Tuesday 2 August 2011

Be Passionate (says @MarkBailey_ at #nwcsw11)

Jesus was so passionate that the last 24 hours of his life were called the passion.
 
In Ephesians it says 'In your anger, do not sin' indicating that it is OK to be angry.
 
In Romans it says 'hate what is evil' indicating it is OK to hate.
 
Mark Bailey said all of the above on the opening night at New Wine CSW as he urged us to be more passionate in our faith. Are we indifferent or are we intense? When we see rubbish stuff going on do we ignore it or do we condense the nonsene?
 
The Holy Spirit was called 'Wild Goose' by Celtic Christians. My experiences of Candaina Geese is that they are cantankerous things that throw their waight about but also have the stamina to fly to Canada and back every year. That's a far cry from the white middle-class Christianity that inhabits our society. Mark talked about how the road to spiritual maturity may not mean stability or security. But as we follow our God-given passions on the 'wild-goose chase' we would be energised, avoiding the de-energising distractions of sin. After all, nothing is more energising than doing the will of God.
 
In John 4, Jesus says that he has food that the disciples knew nothing about when they were concerned at how hungry he might be. Maybe that food is doing the will of the Father. Maybe we can be more by being passionate.

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