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Introduction: What are you passionate about?
The word passion means different things to different people.
Webster: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction
Urban dictionary: Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it.
It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is ambition that is materialized into action to put as much heart, mind body and soul into something as is possible.
What are you passionate about?
Write on flip chart.
Why are you passionate about it?
What do you like so much about this?
What is the evidence you’re passionate about it?
What do you do?
The Pharisees were passionate about the Law of Moses.
They tried to trick Jesus so they sent one of their group to test Jesus.
“The scribes said there were 613 laws, with 248 being affirmative and 365 being negative.
Some even argued that the commandment to wear fringes on the garments was the greatest of the 613!
This helps us to recognize the test to which they presumed they were subjecting Him.” Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982).
Matthew (Vol.
24, p. 18).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.
They were asking Jesus, what’s most in life?
Here was Jesus’s answer.
We can summarize Jesus’s answer very simply.
Love the Lord your God.
Matthew 22:34-40
He added the second commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself.
We’re going to focus on the greatest commandment.
Once we’ve figured that out we’ll move on to the second.
This statement, Love the Lord your God is good.
Love is really important.
But my summary falls far short of Jesus’s statement doesn’t it?
Jesus didn’t just love the Lord your God, He said,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
That sounds to me like passion.
Jesus said passionately love God.
1. Passionate spirituality is enthusiastically loving God.
Romans 12:11
This raises an important question.
Can you command someone to feel a certain way?
Can you order someone to be passionate or enthusiastic?
It would seem not.
When you think of “love” that’s a feeling you feel when you feel like you going feel a feeling!
Some of us love coffee?
My darling Margaret doesn’t.
She’s tried it a few times but just can’t stomach it.
You say, that’s taste buds.
You can’t change them.
Okay, Margaret likes to read women’s books, go figure.
Not me.
Can you tell me, order me to like to read women’s books?
It doesn’t seem like it.
So then, how is it that God commands us to be passionate in our spirituality?
In case you’re wondering, this isn’t the only place where we are commanded to be enthusiastic about our faith.
If you we’re hoping for loophole, you aren’t going to find one!
Okay, it looks like we’d better figure this out.
How does one become passionate?
Let’s go back to what we talked about at the beginning of our message, our personal areas of passion.
There was a point in each of our lives when we weren’t passionate about what we are now.
What happened?
What changed?
We were introduced to the experience and liked it.
Probably not as much as we do now, but enough to stick with it and our passion grew.
Would you agree with that statement?
Your passion grew?
Yes.
The same is true about passionate spirituality.
2. Passionate spirituality increases over time.
Galatians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:15
Progression of Paul’s growth in passion.
Early in Paul’s ministry, approximately 53 AD
3 years later, approximately 56 AD
8 years later, approximately 61 AD
10 years later, approximately 63 AD
3. Passionate spirituality has many forms of expression.
It is not one form or style of spirituality.
It may include exuberant praise.
Psalm 150
It may include quiet praise. 1 Kings 19:11-13 , Job 40:4-5
It always includes God’s presence.
Isaiah 29:13
4. Passionate spirituality is a personal choice.
Talk to God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Meditate on God’s Word.
Psalm 1:1-2
What is He saying to you as you read His word?
How does His word apply to your day?
What He has done for you.
How he helps you each day.
Depend upon Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Lean not on your own understanding.
Thank Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Rehearse all God has done for you.
For peace, and love and joy.
Worship Him.
Revelation 4:11
He is worthy
Commit to growing in your passionate spirituality.
Bottom Line: Passionate spirituality has many forms but one one function, loving God.
Discussion questions:
Describe what it is like for you, with your personality style, to be passionate, not just about God but in general.
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