3/16/2026 by Larry Barker
Dynamics are defined as “the forces or properties which stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 challenges God’s people that He would “sanctify” us completely. The Greek word here, hagiazo, is where we get the word saint. It means to separate something; to set it apart for an intended purpose. Jesus in John 17:17 prays a high priestly prayer for His disciples, and He asks the Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The truth that will set you free.
Leading up to the request, Jesus referred to the disciples as “in” the world (Jn 17:11) but not “of” the world (Jn 17:14). Being “separated” in this context does not mean a physical distance. Believers are called by Him to be separated from the unbelieving world, spiritually (I Cor. 5:9-11) while also active in the world practically (Matt 5:13-16). II Corinthians 6:17 teaches this principle, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.” This is a call to sanctification and separation without isolation and seclusion.
It is quite a challenge determining where you should draw the line in attempting to always speak the truth in love. One of my favorite quotes comes from Rings of Fire by Leonard Sweet: “The challenge of the future will be showing compassion without compromising convictions and standing for our convictions without compromising compassion.” This will require first studying the scriptures, but also having the right spirit to ensure not only standing for the right thing, God’s truth, but also expressing it in the right way (God’s heart).
Spiritual dynamics require spiritual discipline. Charles Swindoll states, “Discipline is training that corrects and perfects our mental faculties or molds our moral character. Discipline is control gained by enforced obedience.” It is out of our daily spiritual discipline that God can surprise you and introduce a change into your life or ministry. In Called to Be God’s Leader, Henry and Richard Blackaby state, “God continues to work through those who are willing to pay the necessary price to walk with Him as Joshua did.”
How available are you, right now at this very moment, to God’s timing and God’s agenda for your life and ministry? Are you willing and prepared to make the necessary adjustments? I Timothy 4:7 says, “Exercise thyself rather unto godliness.” If your desire is godliness, then the reality is that it will require discipline to build and strengthen your spiritual muscles. Chuck Swindoll continues his description, “When I see the word discipline, I think of punishing workouts that produce results everyone admires…and no one enjoys.”
While that may seem like an overly negative perspective on the term discipline, you have to admit that thinking about discipline does not bring immediate joy and happiness to your mind. Discipline requires commitment, dedication, hard work, and sacrifice to get results. You must contemplate and embrace the discipline needed to achieve the desired outcome in your life, whether physical or spiritual. It is like the ambition to lose weight. The thought of losing weight is desirable, but the idea of exercise and diet is not.
Church Answer’s research asked church revitalizers to categorize their work. This allowed them to create a typology of church revitalization found in The Church Revitalization Toolkit by Sam Rainer. They described 40% as Geriatric churches. “The median age of the church‘s members has increased significantly over the past several years. Few, if any, children or young families are present.” Great Omission churches (22%) were next. “The church’s ministries, resources, and efforts are focused inward, with hardly any evangelistic efforts. People either give lip service to outreach or simply stop caring about the lost.”
Ex-neighborhood churches (15%), where “The membership of the church does not reflect the demographics of the community. The church is a cultural island in the neighborhood. Typically, few people from the immediate community attend the church. Most members drive in from other communities.” Next are War-torn churches (12%). “These churches have a reputation for fighting, conflict, harsh treatment of pastors, and—often—schisms and splits. There is a palpable tension at meetings and even in casual conversations around the church. The leaders spend most of their time mediating disputes and responding to arguments.”
The last category is Mismatched Leadership churches (8%). Consider purchasing the book and reading about this category there. Proper diagnosis is key because a prescription without proper diagnosis is malpractice. Just knowing what is wrong is not enough because discipline is needed to carry out the treatment plan. When a church focuses on the spiritual dynamics to be healthy, it normally will look at three factors: contextual, institutional, and spiritual. Make sure that prayer is your first recourse and not your last resort.
Contextual Factors are outside issues like political, sociological, cultural, and the economic climate. The church really has no control over these issues. There can be changes in your demographics where a great migration is occurring away from your community. No one is moving in, but many are moving away. Institutional Factors are internal issues such as church polity, leadership direction, financial commitments, unresolved conflicts, and faithfulness to God’s House. These are issues over which the church has some control.
The third area is Spiritual Factors. These factors are governed and overseen by the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, and He is not subject to the contextual or institutional factors. Your emphasis on prayer (or lack thereof) may be an institutional factor, but the power of prayer is a spiritual one. Chuck Lawless states, “Without prayer, you can tackle issues in the church only on an earthly level.” Churches seeking to grow tend to overly concentrate on the contextual factors (demographics, etc.) and institutional factors (programs, systems, etc.).
Spiritual factors are overlooked or not given the attention of the other two. The spiritual discipline needed here is developing a culture of prayer, individually and corporately. Prayer is the most difficult spiritual discipline to maintain. Our theology pushes us toward prayer, but our practice lags. Is your need in the area of spiritual dynamics translating into the disciplined action of more prayer? Email us and ask for our prayer culture resources!