Romans 10:1-4

Zealous people make me nervous.  Zeal has several definitions.  It can be an intense emotion, compelling action.  Zeal can be a deeply stirring or ungovernable passion.  It can be an energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause.

Zealous people make me nervous, because historically zealous people have been dangerous.  They have done horrific things in the name of their political, religious or moral causes.  We call extremely zealous people zealots.  The Jewish nation at the time of Christ had many different zealots.  There were nationalist zealots, who wanted independents from Rome.  There were the religious zealots, who were persecuting and stoning new Christians.  Before he met Christ, Paul was a religious zealot.  He was tracking down imprisoning Christians.  After meeting Christ, he recognized that in spite of his emotional intensity, his actions had been unrighteous.  Once he became a Christian, it was his heart’s desire to see the Israelites saved, but he recognized that their very zeal for God stood in their way.  Their extreme emotions hindered their ability to reason and think clearly.  Good intentions are worthless if we do not combine them with knowledge. 

Zealous people with a passion for God, but an ignorance of God’s righteousness have hurt the work of the church down through the centuries.  I am not talking about wicked men, who have used the church as a cover for their own wickedness.  I am talking about people who desired to be right with God, but were not, just as the Israelites were not.  They allowed their emotions to control them, and they did not think before acting or speaking.  It is possible to pursue the aim of growing the church, or witnessing for Christ and yet be so energetic and passionate that we do not allow knowledge and wisdom to guide our efforts.  Christians are emotional; however, we must choose.  It is impossible for emotions and the Holy Spirit to control us at the same time.  To live righteous the Holy Spirit must be in control.