What is Christian zeal? Zeal is eagerness or desire for something and for a Christian, that one thing is to please God. The Apostle James demonstrated to the fullest a zeal for our Lord that we should all try to mimic.
Like some of the other apostles, James was also a fisherman. We also can assume he had connections with Jewish elite, possibly through his fishing business, which he used to help Peter get into the court of the trial. The sons of Zebedee, James and John were Jesus’ cousins and were very close to him. An example of their closeness, their mom even lobbied to have James and John sit at the right hand of Jesus.
The Zeal of James
In the New Testament, there are three men named James. James the lesser, James the brother of Jesus and the apostle James, also called James the greater. James was a passionate man and it showed in moments like wanting to sit at the right of Jesus and claiming to be able to drink the cup he drinks, meaning they were willing to go anywhere with Jesus (Mark 10:25-39). Also in Luke 9:54 James shows why he is called a son of thunder, as he is so upset at the Samaritans for not allowing Jesus to pass through, that he asks if he can call down fire from heaven to destroy them. He was fiery and full of emotion. Again in Mark 13:3 you see James is with Peter, John and Andrew asking Jesus questions throughout the night about what is to come. Finally, James zeal can be summed up in Acts 12:1-2 where James became a martyr. Herod was a new ruler and he wanted to appeal to the Jews, so he was imprisoning the Christians, which the Jews hated because the was growing by the grace of God. Out of all them, James was chosen as the example and executed by the sword. James was chosen because he was most likely the most active and full of passion. They didn’t choose Peter or John, but James was chosen because of his zeal.
The Zeal of Christ
Every Christian must have the same DNA of Jesus Christ, meaning we should follow His example, should we have the same passion He had. The week before He died on the cross is called Passion Week. What Jesus did and went through demonstrates His unending zeal for God the Father and His will. The disciples rightly connected Psalm 69 to Jesus when He cleansed the temple. (John 2:17) Jesus cared so much about the Father and His house. We must not forget the justice and wrath of God. Oftentimes, we only remember the love of God but God is full of justice and anger towards sin. He is an active and violent God towards evil. Jesus fervently desired to obey God even at the cost of his life. (Luke 22:42)
Why is passion so important?
Without passion nothing will happen. Without passion we cannot bear fruit. The Christian life is not about waiting around. The church is not a hotel waiting for guests. To save the lost, Christians must be active and action is preceded by passion. Apostle Paul was also passionate and labored tirelessly to spread the gospel across the world. (Acts 20:24)
The father of modern missions, William Carey was not an educated man yet he worked diligently to translate the Bible into different local languages while ministering in India. After 20 years, a fire happened that destroyed all 20 years of their work. He wrote “We are not discouraged; indeed the work is already begun again in every language. We are cast down but not in despair.” Such passion for the Lord’s work. John Macarthur said, “If I have to choose between a man of burning, flaming, passionate, enthusiasm with a potential for failure on the one hand, and a cold compromiser on the other hand, I will take the man with passion every time.” Passion is so important for the Christian. Without it, we would despair, we would be stagnant and we would not obey.
Where does passion come from?
First, you must know God. Knowing God will never make you silent. In Psalm 18:1-2, we see how David knew God as His strength and fortress. This is how David was able to go out and fight against Goliath after he heard the insults Goliath made against god. The apostles remembered who God is and how Jesus rose from the dead just as He said he would (John 2:22). They knew God and so they passionately obeyed.
Second, you must know what is most valuable in your life. Paul writes in Philippians 3:7-8,12 “But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ” We don’t realize what’s most valuable and cling on to what’s not valuable. Instead we must hold on to Jesus Christ who is the most valuable. Nothing and no one is superior to Jesus. He must consume and is worthy of our pursuit.
Thirdly, you must know the gospel. The gospel is what we are the most proud of (Romans 1:16). Before the gospel, we used to be proud of our selves and our lives but there’s nothing to be proud of because it’s all wicked and hopeless. We are proud of the Gospel because it is the power of God for salvation. The gospel is the only way for people to be saved.
People excuse themselves from being passionate and sharing the gospel. They claim they are introverted. But sharing the gospel is not about personality but knowing who you are and who God is. The gospel is exciting because by the gospel we have been changed from death to life. A Christian never tires of the gospel until the day we die. I believe therefore I speak (2 Corinthians 4:12). It is silly to think that the gospel can overcome your sin and death and give you eternal life but can’t overcome your shyness. The Gospel not only comes in word but in power and conviction.
One more thing you must know is that you will be rewarded. Hebrews 12:2 Jesus also knew that there was joy after the crucifixion. Same with apostle Paul (Philippians 3:14). There is a prize at the end of the race. To know there is a reward fuels our passion.\
Wrong passion
Not all passion is good. Sometimes passion goes without wisdom and that can be dangerous. Passion without compassion can be brutal. Passion with ignorance can be blind, like the Pharisees. (Romans 10:1-3). Our passion must have God’s word at the center. Only then can it be truly for the Lord and not for ourselves. Therefore submit to God’s word under the grace of God and by the grace of God your passion will grow (1 Corinthians 15:10). When you follow the Word of God, you grow closer to Christ and receive grace which sustains and nourishes our passion.
Conclusion
Jesus already warned us 2000 years ago what would happen to the church, that it would lose its passion. The church of Laodicea is very similar to the 21st century American church, like them, we are lukewarm. Jesus is standing outside the church but he should be in the church, within the center, at the head of the church (Revelation 3:20). He has been pushed outside, therefore there is no zeal. Jesus says, “Therefore be zealous and repent” because He still loves you. (Revelation 3:19). We must look at the church in North Korea, China, Libya and other countries where Christians are active. Even under persecution, they have so much passion, because without it they would not survive. We must look at the early church. They met together constantly, praying for one another and then going out to share the gospel. That’s how churches can grow today.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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