Training Leaders in Character, Passion and Godliness

Workshop #1
Rob Berreth
Mars Hill Church Planting Conference

“Passionless Christianity will harden the hearts of sinners and damp the graces of many saints” Jonathan Edwards

Those who need a Savior will have that need hardened and silenced if we do not have passion as a church leader.
Our affections for Christ will be numbed if there is not passion in our faith.

We must first care about our own passion and our own pursuit before we can lead others and ignite their passion.
Passionless Christians make pathetic leaders and anemic followers.
One of the greatest offenses to God is Christians who have been redeemed by Christ but lack a passion for Him. (Case in point: Church of Laodicea–they were neither hot nor cold)

#1 Everyone is passionate about something

#2 Passion for God can be counterfeit

It is not enough to be passionate for Christ; we must be perseverant in our passion for Him.
Book suggestion: Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards’s

#3 Passion looks different for each person

#4 Don’t make passion alone the goal

You can be passionate about a lot of things about God while not being passionate just for Him.
The Gospel is THE remedy for a passionate life.

Luke 7:36-50 The Gospel has paid our debt.

We need a radical commitment to discovery the Gospel in fresh ways on a daily basis.

The Gospel produces passion and results in godliness.

1 Peter 1:10-12– ¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

We have gotten bored with the story of a Savior who has gone to the Cross and died for our sins and rose from the dead, so we try to tweak it to make it lively again. Do not redefine the Gospel. Do not move past the Story of our redemption and salvation.

Titus 2:11-14–¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹²It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

The Gospel produces Godliness and Passion by the Spirit when we speak of a bloody cross and an empty tomb.

John 16

If you are amazed by the Gospel, you are amazed by Jesus, you actually believe that people can grow, you know how people grow, you will publicly confess sin and publicly repent.

Galatians 2

‘You don’t need others to change or grow to give you value.”

Gospel Application:

2 Timothy 2:2 — Four generations that have been trained and equipped under Paul.
Look at v1 — If you want to go make leaders, you must be strengthened in the grace of the Gospel.

How is Jesus the hero of our lives?

Focus: Gospel centrality…making the Gospel the center of everything we do.

Resources: Preaching Christ in a Post-Modern World by Tim Keller (free resource on Itunes)