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[Announcer] (0:00 - 0:36) Think about the Bible like you never have before. You're listening to Christian Questions. Experience more episodes, videos, and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com.

Our topic is: "Is My life On Fire For Christ?" Have you ever seen or heard someone so excited about Jesus that their words and actions give you an adrenaline rush? Is this what "being on fire for Jesus" really looks like? Then why do we burn out so easily and so often? Shouldn't there be more to our zeal for Christ than this? There is!

Here's Rick, Jonathan, and Julie.

[Rick] (0:38 - 0:49) Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 25 years and Julie, a longtime contributor, is also with us. Jonathan, what is our theme scripture for this episode?

[Jonathan] (0:49 - 0:58) Psalm 69:9: "For zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me."

[Rick] (0:58 - 1:59) As human beings, we all know what it's like to get fired up about something. We see a circumstance unfold or we read about something controversial or our team wins the game no one thought they could win and we react. We become passionate or energized and feel that adrenaline rush, and suddenly there is no mountain too high or ocean too broad.

We are up for the challenge. Yeah, we all know what that's like. The question is, is that what "having our lives on fire for Christ" looks like? Before we get too excited, let's consider a simple question; what was David referring to when he wrote "For zeal for Your house has consumed me" in Psalm 69:9? Was he talking about being consumed by a moment and reacting, or was he writing about having his very being consumed by a lifelong desire to honor God?

Let's get right into this. Jonathan, let's go to Psalm 69:9 and get started.

[Jonathan] (2:00 - 2:26) "For zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me." In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "zeal" means "ardor" or "jealousy." "Ardor" is a noun meaning "very strong feelings of enthusiasm or passion." Because the word "zeal" can have both positive and negative meanings and can be associated with strong emotional reactions, we need to be cautious as to how we apply it.

[Julie] (2:26 - 3:08) Jonathan, you read "zeal for your house has consumed me." God's "house" here refers to how God would dwell with the Israelites. We looked up The Pulpit Commentary and it says this; "David's zeal for God's house was shown first in his establishment of the Tabernacle on Mount Zion; next, in his earnest desire to build a permanent and magnificent dwelling for the Ark of the Covenant; then, in his careful collection of materials for the building (the Temple) which he was forbidden to erect himself; and finally in the directions that he left to Solomon with respect to it." David had zeal.

He was passionate about creating a physical place for people to come to God according to God's direction. It was a driving force in his life.

[Rick] (3:08 - 3:59) Not only was it a driving force, but this was a task of monumental proportions. We cannot -- when we think about building a massive, massive, massive structure today, there's all kinds of millions of dollars and all kinds of planning and all these things, and we think, wow, that's a big job. Think about it in the days when you didn't have all of those tools and all that technology.

David took it upon himself to work this through in his mind and by gathering materials up front. This zeal that he had was consuming. It wasn't a momentary thing.

He was after it. It was so important that God have a dwelling place to be with His people. This is our first real strong example of zeal.

Jonathan, Finding the Real Focus of Our Zeal; how do we learn that from King David here?

[Jonathan] (3:59 - 4:19) David spent much of his adult life working towards the establishment of a permanent dwelling place for God to be among His chosen people. There were no fleeting emotions here. On the contrary, there was continually relentless desire, planning, and action to see it through.

[Julie] (4:19 - 5:03) There's a meaningful verse from David in Psalm 84:10. It says: "For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." David wasn't permitted to actually build the temple because he was a man of war, but he was allowed to make these extensive preparations to help his son Solomon, who was a man of peace.

That's great for King David, but what about us? How do I translate that zeal into my simple and everyday life? I'm not amassing gold and silver and hiring stonemasons to build a temple.

I get to clean my house. I get to go to the grocery store, pay my bills. How do I fire up zeal for God and His son in my average day?

[Rick] (5:03 - 6:04) That really is the question. We don't have this massive opportunity that King David had, but what we have is the massive opportunity that may look very, very small, but for us it's massive. How do we fire up—I like the way you say that—fire up the zeal for God through Christ in our everyday lives?

Let's build a foundation. Let's trace some of the foundations for true zeal for Christ, and we're going to go back before Jesus was born; Elizabeth and Mary.

Elizabeth, remember, was the mother of John the Baptist. Mary is the mother of Jesus. This is when they were both pregnant before either of those two little boys, who would change the world, were born.

Elizabeth and Mary give us a powerful example of what zeal for Christ looked like long before they were there. We drop into the account when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting to her. Mary was going to visit her because the angel told her to while they were both pregnant.

Here's Elizabeth's response when Mary comes around in Luke 1:44-50:

[Jonathan] (6:04 - 6:17) "For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."

[Julie] (6:17 - 6:20) Elizabeth recognized Mary's strong faith.

[Rick] (6:20 - 6:46) That was an important aspect of this. That shows you this excitement, this zeal -- and I should say more than excitement -- this passion for what was happening in their lives. Elizabeth's proclamation of Mary being blessed shows us the foundation for true zeal, that proclamation of recognizing blessing. Here's Mary's response in verses 46-50:

[Jonathan] (6:46 - 7:46) "And Mary said: My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed." The New Living Translation says, "for He took notice of His lowly servant girl." Mary was already serving God. The privilege of giving birth to the Savior of the world couldn't be given to just anyone. Only a woman with outstanding faith, an extraordinary character, and a pure heart would be appropriate for such an honor.

This new zeal came from God's choosing her as the one capable for both added blessing and added challenge. Continuing: "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name." Next she quotes from Psalm 103:17: "AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM."

[Julie] (7:47 - 8:03) Mary acknowledged that this blessing was for God's glory, and it would bring mercy to all who would honor God as a result. She submitted to God's will, even under seemingly impossible circumstances, and was readily waiting to agree to follow God's will for her life, whatever that would be.

[Rick] (8:04 - 8:35) You have the zeal of these two women, these two women chosen to bear these two children who would--John would pave the road, and Jesus would walk the road to bring salvation to all mankind. You have their desire ahead of time. You see the planting of this incredible life-changing focus on the part of Elizabeth and Mary. This is where the roots of zeal are. Real Zeal Roots, that's what we're talking about here, Jonathan. What is it?

[Jonathan] (8:36 - 8:43) True zeal is born in the fertile soil of established and consistent humble service.

[Julie] (8:43 - 8:56) You're saying it's consistent in that it's not just like an emotional spike. It's more than just getting excited after hearing a sermon. Godly zeal is passion that remains constant over time, regardless of our circumstances.

[Rick] (8:56 - 9:40) Godly zeal is a constant even if our emotions are up and down. That's really what it boils down to here, and boy is this going to unfold as we go. Let's fast forward now.

We're before the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus. Now let's fast-forward twelve years after Jesus is born. We will now see how Mary and Joseph's humble, consistent faithfulness was an agent of growth for Jesus as a boy.

We read these verses all the time and we look at them and we marvel, but we need to pause and consider because what comes out of them teaches us how to build true zeal for Christ. Luke 2:41-52. We'll take it in several pieces.

Go ahead, Jonathan:

[Jonathan] (9:40 - 9:49) "Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover." They went every year! What an example!

[Julie] (9:50 - 10:05) Yeah, Nazareth to Jerusalem is about an 85 mile hot and dusty walk. Think about that annual commitment and what an impression that would have made on Jesus as a young boy. Like, we've done this every year since you were born, Jesus, and we'll continue to do it.

[Jonathan] (10:05 - 10:25) Continuing with verse 42: "And when he became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days,..." Pausing here, that would have been seven days. Let's finish the scripture: "...the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But his parents were unaware of it."

[Rick] (10:25 - 11:07) The other part about their zeal is they fully engaged. They didn't go to say, "Hey, we're going to spend two days this time. We've got all these things to do." It was fully engaged in the entire process. Jesus grew up with what? Full engagement in what the Law said. That is enormous because they taught him as a tiny little boy what life would look like. This engagement helped him to see, helped him to know, helped it to be natural for him to just follow through on that. You've got this full engagement here.

Julie, we're going to go to verses 44-47, but sum those up for us, please.

[Julie] (11:08 - 11:32) Okay. When the Passover is finished, they start the long journey home and they travel on an entire day before they realize Jesus is missing. They turn all the cattle back, turn all the carts back. They go back to Jerusalem, look for him. After three days, they found him in the Temple courts sitting with the teachers, listening to them, asking them questions. Everyone who heard Jesus was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

[Rick] (11:32 - 12:05) Where did our son go? This has got to have been one of the most anxiety-ridden periods of their young parenting lives. If you've ever lost sight of your child -- that's happened to me a few times -- and you have this utter panic, this utter panic. I can only imagine. Then they find him and he is sitting there in the temple and he's asking and answering, and he's just having a good old time doing what he's there to do. Jonathan, let's go to verse 48:

[Jonathan] (12:05 - 12:33) "When they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said to him, Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I have been anxiously looking for you. And he said to them, Why is it that you were looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house?" In other words, after all you taught me about the importance and solemnity of the Law, why would you spend so much time looking for me anywhere else but here?

[Rick] (12:33 - 13:06) This example of clarity on the part of this twelve-year-old boy is remarkable, because you see that he knew what his life was about. How did he know? He didn't have God's spirit yet. He knew because his mother and his father told him, "This is what you're called to do." He, when he saw the opportunity, took it. Why?

Because he was shown zeal for the Law, zeal for God, and he just appeared where he needed to go.

[Julie] (13:06 - 13:25) Well, we looked at James Burton Kaufman Commentaries, and they said this: "This is the first recorded utterance of Jesus; and, in it, he laid claim to a relationship to Almighty God, in a sense that distinguished his relationship from one that is open to other men; and throughout his ministry, this claim of Jesus was often repeated."

[Jonathan] (13:25 - 13:46) Let's continue with verses 50-52: "But they did not understand the statement which he had made to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and he continued in subjection to them; and his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."

[Julie] (13:46 - 14:01) God's influence was working through his parents, teaching him an appreciation of the ways of God that would deepen as he grew up. I know many mothers who are thrilled when their children have any propensity towards God. You can hear this in her.

[Rick] (14:01 - 14:46) I love the verse where it describes "and his mother treasured all these things in her heart." She saw him growing into the man who would change the world. You can just imagine, she's sitting there in awe of this boy as he's becoming the man who would be the Messiah once he is baptized and on with his work. God allowed this perceived tragedy of loss-- where is our boy?!--as a message to Jesus' parents and to the onlookers, to everyone else around. Look at his heart. Look at his focus.

Even as a boy, he was focused on his Heavenly Father. Again, Jonathan, Real Zeal Roots; this is a great example. What do we have?

[Jonathan] (14:46 - 15:05) True zeal, because it is a constant and disciplined lifestyle, can dramatically affect others. Mary and Joseph's unwavering and faithful example taught Jesus what unwavering faith and zeal look like. Their example gave him permission to live his zeal for his Heavenly Father.

[Rick] (15:06 - 15:24) They taught him and he learned. Let's not underestimate the power of passing things on. At first glance, we can see that zeal for God is a reverential application of our heart and mind to outwardly stand for godliness.

[Jonathan] (15:25 - 15:35) In the New Testament, "being on fire for Christ" began before Jesus was even born. How did Jesus focus on that zeal in his ministry?

[Rick] (15:35 - 16:12) Look, there's never a time we will be disappointed by looking at Jesus' own life and example as to how to do things. His faithful upbringing, his perfect mind and God's spirit always combined as teaching tools with no equal. We'll begin by focusing on the event in his life where his disciples recalled and applied the power of David's zeal for God's house and applied it to Jesus.

Let's go directly to that example. Jesus is in the midst of his ministry, and here's what happens. John 2:13-17:

[Jonathan] (16:12 - 16:48) "The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And he made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves he said, Take these things away; stop making my Father's house a place of business. His disciples remembered that when it was written, ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME."

[Julie] (16:49 - 17:03) Hey, his disciples quoted our theme scripture of Psalm 69:9! We now know that this refers back to King David's zeal to build a dwelling place for God. Let's tie this together. Jesus is in the Temple. What does that word mean?

[Jonathan] (17:03 - 17:26) This Greek word for "temple" means "a sacred place." It's used in the New Testament to describe the entire Temple at Jerusalem and all its buildings, courts, etc. It's also used to describe the pagan temple of Artemis.

Just like in the Old Testament, the Greek word for "zeal" here means "ardor or jealousy." We're carrying over what King David experienced in the New Testament.

[Julie] (17:27 - 17:40) Again, zeal is a strong emotion, and in its highest sense it transforms our emotion into positive action. Was Jesus' zeal here, though, like a meltdown, temper tantrum type of zeal? Was he out of control?

[Jonathan] (17:40 - 17:51) A quick note about the treatment of the doves. Only the poor could afford them for their sacrifices. That's why Jesus did not release them.

He was thoughtful in what he did.

[Rick] (17:52 - 18:54) He was thoughtful in what he did. He was controlled. He had an objective.

The objective was, this is my Father's house. You've turned it into a place of business. It doesn't fit.

It doesn't belong here. I will do what is necessary to disrupt what does not belong. He wasn't angry in the sense of being angry that we think somebody whose face turns red--road rage angry. There was none of that. There was this methodical approach to saying, I've got to stop this. It does not belong.

It's that simple, that clear. You're right, Jonathan, the treatment of the doves really shows us if he was mad, he would have made those doves fly away. But he cared too much for the poor.

You just see that's zeal. It's not out of control. It's very controlled.

It's very focused. You've got this laser beam saying, this is what I will do. Let's begin to focus on our own zeal now. Finding the Real Focus of Our Zeal, learning from Jesus here; Jonathan, what do we have?

[Jonathan] (18:54 - 19:14) When Jesus cleared the temple, he showed us a godly expression of zeal. His anger was against the insult to the sanctity of God's house. He did what was necessary to clear the sinful behavior out and no more.

His only motivation was the restoration of reverence and worship.

[Rick] (19:14 - 19:45) You look at that and we applaud it. However, those in charge--there was no applause there. They were not happy and they demanded to know what right Jesus had to act in this way.

Interestingly and yet not surprisingly--and I love this part--Jesus didn't answer them. I just love that part. Instead, he spoke what sounded like a riddle, but was in fact a deep prophetic statement.

Let's go to that interchange. After he clears the temple out in John 2, the next verses, 18-22:

[Jonathan] (19:46 - 19:57) "The Jews then said to him, What sign do you show us as your authority for doing these things? Jesus answered them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

[Julie] (19:58 - 20:01) They must've thought, what kind of ridiculous answer is this?

[Jonathan] (20:02 - 20:21) "The Jews then said, It took forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days? But he was speaking of the temple of his body. So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken."

[Julie] (20:22 - 20:28) This wasn't about the physical building of that temple they were looking at. This was an allusion to his being resurrected, a much bigger meaning.

[Jonathan] (20:29 - 20:46) The Greek word for "temple" here isn't the same as the reference to the entire temple complex. This word is used only to indicate the two sacred rooms called The Holy and The Most Holy. This subtle but important point gets missed when translating into English.

[Julie] (20:46 - 20:55) Okay, so "temple" here refers to these two sacred rooms, but how could these rooms be his physical body? What temple was Jesus really speaking about?

[Rick] (20:55 - 21:25) We need to dig into this because there's actually more to it. There's an allusion to his resurrection, but it's actually even bigger than that. This reference to the resurrection is important, but there's more. Jesus, we believe, by looking at this, was talking about what would soon become known as the body of Christ. We think about that and yeah, there's scriptures that say that. Let's look at one to get started; 1 Corinthians 12:27:

[Jonathan] (21:25 - 21:30) "Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it."

[Rick] (21:30 - 22:32) We've got this body of Christ. That's what 1 Corinthians 12:27 says. This is long after Jesus is crucified and raised and you've got the holy spirit and all of these things are going on. Focus in with us here now. These body members, you are the body of Christ, are regularly referred to as God's "temple;" same word as those sacred rooms you were talking about. They're called the "temple." When Jesus spoke about raising up his body, what we will clearly see as we go through some scriptures is that the prophetic meaning is referring to his true disciples, not his physical body. There was an allusion to that.

Something bigger. Think the zeal of your house, the zeal of protecting the sanctity of the true church. That's what consumed him.

That's where we're going. That's what Jesus was alluding to. You think, well, wait a minute. Aren't you guys stretching this a little bit? No. Let's look at how the scriptures read. 1 Corinthians 3:16:

[Jonathan] (22:33 - 22:45) "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you?" The word for "temple" here is that same word for the two sacred rooms of The Holy and Most Holy.

[Rick] (22:46 - 23:23) You are the Holy and the Most Holy. What was the Most Holy in the ancient Tabernacle? That was the place where God dwelt in the Temple. You had the Holy and then the Holiest. What was the Holiest? It was where God dwelt.

The scripture says, "...you are the temple of God and His spirit dwells in you." You see the connection. It is powerful.

It's enormous. This is not the only time this comes through, okay? True followers of Christ are a sanctuary in which God's spirit dwells.

[Julie] (23:23 - 23:23) Okay, stop. Repeat that.

[Rick] (23:23 - 23:31) True followers of Christ are a sanctuary in which God's spirit dwells.

[Julie] (23:31 - 23:49) This is amazing because you're saying that the connection between the words of Jesus to the Pharisees directly corresponds to the body of Christ--not his physical body, but his spiritual body. We just read, described in first Corinthians 12:27, that includes all of his faithful followers. There's a double meaning.

[Jonathan] (23:50 - 24:09) God's presence still exists in this world centuries after the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD. Where is God's spirit? His influence is maintained now within the true brotherhood in the "new creatures" in Christ as described in second Corinthians 5:17.

[Julie] (24:09 - 24:16) Okay, that's profound. I've got like little goosebumps.

No wonder the Pharisees were confounded by Jesus. This was beyond them.

[Rick] (24:16 - 25:09) It was so far beyond them. You're right. They didn't know what to do with him.

He won't even answer our questions. What he's telling them, he's teaching them something so much, so much, so much bigger. Think about this. The question we started out with is, is my life on fire for Christ? How do I know? What do I do?

Understand the process here. Having God's spirit dwell within you, that's where the fire comes from. It's not from our emotions.

It's not from our thinking. It's from God's spirit igniting that flame to serve Him. You know what? That's exactly what happened to Jesus when he was baptized. What happened? God's spirit descended upon him and dwelt within him.

This is what's being spoken of here. As Jesus cleansed the temple of moral unrighteousness--lesson for us-- so we should also be cleansed as well. Jonathan, let's look at 1 Corinthians 6:17-20:

[Jonathan] (25:09 - 25:43) "But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit..." Let's pause. That's the same "temple" referring only to the sacred structures. Again, "...your body is a temple of the holy spirit, which is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."

[Julie] (25:43 - 26:33) It's a common expression to say "your body is a temple" when people are exercising or going on a new diet of healthy foods, and I don't think they understand what that phrase means. The phrase is actually "your body is a temple of the holy spirit, which is in you." If we're faithful Christians--and this is amazing--we are housing the presence of God and should be carrying forth with that same zeal King David used in his preparations. We are a sacred space. Now that opens up a whole new way of thinking about not only what we put into our bodies or reckless behaviors that could damage it, but also our attitude for those who might see imperfections in body image or in declining health.

Our "body is a temple of the holy spirit which is in you..." Wow.

[Jonathan] (26:34 - 26:45) Understand the position you've been called to! This is a highly reverential place to be. It requires great zeal to manage and maintain.

[Rick] (26:45 - 27:20) When we talk about zeal for Christ, folks, this is where it comes from. It's not just a feeling. This is powerfully deep and life-changing.

Now let's expand it even further. I mean, this is like, oh wow, this is big. Wait, wait, wait, wait, just hold on.

We collectively, with Jesus -- another slight variation on the picture here -- are the sanctuary where God dwells. We with Jesus are the sanctuary. How do we know?

Because Ephesians 2:20-22 tells us exactly that:

[Jonathan] (27:21 - 28:13) "...having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the spirit." Let's fast-forward to today. Jesus clearing the temple gave us the example to protect the sanctity of the body members, which is that spiritual temple.

Whenever churchianity makes Christianity into a business full of corruption and immorality, we have an obligation to remove ourselves from those systems. That's why it says in Revelation 18:4: "Come out of her my people." There's a lot more to the application of Jesus' statement of raising up the body in three days, but that's for a future episode.

[Rick] (28:14 - 29:00) Let's focus on this, that phrase in Ephesians 2. It says: "...in whom the whole building..." This is talking about this temple, "being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord," and you are doing that. Jesus himself is the cornerstone.

He's the model for this whole building, which is made up of true Christians for the last two thousand years. Let that sit in your heart and mind for a moment and see what zeal looks like. You understand that this by itself, if we grasp it, is such a motivational force, not just to feel good, but to be different, to be transformed.

Jonathan, Finding the Real Focus of Our Zeal; Jonathan and Julie, what have we got here?

[Julie] (29:00 - 29:05) When Jesus cleared the temple, he fulfilled the zeal that King David had displayed so long before.

[Jonathan] (29:06 - 29:28) While David's zeal was about establishing a permanent sanctuary for God's presence in Israel, Jesus' own zeal was for the purpose of not only showing how Israel had lost their focus, but for the purpose of establishing a new dwelling place where God's spirit will eternally dwell--in "the body"--meaning Jesus himself and his faithful followers.

[Rick] (29:28 - 29:54) We have this example of what we are and when Jesus said, when the scripture says, but he spoke of his "body," my goodness, there is so much more to that because we see the spiritual meaning in Jesus' words. Look, the further we go, the more powerfully the whole concept of zeal for God is revealed.

This is becoming an intense journey.

[Jonathan] (29:54 - 30:03) From just this one account, we can see the depth of Jesus' zeal. How do we translate that into our own Christian lives?

[Rick] (30:03 - 30:38) Okay. We obviously cannot do the things that Jesus did and speak in prophetic ways that Jesus spoke. What we can do is identify the thoughts, words, and actions that exemplify a zeal for God through Jesus that can permeate our very lives every day.

To begin this process, we need to realize that zeal can be a very positive and transformational experience, or zeal can be a very negative and debilitating experience.

[Julie] (30:39 - 30:44) For example, Jesus did get angry, but like we said, he was never out of control. He was purposeful.

[Jonathan] (30:44 - 30:59) I'm glad you mentioned purposeful. That was my goal for this year, to live each day with a spiritual focus. Rick, I'm getting the sense that "zeal" and "purposeful" fit together as a driving force to honor God.

[Rick] (31:00 - 31:50) Jesus was purposeful. Jesus was intentional. The Apostle Paul, "this one thing I do," you have that incredible intention, that purposeful thought that precedes purposeful action. That's what Christian zeal, that's what having your life on fire for Christ really is. Now let's look at some of the issues that we'll get into with zeal. In the book of Revelation, the message to the church at Laodicea revealed a chronic circumstance of misplaced zeal that led to confused priorities and an ungodly outcome. The end result of what you read here doesn't look so good. There's this admonition, something has got to change. Let's look at Revelation 3:14-19:

[Jonathan] (31:51 - 32:45) "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write… I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Because you say, I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." Now this word for "zealous" means "to burn with zeal; to be heated or to boil with envy, hatred and anger."

[Rick] (32:45 - 33:39) Again, we see the word can go either way in a very, very positive, strong direction or very debilitating direction. The obvious meaning here is be zealous, be driven, and repent, because what you have seen yourself to be is not what you really are. That's the message here. The problem, this prophetic problem, this church of Laodicea, is they were lukewarm, being sort of kind of in the middle of the road, not too committed, but really happy in that non-committal. We're feeling pretty good about ourselves because things are going good. We've got a lot.

Everything is great. Then they get the message; no, it is not great. As a matter of fact, you are "poor and blind and naked." You can't even see. That was the message.

Their calling was much, much more than what they felt. It was much more than that. As a result, they were severely admonished towards change.

[Julie] (33:40 - 34:27) Laodicea was a real city. It's in present-day Turkey and just an interesting idea from Wikipedia; a more recent interpretation suggested that this hot-cold metaphor was about the city's water supply--"...that was lukewarm, in contrast to the hot springs at nearby Hierapolis and the cold, pure waters of Colossae. The archaeology shows that Laodicea had an aqueduct that probably carried water from hot mineral springs some five miles south, which would have become tepid before entering the city. The imagery of the Laodicean aqueduct suggests not that "hot" is good and "cold" is bad, but that both hot and cold water are useful, whereas lukewarm water is an emetic (agent used to induce vomiting)."

[Rick] (34:27 - 34:41) Great. Well, what a great description, though. It's such a great description of, you're not in a good place. You need to change.

What do you need? You need zeal, true godly zeal.

[Julie] (34:42 - 34:49) How do we understand the differences between zeal that builds, that's the good kind, and zeal that breaks down, the bad kind?

[Rick] (34:49 - 34:57) Alright, practical question needs real practical attention. Julie, let's start with zeal that breaks us down.

What do you have for an example?

[Julie] (34:58 - 35:04) Misdirected zeal. Israel's zeal under the Law when their Messiah came, for example, Romans 9:31-33:

[Jonathan] (35:04 - 35:16) "...but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone."

[Rick] (35:16 - 35:51) What you have is they're stumbling "over the stumbling stone." Israel was so works-oriented that when their Messiah came, they stumbled over him instead of embraced him. They should have seen him for what he was, but instead he got in the way of their predetermined agenda, and things were misdirected as a result.

Let's continue then. Let's go on to Romans 10:1-4. These are the very next verses after you finish Romans 9:31-33. (Editor's note: Romans 8:31-32.) This is giving the sense of, here's what happened with them. Romans 10:1-4:

[Jonathan] (35:52 - 36:16) "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

[Julie] (36:17 - 36:33) In other words they had a zeal for God, but that zeal drove them down the wrong road. They didn't have the right knowledge. Their zeal was misdirected because they were looking for Messiah to come as this mighty warrior to free them from the rule of the Romans, and that's not how Jesus was presented.

[Rick] (36:33 - 36:46) Their preconceived idea gave their zeal a misdirection, and that was a problem. As we look at that, Julie, we want to break down the zeal that breaks us down. We've got to break it into pieces to understand it. How do we do that?

[Julie] (36:47 - 36:57) Well, this is practical, so we want to look in the mirror. Be sure that our zeal is based upon that which is spiritually true, rather than that which is comfortable or traditional.

[Rick] (36:58 - 37:17) "Based on that which is spiritually true, rather than that which is comfortable or traditional." Folks, you might want to put that on your refrigerator. Is my zeal in my life based on that which is spiritually true, or that which I really kind of like, or that which I'm used to?

[Julie] (37:17 - 37:19) We always did it this way.

[Rick] (37:19 - 37:34) Right, exactly, exactly. But that's what happened in Laodicea, and look where it got them; "poor, blind, and naked." Not a good situation. We've got to look at that misdirected zeal and say, okay, how can we counteract that?

Well, let's look at zeal that builds. 2 Corinthians 11:2-3:

[Jonathan] (37:35 - 38:13) "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy;..." There's that same word for "zeal"--jealousy. Isn't that interesting?

"...for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." This is a godly jealousy, a godly zeal, so it's not negative. Godly zeal is ultimately about well-being, not destroying.

We can see the difference between misdirected zeal and godly zeal.

[Rick] (38:13 - 38:41) The Apostle Paul is saying, I am jealous over you, and I am going to take serious action to make sure you are protected, because you are betrothed to Christ. That is action. That's not a feeling.

That's not a thought. That's not a, I wonder if this is really important. This needs to be handled.

You are far too important, and I, the Apostle Paul, will act on it. That's a good example there. Let's look at, Julie, another example of zeal that breaks us down.

[Julie] (38:41 - 38:46) Another bad zeal is as a tool of discontent, James 3:13-16:

[Jonathan] (38:46 - 39:13) "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but it is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing."

[Julie] (39:14 - 39:28) This describes the wrong kind of jealousy, the wrong kind of zeal. It's bitter, it's selfish, it's untruthful, and that kind of jealousy feeds discontent which leaves no room for gratitude. It's a quick road to nowhere good.

[Rick] (39:28 - 39:49) You see the difference. You can have jealousy for good and jealousy for evil, and we need to make sure that our Christian zeal is always driven by righteousness for the upbuilding of those around us.

When we look at this kind of jealousy, again, Julie, breaking down the zeal that breaks us down; how do we do that?

[Julie] (39:49 - 40:09) Grab your mirror, take a look, recognize what motivated our inward feelings in the past, and decisively act to replace those self-serving feelings with God-honoring contributions to others. We're not trying to replace emotion with a bigger emotion. We're trying to take our emotion and expand it into action.

[Rick] (40:10 - 40:29) That's important. It's not about how you feel. It's not.

It's about what we do. That is godly zeal. Zeal that builds is reflected to us in Romans 15:1-3, as the sort of the opposite of what we just saw.

[Jonathan] (40:29 - 40:47) "Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please himself; but as it is written, THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME."

[Rick] (40:47 - 41:23) One of the themes in this scripture is not pleasing yourself but pleasing your neighbor, taking care of others. The theme of the previous scripture was jealousy and selfish ambition. You see the difference?

It is being driven by selfishness versus being driven by selflessness. We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those who are without strength for their sake. It's always about someone else.

It's always about something bigger. That is what being on fire for Christ looks like. Let's go to another example, Julie, of zeal that breaks us down.

[Julie] (41:24 - 41:42) Well, here's another bad zeal; zeal used for dark purposes, even with good intentions. We have a clear example of this with the Apostle Paul describing his former life as Saul.

He let his past sins in a good way become a teaching tool for others. In Philippians 3:4-6, he describes his past credentials.

[Jonathan] (41:43 - 42:15) "...although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more; circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless." As Saul he very passionately persecuted Christians, trying to force them to blaspheme and even going so far as to have them killed.

[Julie] (42:16 - 42:22) Zeal here describes misdirected zeal. Saul's intention was to serve God, but he was doing it in completely the wrong way.

[Rick] (42:23 - 43:06) He was feeding and supporting darkness. He was stepping outside of the confines of the Law to do that because he had this vision of what he was doing to be good, but it wasn't. He was absolutely using a good intention in exactly the wrong way.

Zeal that breaks us down ends up driving us down a road. It's not like a little sign that says, "Oh, go this way." It drives us.

You get in and you go for the ride. See, that's what zeal does. It takes you somewhere.

If it's for darkness, it's going to take you down that road. If it's for light and righteousness, it's going to take you up that road. Julie, breaking down the zeal that breaks us down; what do we do?

[Julie] (43:06 - 43:24) Get back to that mirror. Recognize what motivated our outward sinful actions in the past, just like Paul did, and decisively act to replace the darkness of the twisted earthly ambition with the light of the true gospel, and now, zealously act accordingly.

[Rick] (43:24 - 43:48) "Zealously act accordingly." Drive that new upward direction. Now to contrast that, a very simple, straightforward scripture from the Apostle Paul himself who just talked about his zeal in a negative sense; zeal that builds. Jonathan, Philippians 1:21:

[Jonathan] (43:48 - 43:49) "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

[Rick] (43:49 - 44:06) End of story. End of statement. "To live is Christ." To die? It doesn't matter, because my life is consumed by following in Jesus' footsteps. Jonathan, as we wrap this piece up, Finding the Real Focus of Our Zeal; what are we doing?

[Jonathan] (44:07 - 44:26) Whatever has driven us in the past should stay there. As followers of Christ, we need to focus the training of our feelings, thoughts, words, actions and lives towards the development of true Christlike zeal. While this is no easy task, it is certainly a vital one!

[Rick] (44:26 - 44:41) Unbelievably so. Spiritually productive zeal is hard to come by, and applying it includes consciously identifying where our motivations have come from.

[Jonathan] (44:43 - 44:50) How can we learn to detect the differences between our positive emotions and spiritually productive zeal?

[Rick] (44:50 - 45:30) Okay, that's an important question. Confusion between positive emotional stimulation and godly zeal is a very easy trap to fall into. When we get emotionally charged about a biblical teaching or from a fellowship experience, we get the sense that we're seeing clearly and things will be different.

While these things may be good attention-getters, they are not true zeal. However, these things can identify the motivations that drive true zeal of a dedicated Christian life. We need to understand the difference between a positive emotion and zeal.

[Jonathan] (45:31 - 45:42) We're seeing that zeal is more than just an emotion. Godly zeal means transformation. It means taking action.

What are we going to do with our zeal?

[Rick] (45:43 - 45:54) If you're not acting, then your zeal is not engaged. If your zeal is not engaged, it's going to rust out. It's just that simple.

We need to be clear.

[Julie] (45:54 - 46:05) Jonathan and I want to give you a comparison between emotions and zeal just to make sure we've got it. For example, emotion is: I'm so excited to be in church today. Isn't that wonderful?

[Rick] (46:05 - 46:12) It is wonderful. It's something to really be excited about and don't ever lose that feeling.

[Jonathan] (46:13 - 47:06) Zeal is: My desire to be with and uplift the brotherhood provokes me to be in church each and every time I am capable, not just for today. Hebrews 10:23-25: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Rick, this is our original theme scripture from the very first Christian Questions broadcast almost 26 years ago to the day, when we were on location in Connecticut on a local radio station. We continue today to have this same goal of stimulating "one another to love and good deeds."

[Rick] (47:06 - 48:09) I want to comment on that little bit of history in a moment, but first get back to the scripture. The idea of stimulating "one another to love and good deeds," provoking one another in a positive way. It's not enough.

It's great to say, I'm excited to be a church. But here's the next question. What am I doing with that excitement?

Who am I touching? How am I blessing those who are around me? I may hear things, but what am I giving?

Because it's a give and take thing. Zeal is letting whatever is within you come out of you. It's action, not just a good feeling.

Just wanted to make that point about the scripture. But Jonathan, I've got to tell you, in terms of zeal the most fertile learning experience of my entire Christian life in relation to zeal is Christian Questions. When we started, just very briefly, it was exciting.

There was a lot of excitement. There was a lot of emotion, just like Julie had expressed. Oh, it's so great to be in church.

Well, it was so great to have this opportunity. Then one day it settled in like, wait a minute, you have to do this every single week.

[Jonathan] (48:10 - 48:12) Well, I didn't think about that.

[Rick] (48:12 - 48:49) Yeah, yeah. I mean every single week after week after week after week, after month after month after month, after year after year. That is where zeal was learned and continues to be learned. I learned more about zeal in this work than in any other single aspect of my own Christian walk and it has been one of the greatest blessings as a result, because what happens when you begin to learn like this is you realize that you're far more capable than you think if you rely on God's grace, God's spirit, God's providence, and His strength. That's the way zeal can work in our lives.

Julie, let's go on to another example.

[Julie] (48:50 - 48:55) Okay. Emotion is: I love to hear God's word preached. It makes me feel energized.

[Rick] (48:56 - 49:03) It should. You should take that feeling of energy and embrace it and say, this is just awesome.

[Jonathan] (49:04 - 49:10) Zeal is: My focus is continually growing and maturing as I strive to implement what I hear.

[Julie] (49:11 - 49:19) Well, that's that consistency that you talked about before. It takes a long time to change our habits, especially when the days go on and on and on. Maturity doesn't come quickly.

[Jonathan] (49:20 - 50:01) James 1:21-24: "Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was." It's good to feel energized but we have to go further. How can I expand that emotion to create change for me to be a stronger Christian?

[Rick] (50:01 - 50:29) Be a "doer of the word." Hear it, appreciate it, absorb it, act on it. That's where true Christian zeal finds itself.

That's where it can begin to grow and mature. It's wonderful to feel energized. It's even better to have that energy provoke positive spiritual action.

[Julie] (50:29 - 50:41) Let's move back to emotion. Emotion is: Every day I wake up and thank God that He accepts me as I am. After all, Christianity is "come as you are." We're called from all walks of life.

[Rick] (50:42 - 50:57) That is a wonderful thing to be grateful for. Lord, thank you for taking just me.

I mean, me, really? It is incredibly important to have incredible gratitude for that. That's a tremendously powerful emotion.

[Jonathan] (50:57 - 51:35) Zeal is: Knowing God has accepted me with my shortcomings provokes me to daily walk in self-denial. Christianity might be "come as you are," but it's not "stay as you are." It's "come up higher." Romans 12:1-2: "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

[Rick] (51:36 - 52:38) Christian zeal has everything to do with Christian transformation. "Be not conformed," "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." How is your mind renewed?

By God's spirit. Remember that thing about God's spirit and you being the temple of God's spirit? That's who we are.

That's where our responsibility is. That's what our focus is. God is present through His power and influence, through His spirit in us every single day. Do you understand that means that wherever you go, whatever you say, whatever you do, you are carrying God's spirit with you. Do not take such a thing lightly. It's wonderful to say, Lord, thank you for accepting me as I am, but it is so much more important to say, Lord, transform me through your spirit. Help me do the work so that I can become a servant of Yours who has spirituality and maturity. Such a difference. We need to have the zeal to move forward.

[Julie] (52:38 - 52:47) Emotion is: I am so privileged to be able to read the Bible. So many people today and in generations past never had this opportunity.

[Rick] (52:48 - 52:56) Reading the Bible, folks, is a great, great thing to do. When you feel privileged, good! Take that privilege and run with it.

[Jonathan] (52:56 - 53:27) Zeal is: The depth and power of the Bible provokes me to regularly study it to the best of my ability. 2 Timothy 2:15-16: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness." In order to accurately handle the word of truth, the Bible, we have to put in the time to study.

[Julie] (53:28 - 53:40) We've done many episodes about methods for effective Bible study. For example, Episode 1207: "Are There Secrets to Studying the Bible?" Check out this week's CQ Rewind Show Notes for others.

[Rick] (53:40 - 54:19) It's wonderful to read. Please don't stop. But it's even more blessed to study, to learn how to dig in.

Using things like the Show Notes, those are great tools for actually studying scripture, because then you can read the scriptures as you listen and then you can check the scriptures out yourself and look at the context. That's how you get into studying it. It's so important because that's an action.

We're not just doing something that can become somewhat rote when we read. We're now doing something that requires our focus and attention and energy. Christian zeal is an expending of energy toward godly purposes.

[Julie] (54:20 - 54:26) Here's another example of an emotion: God called me out of darkness of the world. I am blessed.

[Rick] (54:27 - 54:46) You are. If you have been called out of the world's darkness, Jonathan, you've told your story so many times about how you were as low as low could be, and God brought you out of that. He showed you the way out, and that's a wonderful thing to look at and to have that sense of incredible awe and gratitude over.

[Jonathan] (54:46 - 55:17) Zeal is: I'm continuously aware that others might need to be touched with the gospel of the kingdom, and I am eager to be a witness in words and actions. Romans 10:14-15: "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"

[Rick] (55:18 - 56:01) It's great to feel good about being called out of darkness. It's a wonderful thing to take that and to go and be a witness to others. Sometimes words don't work, but actions do.

Integrity does. All of those things are part of Christian zeal that we live in every single aspect of our lives, every single day of our lives. The question is, am I living that daily to be a witness to those around me, or am I just kind of going along like the Laodicean Christians and ending up poor, blind, wretched, and naked?

I mean, think about that. Christian zeal is far too big. Let's begin to wrap this up; Finding the Real Focus of Our Zeal.

[Julie] (56:02 - 56:09) Unlike our human emotions that are regularly stimulated by circumstances, true zeal grows from the inside out.

[Jonathan] (56:09 - 56:22) Let us use our positive emotions as tools to help us be focused day in and day out on the fire of godly zeal that can steadily burn and grow within us. "For us to live is Christ!"

[Rick] (56:23 - 56:43) For us, not just the Apostle Paul, "for us to live is Christ." That's true Christian zeal. One more scripture, prophetically looking at Jesus and his cross experience, and listen to the zeal that comes out of this.

Isaiah 50:6-7:

[Jonathan] (56:44 - 57:03) "I gave my back to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover my face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord GOD helps me, therefore, I am not disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed."

[Rick] (57:03 - 58:56) You see the humiliation that he experienced with that last phrase, I have set my face like a flint. I have stone cold-determination, and I know I won't be ashamed because I am glorifying God through this disastrous circumstance. That is the heart and mind of Jesus.

When we talk about "being on fire for Christ," looking at this verse and saying, "I have set my face like flint," I have that stone-cold determination--and that's not a feeling-- that is putting things into action. One last text as we wrap up; Hebrews 12:28-29: "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken..." Okay, think about that; "A kingdom which cannot be shaken." It is indestructible. We have received "a kingdom which cannot be shaken." "...let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe..." "An acceptable service with reverence" and having the awe for what we have been given. You are the temple of God's spirit! For goodness sakes, understand what that means! Then verse 29 says: "...for our God is a consuming fire." "The zeal of your house has consumed me." Our God, in His plan, is this consuming fire. Let's be consumed with the Christian zeal of action in a godly way to serve Him through Christ. Think about it.

Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode: "Do My Habits Glorify God?" Part One.

Final Notes: copyright @2024 Christian Questions. In addition to this transcript, we provide comprehensive CQ Rewind Show Notes for every episode. They include every scripture quoted during the podcast, as well as graphics, illustrations and bonus material. Click the "CQ Rewind Show Notes" button near the audio player or sign up to receive these weekly at ChristianQuestions.com. This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. While we believe it to be accurate, we apologize for any errors that may exist.