The Passion of Christ

In four days,
the church of Jesus Christ will be celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and
Savior.  Each year during this time, you
will hear pastors talk about the passion of Christ.  But what is the passion of Christ?  Many would say it is the period of intense
suffering in the life of Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane to the crucifixion.
 To others, the passion of Christ evokes
images of gruesome punishment depicted in movies such as Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ. Without a doubt these views are
correct, but I have discovered that there is much more to the passion of
Christ.

First, let’s
look at what it means to be passionate?  According
to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, to be passionate means “having,
showing, or expressing strong emotions or beliefs.”

What was the
source of Christ’s passion?  It was His
intense love for mankind.  The great love
of Jesus resulted in His extreme commitment to walk a very precise and narrow
path to redeem mankind.

For the purpose
of reconciling humans to God, He “…made himself nothing, taking the very
nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even
death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:7-8)  

His
passionate love caused Him to leave behind the glory and majesty of His throne in
heaven, take on human form, and live an obedient life of self-sacrifice
required by the holiness of God. Only such a selfless life could produce the
pure, innocent blood sacrifice required to cover the sins of those who put
their faith in him. (Ephesians 1:7-8)

In Matthew
4:8-9, the devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world in exchange for His
worship.  This offer represented a way
for Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth without the cross.  It may have seemed like an easy short cut, but
Jesus was passionate to accomplish the exact plan of the Father and so He rejected
it.  Even in John 6, when a crowd tried
to make Jesus a king by force, He again rejected their attempt because it would
have caused Him to stray from the cross.  The final words of Jesus as He hung dying on
the cross were a proclamation of victory.  Like a runner crossing the finish line in
agony, yet with great emotion in overcoming obstacles, Jesus said, “It is
finished!” (John 19:30)

The passion
of Christ originated in love, was directed by the purpose of God, and was lived
in dependence on the presence of God.  Jesus
declared that every word He said was given to Him by God, the Father. (John
12:49)  In order for this to happen,
Jesus lived every moment in fellowship with the Father.

The life of
Christ has set a pattern for living a passionate life before God.  Believers in Jesus experience a spiritual rebirth
that results in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. (John 3:3)
Therefore, believers have everything needed to live a passionate life for
Christ.  Why then are there so few
passionate Christians?  I believe the
answer lies in the fact that so few Christians follow the pattern of Christ’s
life.

First and
foundational to everything else, is the importance of building a love relationship
with Jesus.  Deuteronomy 6:5 says,
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your strength.”  This is an
ambitious goal, but one that is critical for believers to endeavor to achieve.

The love of Christ
is the most precious, personal, and intense of relationships.  Believers must learn to live in daily dependence
on Jesus, seeking His will, and experiencing His presence.  Paul says that believers are to set their
minds on what is true, noble, right, and praiseworthy, and the God of peace
will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

It may not
be possible to do this all the time, but the more God is experienced, the more
your mind will dwell on Him and with Him.  This produces ever increasing praise, worship
and thoughts of God that translate into actions that express love, and seek to
honor Him.

In
practicing the presence of God, the purpose of God is discovered. This is
summed up in the Great Commission where Jesus commands His disciples to go and
tell others everything that He has revealed to them. (Matthew 28:19-20)  This is crucial to understanding and following
God’s plan for our lives. Sharing personal encounters with God makes for
passionate expressions of teaching, praise, and worship!

Finally, the
power of God is made evident in actions originating from the love, purpose, and
presence of God.  God energizes us,
resulting in intensified joy and boldness to do His will.  Evidence of the power of God revealed through
believers includes unexpected insights and blessings.  Other evidence of the power of God flowing
through believers includes changed lives and spiritual growth based on
increased faith, wisdom, and knowledge.

Along with
God’s ever present power, is a love that transforms our lives and inspires us
to be passionate in our pursuit of Christ!

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know
Him, and experience an amazing change

in your own life.

Discover how you can find peace with
God.