MY PASSIONS IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

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Sometimes when I listen to a pastor of a ministry or a church stand before a group and try to move them towards a worthy goal, I am amazed at their lack of passion. I often think to myself, “Do they really think people will be moved by their life and words — which appear to be so passionless?” A major part of leadership is rallying people toward a better future. The role of a spiritual leader is to rally people toward fulfilling what they believe is God’s will for their life and church. Pastor, whether you lead a student group of 15 or 25 people, a worship service of 100 or 150 people, a Bible Study for 5 or10 people that want to help you plant a church in your city, or teach before a classroom of students, or preach before thousands, you will not move or keep one person without passion.

 

As a Pastor, I Should Be Most Passionate About these:

 

1: My personal walk with Jesus Christ

 

Since Christ saved you by His grace from your sin, He desires greatly for me to now grow in His grace. This cannot be done without a devotional life built rock-solid upon pouring the Word of God in my life daily. This will not be done without prayer becoming one of my major priorities in my life and ministry. As a pastor my passionless will usually be someone who is not having an intimate, consistent, devoted time with God daily. I have found in my life and leadership, that the greater my devotional life is, the more intensely passionate my leadership becomes.

 

2: My calling to the ministry of the Gospel

 

Most pastors have lost the thrill of their calling into the ministry of the Gospel. We can blame our circumstances or the churches we have served through the years for dampening our passion, but if we have lost some of our passion, it is ultimately on us. My passion should not come from the praise of men, but from the God of Heaven who chose me to give my life to the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have forgotten the humility of asking, “Why me, Lord?” and exchanged it with the pride of declaring, “I deserve more.”

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When I am more passionate about my sport game than I am about God Himself, I need to resign. When I am more passionate about my favorite sports team than I am about the message I am going to preach on Sunday, then I need to resign. When I am more passionate about the numbers in my retirement account than I am about the number of people in my church is reaching and discipling for Christ, then I need to resign. When I am more moved by planning something for myself than I am about planning for his church, then I need to resign. A pastor without passion cannot and will not lead the church effectively.

 

 

3: My opportunity to see lives changed

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Just think about myself as a pastor, I have the privilege to give every day of my life to seeing the lives of people changed. One can touch a life by selling them some kind of apparel to wear. One can affect a person’s day by giving them food to eat. Another can alter a person’s future by teaching them about economics. But looking to myself as a pastor, I can see a life changed today and forever when I lead someone into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Knowing that God has let me give every waking hour of my life to leading a ministry or an entire church towards the common goal of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with every person in the world and to making disciples of all the nations.

 

4) My Spiritual Growth

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Here as a Pastor, I need to have the passion to help of growing the church in wisdom and knowledge of the Lord and His understanding and also to see the kingdom of God expand and individuals growing for the glory of Almighty God.  

 

5) Soul Winning

 

   I am passionate for soul winning. Because soul winners are precious and influential people in the sight of God. As a Pastor, nothing should mean more to me than leading those in the world who have not yet known the Lord into salvation. This is something I must take it very seriously in every day, every week and every year more than ever. The gospel book of Mark says chapter 16:15; He said to them, “Go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (NIV)

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Again, 2 Corinthians 5:19, which says-that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

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God has committed to me the ministry of reconciliation; not only did He call me into the fellowship of His son Jesus Christ according to 1 Corinthians 1:9, He’s also called me to partner with Him in soul winning. The book of Romans 12:11 says; Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your Spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (NIV).  It’s actually talking about fervent in God’s number one business, which is soul winning.

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To be effective as a soul winner, I must see beyond my present circumstances; I must see beyond every limitation and refuse anything that will obstruct my views in this great responsibilities. I must get rid of all distracting influences and fervently serve the Lord as a soul winner. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:16; For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (NIV).

 

If this does not fire me up, light my jets, and help me get up each morning with a greater passion, then it’s time to rethink my life, reignite my walk, and renew my calling. Get away one day, draw aside to Jesus, confess where I am, open God’s word, lay before Him, open my spiritual ears, plead for a word of God, journal my thought, act on His word, return with a resolve and share with others what God has said.

 

If I am a passionless, it means I cannot lead people towards a better future.

 

If I am a passionless, it means that I cannot move people with my preaching

 

If I am a passionless Pastor, it means that I will be unable to motivate people to reach their community, region, nation and the world for Jesus Christ.

 

To be honest, the phrase “Passionless Pastor” is an oxymoron to me. The phrase is incompatible and contradictory. How in the world can God called a pastor who lacks passion in his life?

 

In conclusion, Our Lord had passion. He was driven with an intense desire to redeem people from their sins. Even the final week of His life is referred to as “Passion week of Christ”. Those final days were filled with joyous passion as the people threw their palm branches and blankets before Him as He rode down the Palm Sunday pathway. The people were filled with tears as He prayed over the city of Jerusalem. These days were even comprised of immense and intense emotion as He became so disturbed by the marketing and commerce that occurred in the temple.

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From the humility Jesus showed by washing the feet of His followers, to His last supper with them, to falling on His knees in prayer in Gethsemane, to His betrayal by one of His followers, to the injustice of His trials, to the denial by one of His beloved true disciples, to the loneliness of His last hours, to the ruthless scourging moments before His walk to the cross, to the nails driven into His hands and feet, to His desire to win the thief on the cross, to becoming the sin of the entire world, to His separation from His Father, and to His final breath, our Lord Jesus display His passion strongly and openly.

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ could not have accomplished His life purpose without passion.