Our Passion...

In my recent ponderings, I cannot get away from the question, "Where is our passion for God?" This is a question that I have been asking myself as well as others in the body of Christ. It is not a criticism directed at the body of Christ, but more of a longing, if you will, for the Church to break out of her lethargy. We live in a world where the body of Christ is being lulled to sleep while the enemy is making advances that ultimately will result in the destruction of the things which the body is meant to represent. Pastor Mike has stated for years that apathy is one of the most grievous enemies to a believer. Passion is the opposite of apathy. There are things in our lives that we are apathetic towards as well as those things that bring out our passions. Having a passion for God and who He is will give us a passion for those things that He is passionate about, such as integrity, truth, lost souls, building up of the body, and most of all love for one another.

First, I want to establish that there is nothing wrong with having passions. It is the misplaced passions that get us into trouble. Galatians 5:24 states, "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Those who are in Christ no longer (should no longer) have passions that originate from the old self. Our spirit man desires the presence of God above all else. It is only following desires of the flesh that will keep the spirit man from fulfilling its desires, that is, to do the will of God. The word for "passion" in Galatians means suffering. Does "the passion of the Christ" ring a bell? Why is there suffering? Because a passion is an affection for something, but it is such a strong affection that it will compel you to conform to that affection. When a person has a passion for the things of the flesh, they will suffer to conform to the flesh (read Romans). Jesus Christ had a passion "for the joy set before Him" (Hebrews 12:12), that is the redemption of His creation. He was conformed to that which He created, sinful man. A difference between man and Christ is that sinful man conforms to flesh for the sake of its lust, while sinless Christ conformed out of love which brought about the power of redemption. While there may be suffering at times, ours must be a passion for God that will conform us to His image.

To have a passion for God we must know Him. Deuteronomy 6:5 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." To love Him is to have a passion for Him and the things He is passionate about. I do not have strong passions for people and things that I do not know. If we do not know Him there is no way we can demonstrate a true and lasting love that is full of passion for Him. There are a lot of Romans 1 "believers" in the church. What do I mean by that? It is common to point out to atheists, unbelievers and doubters the facts of Romans 1: that God is demonstrated by nature. If you study nature and look at its wonder in becomes obvious that for a man to deny God requires said man to lie to himself. But this is only the sbeginning of Paul's entire letter which is meant to show that through Jesus Christ the Father has revealed Himself. There are some that stop at Romans 1: Romans 1 "believers". They believe that somehow by acknowledging God through His creation they are demonstrating that they know Him. We must go deeper in our relationship if we are going to have a passion for Him.

Jesus set the example for us. Paul wrote in I Thessalonians "pray without ceasing". Jesus lived this here on earth. He would consistently go off in private and spend time with the Father. He would pray while the disciples slept. He prayed as the hour of His crucifixion approached. Jesus, on earth, had a passion for the things of God. When confronted by the devil He stated, "man does not live by bread alone by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) The sufferings, or passions, of the world were set aside because His passions were set on a higher goal. The Father was focused, and even now focuses, on the redemption of mankind, therefore Jesus set His passion on the Father's passion.

Matthew 6:21 states "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Do not wait to get a passion for God. It is not going to jump in your lap or come to you as some fly-by-night epiphany. Go out and seize it. How is that done? Begin with those things that you know He is passionate about. Study His Word and ask Him to make it alive to you. He will. He is passionate for people. Pray for them. Pray for the lost. He passionately wants them to come home to Him. Pray for the sick. His desire is to heal them. Conform to His will as found in His Word. This will bring suffering, but it will conform you to His image and your passions for the things of God will grow.

As each of us grow in our passion for God and the things of God there will by a dynamic shift in the body of Christ. A shift that results in bold action and souls saved. Where is your is your passion?

-Pastor Jason Greene