the battle

That word above all earthly powers No, thanks to them, abideth. The Spirit and the gifts are ours Through Him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go - This mortal life also. The body they may kill God's truth abideth still His Kingdom is forever!

4. Pray for Steadfastness in the Faith and Obedience to the Truth - 3:4-5

“And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” 

Today, many professing Christians believe that if you teach the need to obey God’s commandments, you’re legalistic. They claim that God’s grace and their feelings exempt them from obedience.

Paul desired that they continue in their spiritual growth, so he asked that the Lord direct their hearts toward that objective. The term “direct” means “to make straight,” and is the same word used in 1 Thess. 3:11 to indicate the removing of all obstacles and hindrances as someone opened a pathway or road. Paul did not want their spiritual progress to come to a halt, but rather that the Lord would clear the way so their hearts or inner persons would move into the love of God.

The phrase “of God” in the Greek can be either into God’s love for the believer, or the believer’s love for God. In this verse, the phrase is probably both objective and subjective. Paul desired that his audience go down the pathway deeper and deeper into God’s love for them, which in turn would cause them to love Him more and more.

Second, the apostle desired that God would direct the Thessalonians’ hearts to grow stronger in the steadfastness of Christ. Paul wanted the Thessalonians to increasingly understand how Jesus had already endured for them and us, so that he is able to empathize with us in the very real things that we have to endure even as he beckons us on and assures us we can come through. But not only that - what he endured was far, far greater than anything that we will ever be called upon to endure as believers. And it is on that basis that we can know that we really can endure, with faith and obedience intact. He loves us. He has endured before us and for us. And he is faithful in establishing and guarding us. Therefore, we can joyfully pray for and work for the word of the Lord to speed ahead and be honored, whatever forces are ranged against us.

Hugh Latimer was a Protestant preacher in England in the 1500s. When Queen Mary (“Bloody Mary”) came to the throne, she attempted to return England to the Roman Catholic Church. Latimer protested and he was thrown into jail along with his friend Nicholas Ridley. Convicted of heresy, they were sentenced to be burned at the stake. The sentence was carried out on October 16, 1555. As they approached the stake, Ridley drew back in fear. Latimer comforted his friend with words that have echoed across the generations: “Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play the man, for we shall this day light such a candle in England as I trust by God’s grace shall never be put out.” And so they did light a candle for God by their fiery ordeal. This is cheerful perseverance. Semper Fi—Always Faithful.

So run gospel run! Run through the hearts of sinners, run through the home, the church, the community, the city, the country. Bring to the Lamb the reward for his suffering.

Rev 7:9-10, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”