..cuz it's important to walk in love, have spiritual balance, discernment, and red-hot passion for Christ.
Your spiritual temp is important.
JESUS WARNED US ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT COULD EXTINGUISH THE PASSIONATE-FIRE (SO TO SPEAK) OF OUR HEARTS.
"Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly" (Luke 21:34).
You know how the cares of this life can numb our hearts and cloud up our minds, pulling us away from the things of the Spirit. And from church too. Let's keep our love for Jesus burning brightly and steadfastly. We all need fellowship upwards and outwards with growing believers.
Q: WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR HEART TODAY?
Does your love for Jesus burn brightly inside, or has your love for Him waxed lukewarm or icy cold?
"The fruit of the Spirit is love." We all can speak the truth in love -- we all can remain passionate in the Lord. That good balance comes from knowing the Bible and it's Author well -- yes, from cultivating a prayer life.
"JESUS ACTUALLY WARNED US ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT COULD EXTINGUISH THE PASSIONATE FIRE OF OUR HEARTS.
'Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkemess, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly' (Luke 21:34).
The cares of this life can numb our hearts and cloud our minds, pulling us away from the things of the Spirit. Let's keep our love for Jesus burning brightly and steadfastly.
Q: WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR HEART TODAY? Does your love for Jesus burn brightly there, or has your love for Him waxed cold?" ~ Chuck Smith Sr.
Ever Ask.. Who Is Fit to Mentor a Born-Again Soul Winner?
Then a few of them get married, and some things change.
It's not anyone lukewarm or cold inside. It's a passionate Bible-loyal spiritual leader who earnestly prays for people and seeks to win lost souls.
I want to talk about lost passion today, but how this in a close walk with Christ, can be recovered. Real spiritual revival, spawning an awakening, can indeed happen, and it will start with prayers of repentance.
First-love-righteous-passion can be somewhat compared to a romance between a man and lady, or a would-be groom and his potential bride.
Guys know that when they first take a girl out for a meal, coffee and/or for concert etc., they sure want to make a good first impression on her cuz they only get one opportunity to do that. That's so normal.
So, the smart guy showers her with polite kindness (not overly with gifts etc). They make sure their shirt, best jeans or slacks, and shoes are clean. They show her respect and get her door. Yes, maybe they open the car or restaurant door for her. They pull out all the stops, pull out her chair at the eatery—a nice Italian restaurant.
Then a few of them get married, and some things change.
Some of the guys still open the car door for her and other's just beep it open with that button on the keys. I say wait until she’s all the way in car or restaurant before closing the door.
Is their heart still fully there? Something has happened with some of the. The passion has somehow jsut slipped away. Some are no longer making the all-star effort.
One inwardly neglected and hurt woman who wanted to divorce her husband after the drab efforts told her attorney, “I want this divorce to hurt him badly. I want him to feel as much pain as possible.”
The attorney said, “Here’s how to do it. For the next three months, smother your husband with affection. Compliment him constantly. Tell him what a great guy he is and how much you care for him. Then, when he’s feeling on top of the world, drop the divorce papers on him. He won’t know what hit him. He’ll be devastated when you walk out.”
The woman agreed to the doc's plan. For the next three months she complimented her husband daily, she affirmed him, and she told him how much she loved and appreciated him. What happened next? When the three months ended, her attorney wanting to make some bucks called her on the phone and said, “All right, let’s get this divorce started.”
The woman said, “Divorce? We’re going on our second honeymoon.” By committing to the relationship as God intends, the woman unwittingly re-ignited the flames of passion in the relationship again.
Similarly, when believers commit to time with Jesus.. to the Christian life as God intends—by studying Scripture, immersing ourselves in prayer, getting involved in a church, and sharing our faith—we fuel the fire of revival in ourselves and others.
That’s why Paul wrote, “So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:8–9 NLT).
One person’s spiritual boldness paves the way for others to follow, just as John Hancock’s bold signature on the Declaration of Independence gave others courage to follow.
Passion and boldness are key ingredients of revival.
One inwardly neglected and hurt woman who wanted to divorce her husband after the drab efforts told her attorney, “I want this divorce to hurt him badly. I want him to feel as much pain as possible.”
The attorney said, “Here’s how to do it. For the next three months, smother your husband with affection. Compliment him constantly. Tell him what a great guy he is and how much you care for him. Then, when he’s feeling on top of the world, drop the divorce papers on him. He won’t know what hit him. He’ll be devastated when you walk out.”
The woman agreed to the doc's plan. For the next three months she complimented her husband daily, she affirmed him, and she told him how much she loved and appreciated him. What happened next? When the three months ended, her attorney wanting to make some bucks called her on the phone and said, “All right, let’s get this divorce started.”
The woman said, “Divorce? We’re going on our second honeymoon.” By committing to the relationship as God intends, the woman unwittingly re-ignited the flames of passion in the relationship again.
Similarly, when believers commit to time with Jesus.. to the Christian life as God intends—by studying Scripture, immersing ourselves in prayer, getting involved in a church, and sharing our faith—we fuel the fire of revival in ourselves and others.
That’s why Paul wrote, “So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:8–9 NLT).
One person’s spiritual boldness paves the way for others to follow, just as John Hancock’s bold signature on the Declaration of Independence gave others courage to follow.
Passion and boldness are key ingredients of revival.
"So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 1:8–9
"Honest prayer, sincere thanks, heartfelt praise, and the acceptable worship of God -- those are the highest activities of any real Christian. In fact, it's impossible to properly live red-hot passionately for Jesus without maintaining these top priorities." @KurtwVs
A man who has never pled with a stranger to God's Kindom.. to do what? To flee the wrath that is to come.. a person who has never wept over one soul who is getting closer and closer so to eternity.. one who has never been involved in planting one local church with his own sweat. Man, that would be a poor guide for soundly shepherding God's people, however brilliant his mind is. He teaches from a book that he hasn't lived.
Seminaries today are full of gifted theologian-types who can defend the faith with precision and yet have never once verbally witnessed to a lost person or led one soul to Christ and His cross. Their students inherit an academic faith and head-knowledge instead of earnestness with fighting faith, armed with categories (which isn't always bad) but short on travail. A theology that produces no zeal for time alone with the Lord or for the lost is not worth passing on. Paul trained Timothy on the road, in prison, and under threat: "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3).
The Modest Ambitions of a New Generation
A young pastor spoke out about his five-year goal. It was to grow his church from twenty to forty (trust God to use you to help them grow and mature spiritually and they bring their lost and saved friends with em). Not bad at all. Another said his only ambition was to teach and preach through every verse of Scripture on a schedule, nothing more. For decisions in wise applications? Exposition and steady growth are indeed good. But let there be a greater desire to get alone and bless the Lord. Otherwise, where did that burden for the lost of the city outside the doors go? Faithfulness in times of solitude and in public brings fruitfulness. Abide in the Vine. A plan to double twenty into forty is not really a vision though. It sounds like a spreadsheet with perhaps a verse taped to it.
Between 2015 and 2022, the share of pastors who believed that their church was effective at reaching the unchurched fell from 63 percent to 39 percent, a 24-point collapse in less than a decade. Only about three in ten Christians today strongly agree that they carry a personal responsibility to share their faith one on one or one on more than one with people. The Seminary pipeline seems to be producing managers of decline, not shepherds of authentic revival.
The Overcorrection Nobody Even Seems To Name
Know any high-D times? I like so many of those with natural leadership gifting. Now, fifty years ago the church endured some domineering types of men who pretty much bulldozed people in the name of their vision and mistook their volume for anointing. I did like the clarity of many.
Correcting.. that was necessary. But man, the pendulum seems to have swung past center in this correction. In repenting of prayerlessness and self-driven loud or pushy leadership, many of us have somehow built a system that manufactures overly cautious, tentative men preaching very cautious but boring sermons hard to put into practice..yes, to comfortable congregations that are calibrated to stay in a comfortable-neutral. We have not cured the so-called disease so to speak. We have swapped one imbalance for a quieter imbalance that rightly/aka biblcially challenges nobody. We can get closer to and more like the Lord.
Where Is the Fire of God For Building His Kingdom Today?I mean regarding the zeal for the Lord and His Kingdom. Not talking about His judgment right now.. that indeed is coming.There is a passion regarding getting folk to Christ for safety, and for keeping them from God's future judgment."His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay" (Jeremiah 20:9). That is the preacher this hour demands, and the kind our current system rarely produces.How can I get passion for Jesus (that's most important)? Pray, worship, spend lots of time alone with the Lord listening to His word speak to your heart. Let Him be Lord and change you.Does my Christian marriage need some pure passion? Sure, but what does the Bible teach us about overcoming passionate lust? You don't feed lust; you starve it to death. It's about dying to self (your old fleshly nature) and being careful with what you allow to enter your mind -- yes, your ear and eye gates. We are called to be holy as He is Holy.What does the Bible say about having zeal? In the Lord have you ever been rightly zealous?Can you give me some Bible verses about zeal?People can develop crushes on other people they don’t even really know, such as celebrities, public figures, or teachers. The internet has provided a new source of crushing as cyber-relationships ignite and our only contact with people is through a screen. The teen years are especially crush-prone (you've been there, right, and I've been there. Many have married cuz of a crush they felt). Hormones today are running wild, and bodies are in various stages of maturity with an urge to merge. We are not always aware of the differences between love and a passionate crush, especially when we’re young, so we are prone to leap headfirst into romances or even sinful sexual liaisons that leave lifelong wounds. Love wiser!
My deeper concern today is not so much who sits in the White House (and that's a really good concern to pray and vote about minus any cheating), but it's about who fills the pulpits and pews in God's house.
May I say it again? Christ alone is the ultimate solution for this generation, and every Christian's first citizenship is in heaven, not in any political party (See Philippians 3:20). That said, plain speech is still owed: abortion, the sexualizing and gender confusion of children, and open hostility toward Christ and His church are not neutral policy disagreements. Scripture calls calling evil good a sin in itself (Isaiah 5:20), regardless of which platform promotes it. Naming a sin is not hatred. Silence in the face of it is cowardice dressed as tolerance.
We have traded the fire of God for caution, unction for competence, travail in prayer for polished technique. A man can be doctrinally sound and functionally lifeless, able to parse the Greek and never once weep over his own city. The question is not whether a minister can rightly handle a text. The question is whether God's glory has ever broken him, and whether he still burns to see the lost won to Christ.
Christ told Laodicea, "because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). Lukewarm is not a safe middle. It is the one condition Christ calls intolerable.
Examine yourself. Red hot, lukewarm, or cold? Zeal without wisdom burns out. Wisdom without zeal lights nothing. Repent where you have gone cold, believe Him fully, and ask again for the fire Jeremiah could not shut up in his bones. KnowGod.org
