Title Characteristics of a passionate person
The whole world is nervous about the bird flu. It is said to be transmitted through birds. How did this deadly virus come about? It is said to have started as a group breeding. Pigs, chickens, ducks, etc. are group-bred in an enclosed space protected from sunlight. The chicken, for example, continues to light the fire day and night to let the eggs pour out. However, they need to sleep at night and grow in an eco-friendly atmosphere, but it is said that such a virus occurs during group breeding. These viruses follow the migration of migratory birds and spread them for thousands of kilometers. It is said that the bird flu, which spreads so terribly, is a terrifying epidemic caused by human-centered greed.
Disregarding the natural order created by God, it teaches us how much damage humans plan for convenience and great benefits.
When a disease such as avian flu or SARS is transmitted, it kills people. There are contagions that kill lives and there are contagions that save lives. The sermon I want to share with you today is about contagion.
The hallmark of a passionate person is that they are highly contagious. Even the CEO of Starbucks does not say that he is the CEO, but confidently says that I am the top evangelist. That's how much passion he has for the products he creates. Many teachers teach at school. If the biblical theology teacher teaches passionately, many students will want to major in that field. Because passion soon turns contagious.
If we have a spiritual passion, that spiritual passion must be manifested in the passion of the gospel. We believe that the passion of the gospel should soon become the people of God who spread Jesus. Infectious diseases such as bird flu and SARS are infectious diseases that kill lives, but when Jesus is preached with the passion of the gospel, life is saved.
Steve, the co-founder of Apple Computer, said this when he scouted a top executive named John Sculley, who worked at PepsiCo. Look me in the eye and say, “I want to spend the rest of my life selling sugar water. Or do you want a chance to change the world?” At these words, Sculley, who was working at PepsiCo, stopped breathing, thought deeply, and eventually started working together at Apple Computer.
This is not to say that the cola business that sells sugar water is wrong. To make our life more meaningful and rewarding, let's become a preacher of Jesus with the passion of the gospel. Where do we spend a lot of our time? Invest in people Don't invest a lot in my hobbies, let's live by investing in people. Doesn't investing in people eventually turn them back to Jesus?
God has a wish. It is summarized in 2 Peter 3:9. “He is patient, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” He wants no one to perish but all to repent. How rewarding and meaningful is the fulfillment of God's wishes in our lives?
Those who live with the passion for the gospel pray like this every day. Ask the Holy Spirit for help with this. “Today, I will do something more meaningful than simply selling a few bowls of rice. We will do something more meaningful than just selling products to make money. When I teach students, I don't just pass on knowledge. We will not stop at just serving. May the image of the living Jesus be revealed in my service. Through me, men and women, children and the elderly, there will be people who turn to Jesus because of me. God, help me to become a fisher of men rather than a fisher of fish.”
Then, what are the characteristics of a person who has a passion for the gospel and who spreads Jesus? Let's find out through the words of the text.
A person with a passion for the gospel is a person who spreads Jesus. regardless of time and place. Let's open our mouth and testify to the people around us that we should believe in Jesus and be saved. Open your mouth to the people you meet at work, the people you meet in business, the friends you meet, the people you meet at school. Let's go to church together and open our mouths to live a life of faith.
Those who have the zeal for the gospel like this do not choose any time or place. The next verse says, “The time is coming when people will not receive sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate many teachers to follow their own desires, and will turn away from the truth and follow myths. But be careful in all things, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your duties.”
Even if they try to spread Jesus with the passion for the gospel, they are not easy to listen to. Those who have the passion for the gospel and those who want to spread Jesus need patience and patience. How many teachings are around us these days? How many different heresies, how many teachings that take our thoughts away from God? However, a person of passion endures even if there are obstacles in evangelism.
Look at the words of Daniel. “The wise will shine like the light of the firmament. He who has turned many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.” Those who preach Jesus with the passion of the gospel will shine like the stars forever and ever. How precious are your words?
Dear saint! Look around us. How frightening are the life-killing factors spreading? Dangerous infectious diseases, including bird flu, threaten our physical health. The lifestyle of living in this world immersed in pleasure is spreading terribly. Have fun and live in this short world. An epidemic that threatens our mental health is spreading rapidly. How many false teachings are there? Appealing only to human reason, where is God? The mindset that teaches us not to seek God just because we are weak is spreading fearfully around us. It is at this time that we need the zeal of the gospel. We can save lives only when we have the passion of the gospel. You can preach Jesus only if you have the passion for the gospel. Dear saint! We want the passion of the gospel to burn in us. So, I want Jesus to be contagious to those around him and to lead them to the path of life together. Lord! Make me a fisher of men, not a fisher of fish.