Living the Passion
2012
A Passion for Church
Living the Passion
2012
A Passion
for God:
• Love God wholeheartedly
• Obey God diligently
• Trust God completely
(in the face of affluence, idolatry & difficulty)
• Proclaim the gospel fearlessly
Living the Passion
2012
A Passion for Church
Living the Passion
2012
Passion Killers:
Disunity:
Make every effort to keep the unity of
the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:3
Living the Passion
2012
Passion Killers:
False teaching:
…tossed back and forth by the
waves, and blown here and there by
every wind of teaching and by the
cunning and craftiness of people in
their deceitful scheming.
Eph 4:14
Living the Passion
2012
Passion Killers:
Sin:
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and
anger… sexual immorality, impurity,
greed… obscenity, foolish talk, course
joking… fruitless deeds of darkness.
Ephesians 4: 31 – 5: 11
Living the Passion
2012
Passion Killers:
Discouragement:
I ask you, therefore, not to be
discouraged because of my sufferings
for you, which are your glory.
Ephesians 3: 13
“Yeah, I’m fine, was just super
lazy yesterday! Had a long nap
when I got home from work and
couldn’t find the energy to
leave the house again.”
Living the Passion
2012
Sustaining the
Passion:
1. A passion for Christ’s body
And God placed all things under his
feet and appointed him to be head over
everything for the church, which is his
body, the fullness of him who fills
everything in every way. Eph 1: 22 - 23
Living the Passion
2012
Jesus is supreme over all these ‘names
and ‘powers’. So Christians need not fear
them. In fact they may replace fear with
hope because the world around holds no
final threats for them. The power that God
exercises is ‘for us’. Those two little words
say so much!
Steve Motyer
I am taken aback by the power that that the
people in Washington don’t have…
Politicians can rearrange stuff on the
surface of life. They can spend money and
enact legislation and draw attention to a
cause. But they can’t bring fundamental
transformation into the life of one
individual.
They can’t rewrite the eternal address of
a single person. They can’t order
genuine reconciliation between two
estranged human beings. They can’t
instil character into anybody. They can’t
turn a selfish heart into a servant heart,
or a granite heart into a giving heart.
My job is a lot weightier than his or hers.
And so are the ministries of people
around the world who are investing their
energy into turning irreligious people into
fully devoted followers of Christ.
Bill Hybels: Rediscovering Church
Living the Passion
2012
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he
cares for you.
Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5: 7 - 8
Living the Passion
2012
Sustaining the
Passion:
2. A passion for God’s household
You are… fellow citizens with God’s people
and also members of his household,… And
in (Christ) you too are being built together to
become a dwelling in which God lives by his
Spirit.
Ephesians 2: 19 - 22
Living the Passion
2012
Sustaining the
Passion:
3. A passion for revealed truth
In (Christ Jesus), and through faith in him,
we may approach God with freedom and
confidence.
Ephesians 3: 12
Living the Passion
2012
Sustaining the
Passion:
A passion for revealed truth
The administration of God’s grace, given to
me for you…
Ephesians 3: 2
I became a servant of this gospel by the
gift of God’s grace… this grace was given
me… 3: 7 - 8
Living the Passion
2012
Sustaining the
Passion:
A passion for revealed truth
His intent was that now, through the church, the
manifold wisdom of God should be made
known to the rulers and authorities in the
heavenly realms, according to his eternal
purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Ephesians 3: 10 - 11
Are you a church, or
a club?
John Piper
Living the Passion
2012
Sustaining the
Passion:
4. A passion for Christian maturity
…so that the body of Christ may be built up until
we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4: 13
Living the Passion
2012
Sustaining the
Passion:
A passion for the one Christ loves
…Christ loved the church and gave himself up
for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the
washing with water through the word, and to
present her to himself as a radiant church,
without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but
holy and blameless.
Ephesians 5: 25 - 27
Living the Passion
2012
A Passion
for God:
• Love God wholeheartedly
• Obey God diligently
• Trust God completely
(in the face of affluence, idolatry & difficulty)
• Proclaim the gospel fearlessly
Living the Passion
2012
A Passion for
the church:
• Christ’s body
• God’s household
• God’s gospel
• Christian maturity
• The one Jesus loves
Living the Passion
2012
Sustaining the
Passion:
A passionate prayer
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all
kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind,
be alert and always keep on praying for all the
Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that … I will
fearlessly make known the mystery of the
gospel.
Ephesians 6: 18 - 19