Introduction:
What comes to mind when you hear, or see the word passion? Webster’s Dictionary says that passion is “intense emotional excitement.” That excitement can run the spectrum from being “white-hot” with anger to being “red-hot” in love. Webster’s also identifies the word passion with the crucifixion and sufferings of Jesus Christ. That usage can be seen the movie Mel Gibson produced a couple of years ago: The Passion of the Christ.
What does the passion of Jesus Christ mean to you and me today? What impact should it have on our lives? Would you say that Jesus was passionate about His mission here on earth? Would you say that you are passionate about your relationship with Him? In a few minutes we are going to look at a story about Paul and Silas from Acts 16 that reveals their passion for Christ, but before we do I want us to talk a little bit more about what passion is.
If passion is connected to Christ’s suffering for our salvation, then how should we relate to His sufferings? Let’s begin with what Paul says in…
Philippians 1:29
29For it has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe£ in Him, but also to suffer for Him…
We often want to stop at believe so that we won’t have to suffer, but if we do, we cannot truly be passionate about Jesus Christ. Peter addressed the same thing in his first letter…
1 Peter 4:13-14
13…as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. 14If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Passionate followers of Jesus Christ are going to sharing in His suffering. If you Christian walk doesn’t challenge the world around you, then you need to take a look at how and where you are walking. I like the challenge that Paul gave to Timothy in his second letter to the young Pastor…
2 Timothy 1:6-8
6Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
8So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God,
Paul’s challenge was to stay “on fire” for Jesus—to be passionate about serving Christ. Timothy needed to remember that God didn’t want him to be controlled by fear, but rather by His power, love, and the discipline that comes from allowing the Holy Spirit to direct your life. What Paul said to Timothy might be summarized by a prayer like this:
Lord, teach me…
Lord, touch me…
Lord, torch me!
A few months ago you focused on the 40 Days of Purpose as a Church. That program was based on Pastor Rick Warren’s books: The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life. I’m all for being “purpose” driven. If fact, I wish I could have been here to be a part of that study with you. But the fact is, before this Church, or any Church becomes “purpose” driven it needs to become “PASSION” driven!
We need to pray that God, through the infilling of His Holy Spirit, will transform FBC into a “PASSION” Driven Church filled with PASSIONATE believers living PASSIONATE lives for Jesus Christ!
Let me pose one more question before we get to our story: What robs people and Churches of their passion? There are probably a multitude of answers to that question, but there is one thing that really seemed to hit home with me. People and Church are robbed of their passion by fatigue.
People and Church just plain “wear out” or, to use the term more often associated with spiritual things, they “burn out.” There is great danger with fatigue. Fatigue can cause both bridges and believers to collapse and crumble under the weight of the world around them, and I’m afraid that we have more fatigue within the Body of Christ than we want to admit.
The late, great coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, once said: “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Jesus understood the weariness of life, that is why He offered this “anti-fatigue” remedy:
Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Let me offer you three common causes of fatigue in the life of both Church and believers:
1. Compromise fatigue: This is where we face the pressures to fit in, be accepted, to not make waves, to be silent when we should speak up, to be more like the world than like Christ. Ultimately it leads to us giving in, which in turns leads to spiritual fatigue.
2. Compression fatigue: This is where we face the continuing pressures of life weighing down on us, and because we are trying to hold up under the load with our own strength, eventually we give out, which, once again leads to spiritual fatigue.
3. Comparison fatigue: This is where we are constantly looking at everyone else and wondering why we can’t have what they have, do what they do, be what they are. We become convinced that there is a place where the “grass is greener” and we eventually give up, which is another way of describing spiritual fatigue.
So how do we battle against these? What can we do to keep from giving in…giving out… or, giving up? I hope our story about Paul and Silas can give us some practical weapons for this battle. As we read the story keep in mind that these two servants of Christ faced the same types of challenges we do today.
They could have compromised and given in, and if they had they probably wouldn’t have faced nearly the problems that they did.
They could have given out, under the compressing weight of their problems and just done nothing.
They could have compared their problems to the ease of others and given up and walked away from their calling.
They could have done any or all of those, but they didn’t! Paul and Silas were passionate about their relationship with Jesus Christ and it was a reflected in how the faced the challenges that were laid before them. As a result, not only were Paul and Silas strengthened in their faith, but an entire family had their eternal future changed forever!
Text: Acts 16:25-34
What lessons can we learn from this story that will help us become “PASSION” driven in our walk with Christ?
I. Passionate People are Fully Surrendered to God in Prayer & Praise.
25Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.
Paul and Silas were in prison because of their faith in Jesus Christ. They had done what God said was right, but they ended up being persecuted nonetheless. So what was their response? Did they complain? Did they whine about how unfair life was? Did they play the part of the “victim” like so many today tend to do? No! They WORSHIPPED! They bowed their hearts in prayer, and they lifted their voices in praise. That is an example of what a passionate follower of Christ looks like—it is someone who is fully surrendered to God in prayer and praise.
II. Passionate People are Fueled by God’s Power.
26Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
The earthquake that night wasn’t some “random” phenomena, it was the power of God being displayed and Paul and Silas knew it. They knew that it wasn’t a coincidence that those prison doors swung open. God was doing a mighty work around them, and was about to do a mighty work in them, and through them.
God’s power being displayed in that earthquake fueled their passion for Christ, that is why they didn’t run—they knew that God had a plan and they wanted to be a part of what He was getting ready to do!
III. Passionate People are Focused on God’s Purposes.
30Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
So why did they stay? Because they were missionaries, that’s why! Because sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ was the very essence of who they were, and what they were called to do. Passionate people don’t every want to miss out on an opportunity to share with others what Jesus has done for them.
Paul and Silas knew that there is no greater purpose in life than to share with others the life-changing message of salvation. And so they laid out the message of Jesus Christ, His life, His death, and His resurrection, to provide the hope of eternal life to all who believe. And their passion for Christ along with the power of the Holy Spirit helped the Jailer and his whole family put their faith in Jesus Christ!
Lives are changed when God’s people live passionately for His Son!
Conclusion:
Are you living passionately for Christ today? Or, are you experiencing spiritual fatigue? My guess is that if we put our spiritual lives on a scale with passion at one end, and fatigue at the other, many of us would have to admit that we are closer to fatigue than passion.
So what do we do? It may seem simple, but I believe we need to do the same things I see in the story of Paul and Silas:
Surrender to God fully
Lean on God’s power not your own
Start sharing what God has done in your life
