For moments to cause real, transforming change, they must become movements. A martyr's death is inspiring. A preacher's words can thrill souls. The stories of sacrifice bring tears to our eyes. The death of a friend causes us to pause and ponder. Rarely though do these moments become a movements, rarely do they cause us to fight more battles and give our own lives. Yet moments that become movements change the very fiber of society, they shake nations, and move history forward.
Biblically, what is the catalyst that takes a moment and makes a movement?
The two of the most compelling moments in history were Jesus' death and resurrection. Yet on their own they yielded no immediate changes in the city of Jerusalem or the nation of Israel. Jesus knew his moment needed a catalyst to become a movement. So, he gave his followers final instructions. He told them to wait. Not a passive waiting, not a reflective waiting, an active waiting. It was the re-positioning of their lives and their priorities. What was the catalyst Jesus pointed them to? The catalyst was prayer.
A person can shape a moment, but only PEOPLE (plural) can create a movement. Catalytic events are never caused by a singular person but by a GROUP of people who become desperate enough to give of their time and themselves to a cause.
For ten days, ALL of Jesus' followers gave themselves daily to prayer.1 They didn't exactly know what would happen. They didn't fully know what to expect. But, they knew they had a cause worth living for. So, they positioned themselves before God. Acknowledging their need for power, acknowledging their need for love, their need for courage, their need for Him.
It was from the catalytic place of united, persistent prayer that suddenly heaven invaded a room. The windows flew open and the doors flung wide. So effective was this catalyst that within hours 120 people had been transformed into a living, dynamic community of thousands who had suddenly found a cause worth dying for (and die they did).
The catalyst is no different today. Many of us at Celebration Northeast experienced a moment on Saturday night that powerfully reminded us how great the cause is. However, it will be nothing more than a moment unless we embrace THE catalyst for change.
The Biblical mandate has never changed. We must shift our priorities from wicked and worthless pursuits to the place of corporately and humbly coming together to acknowledge our need in prayer.
Every moment needs a catalyst to become a movement. Are you ready to pray?
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
II Chronicles 7:14
