Passion

We recently completed a process looking at Natural Church Development for the Vineyard Churches in NZ and discovered that our lowest factor was ‘passionate spirituality’. Maybe you think of spirituality as something quiet and mysterious; individual; something peaceful you’d rarely associate with excitement. Passion, on the other hand, is getting fired up about something. It’s expressive and vibrant. So how does this work in practise? What NCD mean by this phrase has less to do with strong emotions and more to do with “the degree to which faith is actually lived out with commitment, passion and enthusiasm.”

Jesus invites us into a life changing, life defining, life giving relationship with Him. When we start out on this journey with Him we are often overflowing with excitement because of the love and hope and joy we find in Him. Just like any relationship though it can get a bit side lined by the business of life and can become a ‘bit on the side’ of the rest of our lives. This is not what Jesus has in mind when he describes that we can have life in all its fullness – that fullness comes out of a vibrant, growing relationship with Him that is the foundation for the rest of our life and activity. The truth is that to live this kind of life is the longing of our hearts and it’s out of that relationship that passionate spirituality springs from.

In the light of our movement’s results we have created this space to offer ideas, inspiration and resources to help us cultivate this kind of passionate spirituality in us and in our churches.