christian zeal. review: god’s vision for a zealous people god calls us to be zealous through…...

Christian Zeal

Review: God’s Vision For A Zealous People

• God Calls Us To Be Zealous Through…– Jesus’ Actions, Instructions, & Mission

• Christian Zeal Is Good For…– The Saints, The Lost, & The Lord

• The Challenge: Many who desire to be zealous don’t know how to build a lasting spiritual fire.

Stepping Up To The Challenge:

Exposing Satan’s Lies• We Must Break Free From Satan’s Lies

About Building Zeal…– LIE: Zeal Is Only For A Few– LIE: Zeal Is All About What Is New– LIE: Zeal Is Too Difficult & Dangerous– LIE: Zeal Is Too Fragile & Disappointing– LIE: Zeal Alone Is Sufficient

• We Must Learn To Understand Zeal As God Understands It…

Stepping Up To The Challenge:

God Describes Christian Zeal• God Often Uses Metaphors To Describe

Spiritual Concepts– Example: The Sheep & Shepherd

• To Describe Christian Zeal, God Uses The Metaphor of Intense Heat.– Greek: Zelos #2204 & #2205 - To Be Hot, Heat

– English: Fervent, Earnest, Kindle Afresh

• Based On God’s Description, Zeal Can Be Thought Of As A Growing Spiritual Fire.

The Basics of Our Spiritual Fire

• The Fire Triangle: Every Fire Requires Heat, Fuel, & Oxygen. – Spiritually, Specific Concepts Serve As Our

Heat Source, Our Fuel, & Our Environment.

The Basics of Our Spiritual Fire

• The Fire Triangle: Every Fire Requires Heat, Fuel, & Oxygen. – Spiritually, Specific Concepts Serve As Our

Heat Source, Our Fuel, & Our Environment.

1.) HEAT: God Is Our Ultimate Source of Spiritual Heat– “for our God is a consuming fire.” Heb. 12:29– God’s Son, Character, Motivators, Will

The Basics of Our Spiritual Fire

2.) FUEL: Knowing the right definition of zeal identifies the right fuels for starting a lasting spiritual fire.– Generic Zeal: Enthusiastic pursuit of a goal.

• Christian Zeal Involves– Not Just Any Pursuit, But Desire & Courage– Not Just Raw Enthusiasm, But Great Energy,

Great Wisdom, & Great Diligence– Not Just Any Goal, But Devotion & Service To

God

The Basics of Our Spiritual Fire

• Defining Christian Zeal Must Include These7 Essential Fuels: – Christian Zeal is the desire and courage to

exercise great energy, great wisdom, and great diligence in devotion & service to God.

• Notice They Are To Be Exercised– Obedience, Not Just Familiarity, Is Required

• Notice The Focus This Brings– This definition allows us to concentrate our efforts

in fueling the traits that can bring the greatest growth.

The Basics of Our Spiritual Fire

3.) Environment: For maximum and lasting Christian zeal, our ultimate heat source & essential fuels must unite in the right environment.

• Four Key Environmental Factors…– My Heart: Zeal Purifies & Cleanses– My Relationships: Family, Friends, Church– My Works: Career, Good Deeds, Recreation– My Obstacles: Zeal Can Even Grow In Tough

Times.

God’s Solution Makes Sense• The Solution: We can build Christian Zeal by…

– Depending On The Heat Source– Developing The Essential Fuels– Drawing On The Environment

• The Beauty of This Solution: It provides an approach to Christian zeal that is Biblical, specific, and immediately applicable.– Building Zeal: Is There A Problem With My Concept of

God? With My Spiritual Fuels? Within My Environment?

• God’s Vision: God Has Provided Everything We Need To Honor Him With Christian Zeal.

Christian Zeal