On Zeal

Taken from Peter Masters' Biblical Strategies for Witness, 1994:

"4. A matter of zeal

If our personal witness is to be anything more than a five-minute wonder, and if it is to cut through the apathy of those around us, then it must be characterised by zeal. King David said in Psalm 69, 'The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.' When the disciples saw the great fervour of the Saviour, they knew that these words were the right standard for a true servant of God (John 2.17).

Epaphras laboured fervently in prayer for the Ephesians, because he had 'a great zeal' for them. Zeal is a Greek word meaning hot or boiling. It refers to great fervency. And this is what we should possess in the work of reaching lost souls. What is the difference between zeal and conviction, duty and desire? Zeal is the practical energy of our being, with which these other attitudes must be clothed. It is the petrol for the car or the power for the lamp. It is the 'up-and-doing', and the vigour with which we perform. It is the opposite of languor or half-heartedness or mechanical compliance. It is so necessary to build up real fervour and zeal...

The necessity of zeal must be emphasised today because the complexity and bustle of life exhausts and bemuses us to the point that we become relatively tame and insipid in our Christian service. Pastors everywhere find that today's society leaves Christian people worn out and intimidated...

We need to face up to the fact that witness is a matter of creating or setting up opportunities, and keeping up this work constantly. Witness requires a very definite effort against the run of a shy personality, against our natural love of ease and a quiet life, and against difficult circumstances.

Often we know that we shall stir a hornet's nest. We know we shall create untold difficulties for ourselves. An application of initiative and energy, regardless of circumstances or consequences, is true Christian zeal. This may seem all very obvious, but we need to gird up our efforts constantly in this ministry (of personal witness, parenthesis added). All must accept that here is a ministry which will never flourish without a considerable investment of committed effort.

Can we not be more like the apostle when he went to Athens? There his spirit was stirred within him because he felt so strongly his duty to witness to the idolaters of that place."

Zeal is becoming a fresh thing to me all over again. Zeal in the past lost steam easily, placed absurdly ambitious self-expectations, full of callousness like James and John, whom Jesus called the Sons of Thunder, lacked wisdom and was extreme. The witnessing of the early church recorded in Acts 2 has always been very fascinating to me, that they even sold all their goods and 'gave to anyone as he had need'. They had glad and sincere hearts, praising God and God rewarded their communal witness - they enjoyed the favour of all people and added unto them daily the people who were saved.

When I think of how zeal manifests in oneself, I am reminded of Jesus and the apostles, the Reformists, some hymn writers and some Christian preachers today. Jesus cleansed the temple, at the start and end of his earthly ministry, and He mourned for His people, who did not receive their Saviour; the apostles bore the Great Commission and faithfully preached, even unto martyrdom; the Reformists saw their lives cheaper than bringing the Truth and God's kingdom on earth. Though some were blind, clinically depressed or music-illiterate, the hymn writers still fervently wrote hymns to bless themselves and other people in face of their own misery; many Christian preachers face their own problems, perhaps at home, or with worries of financing their outreach ministries, but still preach faithfully and walk in faith. What about average people like us?

It is because we are average, or better still, less than average, that God uses us. For Paul so rightly testifies, 'But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.' (I Corinthians 1:26-29) In our own lives, we can have zeal and shine forth like the light Christ wants us to be. And this zeal will sustain a lifelong ministry of personal witness, to bring people to the Lord and to have fellowship with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

I'm reminded that zeal means to have fervent, earnest prayers - not to undermine this powerful tool where we have 'fresh communion with God', as Jim Cymbala puts it. Prayer is the spiritual shrine that allows us to be in contact with our dear Father directly. Zeal also means to make a conscious effort to communicate with others, to have fellowship with the believers and to witness before the unsaved. Zeal means to not forget the daily input of God's Word and intimate prayer, so that we may not be weary or languid in spiritual output. And last of all, zeal means to do all this with fervour for the Lord, to do it joyfully with conviction, passion and love, guided by wisdom.

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord." Romans 12:11