Wednesday, January 30, 2013

When will passion produce?

I was just listening to New Life Worship performing “Great I Am” by Jared Anderson. You can hear it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5CWGi82N7k

This is a wonderful song, full of honor and glory and praise for the King. During the video the camera pans the audience/congregation showing a very passionate group of people pouring themselves out emotionally before the Lord.
As I have the opportunity to travel for work, I am in many worship gatherings and have been privileged to be a part of such worship on occasion. We were visiting a church in the Los Angeles area whose speaking pastor had just returned from a short term mission experience somewhere. He was changed, no doubt, as he could neither really put into words what he had experienced nor what he should now do. At the end of his message he asked his flock how many would follow Jesus to the ends of the earth. The whole place stood to their feet, raising their hands and verbally responding. It was moving.
I found myself sitting there afterward, as everyone returned to their usual, casual selves, thinking, “What now?” Emotions had been high and passions were being poured out like water before the King…but what now? When will our passion produce? When will it spill out of our hallowed halls onto the streets outside?
Passion is so much more easily expressed in community, when expectations mesh and risk is low. Boiling passion down to “doing” in the real world becomes work that requires the commitment of time, energy and money; not a popular topic among too many. Commitment is required, though, for Kingdom growth…commitment that results in action.
Just how far will your passion take you? What if God required of you what you promised him while within the four walls of a church building or while praying quietly, alone. What will your answer be when he whispers, “Who can we send? Who will go for us?” My guess is that you will answer, “Hear am I, send me.” When you do, get ready to put action to your words. Obedience is rarely something that can be accomplished with passion alone.

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