Intensity

Last night after our midweek service the Edwards family was invited to some church member’s home for dinner. It was incredible. We have eaten with this family on two occasions and both meals have been out of the park.

After dinner began to wind down our conversation turned to the Lord. It was intense. Listening to my new found brother and sister in Christ talk with passion about their relationship with the Lord FIRED ME UP! It was intense and I loved every moment of it. I sat at one point pumped to meet a layman and laywoman with fire in their hearts and no compromise in their lives no matter what.

I meet with people all the time as a pastor and seldom I have experienced so much intensity in couples walks with the Lord as I witnessed last night. It was refreshing and at the same time challenging. I was challenged by their intensity and devotion to the Lord.

We could substitute the word passion for intensity and get the same idea. I want to pastor an intense church. I would love to see the intense mentality in the hearts and minds of those packed in the pews of FBC Seminole week after week. I would love to visit with men and women throughout the week who are extremely passionate for God and serving Him with fierce intensity.

We admire and even applaud intensity in other arenas of life. We stand up cheer when a linebacker gives a bone crunching tackle. We stand to our feet when a basketball player dunks on an opposing player. We are inspired by the intensity of a teacher passionately proclaiming the truth of their subject matter. We are motivated by action by a no nonsense politician who really wants to make change.

Why is it then when a person is zealous for their faith and intense about their walk with the Lord it makes people so uncomfortable and such people are often ostracized and ridiculed? Is it because intense people make others feel uncomfortable about the lukewarm condition of their relationships with Christ? Do fireballs for the Lord bring conviction about the mediocrity of our passion to know and follow God.

During the course of our dinner conversation we talked about how lonely it can be to desire to be an intense disciple. True friends are harder and harder to find. I made a comment that one place I find companionship with kindred spirits is in books. Books by men like A.W. Tozer, Andrew Murray, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, E.M. Bounds, Richard Baxter, John Hyde, Reese Howells, Lenoard Ravenhill, and Charles Spurgeon just to name a few. I want to walk with those who are and were more intense for the Lord than I am and who have walked further down the road with the Lord than I have. I want to be both challenged and inspired by their intensity.

Are you intense in your relationship with the Lord? Do you follow hard after Him? [Ps 63:8 KJV) Is your passion increasing to know Him, to serve Him, and to make Him known? Is He the true love of your heart? Our pews are filled with the lukewarm hearts and passion of church members. This makes the Lord want to vomit. [Rev 3:15-16] I would much rather be called a zealot or a radical than to be called Lukewarm. Choose your sides and draw your lines in the sand. If you choose the Lord then go after Him with intensity. It is time to choose. Choose whom you will serve. As for me and my home, may the Lord empower us to always choose the Lord. [Joshua 24:14-15]