“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything byprayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God,which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:5-7)
What are you zealous for?
Some are zealous for sports teams, some are zealous for cars, others are zealous for things; but what ought we to be zealous for, what is it that should consume us? It should be our ZEAL FOR THE LORD.
Can I remind you what a true zealot is?
Zeal for the Lord is a good thing! Know that Godly Zeal Is Contagious, but Godly Zeal also has enemies. Zeal can provoke others by giving them an example of a fervent spirit and shaming them for their apathetic and lukewarm spirit. BUT…. Applied Zeal Is What Counts. This is the key point!
Are you zealous for the priorities God has already set for your life? You likely know what you should be doing in your life. Zeal gives you the force to do it!
There is a zeal that is divisive, destructive, and deadly. You can take a hammer and build a house with it, or you can cause someone harm with it. Anything taken to an extreme can become bad. We need to learn the difference between zeal and moderation. Let your moderation or your gentleness be known unto all men. Zeal and moderation are not enemies; they're friends. That doesn’t mean we compromise our beliefs, but we need to learn to live by grace.
The cause of Christ has been hurt by misguided zeal many times. When Jesus was in Samaria, the Samaritans were mistreating the Lord Jesus Christ. James and John were with Jesus, and they became very zealous for Jesus. They said to Him in Luke9:54, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But Jesus turned, and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55-56).
The manner of spirit they had was that of a misguided zealot. They saw the way the Samaritans were living, and they said “Lord, let’s get them”. The cause of Christ has sometimes been hurt far more in the house of its friends than in the house of its enemies.
What is an issue that easily riles you up? How can you guard against misguided zeal? When have you been tempted to take justice into your own hands? Zeal in Christianity is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in very possible way. It is a desire, which is not natural to men or women. It is a desire which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when they are converted to Christ.
Talk to another Christian who knows you well and ask where you tend to have misguided zeal. Ask your friend to keep you accountable for submitting those things to God.
The Bible, however, looks at zeal not so much as an emotion, but as an expression of faith. You become zealous because you have come to know God.
My grandmother had a sign in her living room that said: ”Only one life, will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
So how do we know if our zeal is God Approved?
Fanatics are those who seem to live in extremes. Many who are called spiritual “fanatics” are simply those who are more devoted than ourselves. But when you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ: Would you rather be told you believed too much or you believed too little? Would you rather be told you cared too much or you cared too little? Would you rather be told you tried too hard, or you didn’t try hard enough? Would you rather be told you were too forgiving or you were too judgmental? Would you rather be told, “Well done, thou hyper-hopeful, risk-taking servant” or “Well done, thou cautious, play-it-safe servant?”
Choose to be TRULY ZEALOUS for the LORD today!
What are you zealous for?
Some are zealous for sports teams, some are zealous for cars, others are zealous for things; but what ought we to be zealous for, what is it that should consume us? It should be our ZEAL FOR THE LORD.
Can I remind you what a true zealot is?
- A zealot is partisan - that means there is no doubt about which side he is on.
- A zealot is a fanatic - he is full throttle for his cause. We too should be zealots, but not for our preferred "cause of the month", but for the Lord.
- A zealot gets satisfaction and contentment from what they are pursuing.
- A zealot is happy about what they are doing, it is not just out of duty. They are truly excited about that of which they are a fanatic.
- Zeal: Intense ardor in the pursuit of some end; passionate eagerness in favor of a person or cause; enthusiasm as displayed in action.
- Ardor: Heat of passion or desire, vehemence, ardent desire; warmth of emotion, zeal, fervor, eagerness, enthusiasm.
Zeal for the Lord is a good thing! Know that Godly Zeal Is Contagious, but Godly Zeal also has enemies. Zeal can provoke others by giving them an example of a fervent spirit and shaming them for their apathetic and lukewarm spirit. BUT…. Applied Zeal Is What Counts. This is the key point!
Are you zealous for the priorities God has already set for your life? You likely know what you should be doing in your life. Zeal gives you the force to do it!
There is a zeal that is divisive, destructive, and deadly. You can take a hammer and build a house with it, or you can cause someone harm with it. Anything taken to an extreme can become bad. We need to learn the difference between zeal and moderation. Let your moderation or your gentleness be known unto all men. Zeal and moderation are not enemies; they're friends. That doesn’t mean we compromise our beliefs, but we need to learn to live by grace.
The cause of Christ has been hurt by misguided zeal many times. When Jesus was in Samaria, the Samaritans were mistreating the Lord Jesus Christ. James and John were with Jesus, and they became very zealous for Jesus. They said to Him in Luke9:54, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But Jesus turned, and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55-56).
The manner of spirit they had was that of a misguided zealot. They saw the way the Samaritans were living, and they said “Lord, let’s get them”. The cause of Christ has sometimes been hurt far more in the house of its friends than in the house of its enemies.
What is an issue that easily riles you up? How can you guard against misguided zeal? When have you been tempted to take justice into your own hands? Zeal in Christianity is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in very possible way. It is a desire, which is not natural to men or women. It is a desire which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when they are converted to Christ.
Talk to another Christian who knows you well and ask where you tend to have misguided zeal. Ask your friend to keep you accountable for submitting those things to God.
The Bible, however, looks at zeal not so much as an emotion, but as an expression of faith. You become zealous because you have come to know God.
My grandmother had a sign in her living room that said: ”Only one life, will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
So how do we know if our zeal is God Approved?
- Our zeal should Harmonize with Divine Will (Numbers. 25:6-11 Rom. 10:2).
- Our zeal should be directed toward God, not Men (Num. 25:11-13) -It is the “thy will be done” mentality that drives one to have a fervent spirit in doing the will of God – cf.Matt. 7:21-23 (Rom. 12:11).
- Our zeal should be directed toward “Good Things” at all Times – Not to please men (Galatians 4:18 Phil. 2:12.
- Our zeal should be Works & Prayers for the Spiritual Well-being of Others – Col. 4:12-13.
- Our zeal will not harm the cause of Christ & His church – Phil. 3:6. 6.
- Our zeal should grows out of Genuine Conversion – 2 Cor. 7:11.
Fanatics are those who seem to live in extremes. Many who are called spiritual “fanatics” are simply those who are more devoted than ourselves. But when you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ: Would you rather be told you believed too much or you believed too little? Would you rather be told you cared too much or you cared too little? Would you rather be told you tried too hard, or you didn’t try hard enough? Would you rather be told you were too forgiving or you were too judgmental? Would you rather be told, “Well done, thou hyper-hopeful, risk-taking servant” or “Well done, thou cautious, play-it-safe servant?”
Choose to be TRULY ZEALOUS for the LORD today!
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