• Hm.....passion. Did you know that the actual definition in the Webster dictionary of passion is “the trial and suffering that Jesus went through between the time of the last supper and his death. Passion. In other words, suffering for the sake of others. Enduring suffering as an act of love. The Passion of the Christ. The title of the movie isn’t The Sufferings of the Christ. It doesn’t say the Death of the Christ. It says the Passion of the Christ. He was so in love with us, so passionate about us and who we are, and who we’re going to be, he died.

    Christ had passion.

    In Acts Chapter 7:
    Stephen a man full of God’s grace and power was able to perform miracles and sign and wonders. The high priests looked at this as a disgrace to the Old Testament law and when seized and asked if the charges against him were true,

    He let ‘em have it!!

    He presented his case loud and clear. He recast the entire history of Israel as the story of God saving his people in spite of their stubborn resistance. He told them that they, the very people who honored the temple and the Law, were the very people who betrayed and murdered Jesus.
    They took Stephen out, and stoned him to death.
    Like Jesus, Stephen was tried and executed because he upset the establishment. Like Jesus, he died breathing forgiveness and love. He spoke not one word of condemnation on the people that killed him. As the stones struck his face and his body, he cried out to God to forgive them! He prayed for them. (verse 60) And it was a good thing He did. For one of the men that was there killing him was Saul, soon to be Paul, so to be the author of 14 books of the New Testament. 15, depending on who you talk to.

    Stephen loved Jesus so much, that he defended Him until his last breath. He died as an act of love towards Jesus.

    Stephen had passion.

    Hundreds maybe thousands of people have died for the cause of Christ. They had passion. Now I’m not saying that in order to be a passionate person, you need to die for the faith, no! I’m just saying that these people looked God in the face and said, “Whatever it takes Lord. Whatever it takes.”

    If it takes you quitting your job and moving to Africa or wherever to become a missionary and to serve the people of the world.

    If it takes saying, Lord I’m not going to listen to secular music anymore. If it’s not glorifying you Lord I don’t want to hear it.

    To lay down your life, take up your cross and follow Him. That’s passion. To lay down your dreams and all of your hopes for Him. That’s passion. Because you trust in Him and you want everything that He has to offer. That’s passion.

    Martin Luther King Jr. died because someone was appalled at the idea of blacks and whites and people of other races getting along. Martin Luther King gave his speech with a heart full of love for people, beating inside his chest. And it cost him his life.

    What will it take? What… will… it… take? Is it going to take someone busting down your door putting a gun against your head and telling you that the only way you’re going to live is that you deny Jesus? Maybe.

    Now again I’m not here asking you to go out and get yourselves killed, I’m here asking you…

    What will it take?

    What will it take for you to get out there, to love on people, to say hi to a stranger, to help an old lady across the street, to take off your down coat and hand it to a homeless person, to tell people about Jesus! To tell them that there is a Jesus that died for them!

    You know you could probably consider Jesus death an act of Martyrdom. Martyrdom: dying for what you believe in. When you die and go to heaven, and you go up to the throne room and you see him sitting at the right had of the Father, at the right hand of our Daddy, and he’s so beautiful you can’t help but do anything else but cry, and you look him straight in the face and with all seriousness ask him..

    Why? Why’d you do it, Lord?

    He’s gonna look back and say,

    “Because I believed in you.”

    He believes in you!!! He knows you can do it. The Bible says that he intercedes for us!

    Martyr your dreams, because you believe in His dreams. Martyr your hopes, because you believe in His hopes.

    What will it take?

    Lay down your life, pick up your cross and follow him. You do not have to die in a heroic manner to be considered passionate. It is not how you die… It’s how you live. Live with passion. You may ask, “How do you do it?” Two answers… Love God, and love people.