One of the topics of discussion that has been circulating among our team on this young adult missions trip is, “Why is our faith so alive on a missions trip but dies so quickly in the everyday? How do we keep our passion alive?”
I’m convinced, 100%, that passion must be kept alive through action. If all we do is read books, attend church, listen to podcasts, go to conferences, attend prayer meetings, purchase Christian music, and have discussions with our Christian friends, we will lack in our faith and vibrant passion.
I know this firsthand because oftentimes I would rather speculate than serve.
Romans 12:11 says, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
“Serving the Lord” means action. Paul wrote this as, quite possibly, the most action-oriented Christian in history. The Gospel of Christ was so precious to him he had to give his life to declare it.
The glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ was not meant to be contained in your own heart, privately. It was meant to be spoken. It was meant to be preached. It was meant to be sung. It was meant to be shared with a broken world that needs salvation in Jesus Christ.
Is your passion weak? Here’s the deal: Go and bless someone. Go and do something. Don’t wait for God to reveal his ‘will’ for your life or your ‘calling’. Just go and do the will of God, which is open to us everyday.
Could it be that mission trips seem to be “cool” and that their everyday walks are really lacking?
Passion for Christ is born out of seeing who God is. Serving comes out of that right? Maybe as young adults…scratch that , as Christians we need to learn and understand God more.
I don’t think serving necessarily comes out of seeing who God is. I think most Christians’ faith is relatively private and they grow stagnant because they’re always attending things but never speaking about Christ.
Action takes thoughtful, practical planning and intention. Learning about God is essential but I think we need to consistently encounter those who don’t know Jesus as well.