Passion Cry: How Apathy is Killing the Church and How Passion for Christ Will Revive It

Acknowledgements

I am humbled and deeply grateful for the people the Lord has used over the years to shape my heart, and it is my delight to honour their impact on my life.

To my parents, who demonstrated unconditional love, grace, and patience towards me. You provided a home where the seeds of passion for Christ could take root. I love you. To my precious bride, Gillian, you are my greatest gift and blessing in life and ministry. Your love, support, and strength in Christ have fuelled my passion for more of Him. We both know there is no way I would have made it this far without you.

To the elders of Harvest Bible Chapel Oakville, I thank God for you all. You are friends, mentors, and wisdom personified. For the many times you have held up my arms in the battle, for sharing my passion for the things that matter most, I thank you. To our Harvest Oakville staff, you are a tremendous team whom I immensely value. Thank you for your dedication to the Lord. To the people of Harvest Oakville, it is pure joy to serve Jesus Christ with you. I love how God is transforming us, and I count it great joy to be surrounded by such receptive and humble people. Your passion for Christ inspires me. You are loved so very much.

To A.W. Tozer, who set a path and course of passion for God that has greatly impacted me over many years, I am so thankful for your life and how God is using your story and insight to inspire the next generation.

To pastor James MacDonald, who shares my passion for planting churches for the glory of God, thank you for your investment in my life.

To Stacey Weeks and Neil Wilson, who made this book possible through encouragement, editing, consultation, and a lot of hard work; Karen Higginson, who supported this project and covered it in prayer; and my assistant Maureen Kelly, who has served and supported me with such humility and excellence. To Word Alive Press and to the many others who believed in this project from the very beginning, your encouragement and faith was the difference maker in bringing this book to print.

To my Saviour, Jesus Christ, thank you for saving me. The moment You opened my eyes to spiritual reality, You infused me with a passion for Your beauty and glory. You are my greatest treasure and my greatest satisfaction. I love You, Lord Jesus. This is for You.

Foreword

The facts that undergird Christianity are the biblical doctrines forged through centuries of biblical scholarship. The truths of what the Bible teaches—the nature and work of Jesus Christ, His atoning death and resurrection, God’s triune nature, etc.— are settled in the minds of serious Bible students. However, what remains is to see those truths come to life. If right believing alone was going to fulfill the Great Commission, the job Christ gave us would have been done long ago.

In Passion Cry, Pastor Robbie Symons leads us to understand that heat must accompany light—that truth without spirit, head without heart, leads inevitably to a shoulders up faith where followers become fearful fact-checkers and lose the fervency that makes following Christ truly fulfilling. Robbie Symons has been used of God to plant and build one of the greatest churches in North America, a fellowship that combines precept and passion in a truly compelling way.

God is surely passionate about His Son, His universe, and His saving power. If you have lost the passion of your Father in heaven and long to feel your faith in deeper ways, if you want fresh passion for the purposes of the Lord in your life, you are holding a book on that topic written by a man who lives it and wants to help you get there, too. Read it carefully, apply it faithfully, and your life in Christ will soar to new heights.

—James MacDonald

Senior Pastor Harvest Bible Chapel

Chicago, IL

Introduction

Why a Book on Passion?

Nothing is so effective in keeping true Christianity alive as the yeast of zealous Christians scattered throughout the Church.¹

—J.C. Ryle

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

—Romans 12:11

God loves passion… passion for Him. This truth is both undeniable and irrefutable, according to Scripture. The Word of God reveals a holy God who is unashamedly jealous for the love of His people, and this is because when He has the love of His people, He has the passion of His people and He is most glorified in His people. This sincere passion for God is ultimately rooted in the comprehension and application of the gospel. If we truly see the treasure, we cannot stop the zeal (Philippians 3:8).

Christian passion is a burning desire to please the Lord in how we think and live. This zeal cannot be produced by the flesh of man, but is a supernatural longing created by the Holy Spirit at conversion. The passionate pursuit of God quenches our greatest thirst and satisfies our deepest hunger. But here’s the question: why do so many believers lack this zeal? Why is genuine passion for Christ seemingly so rare and apathy so common? Why is there such a malaise upon the bride of Christ in a day when true passion has never been so needed?

Passion holds an indispensable role within the disciple of Christ. As genuine followers of Christ, we simply cannot afford to live without passion for Him. It’s that essential. J.C. Ryle, a man who understood with incredible clarity the importance of passion within the Church, said, It is impossible to overestimate the debt that all Christians owe to zeal.² He was pointing out the unavoidable truth that our passions define us, drive us, and distinguish us. This fact applies to everyone, not just Christ-followers.

Consider the role of passion in the lives of great leaders throughout history. Examine the motivations and trajectory of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon, to name just a few. Their drive and incredible accomplishments were fuelled by their single-minded passion and zeal. Even the bad boys of history, like Hitler and Stalin, displayed shocking passion for their goals, though it was insanely self-centred and disconnected from any acknowledgment of God.

The impact of one’s life has always been shaped by the desire and passion that drives them, whether for good or ill. How much more should followers of Christ be filled with passion for Him who holds true, joy-filled, and everlasting life?

Contemplate the impact of the apostles and their all-out, passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ. They were so convinced of the true worth of Christ that they literally forsook all that prevented their service for Him, and often gave their lives as a result.

Review the record of the early Church and the impact of their passion. They held a resolute conviction to see the gospel spread as far as God would take them. They endured immense persecution and life-threatening trials, yet their undivided desire to honour Christ spurred them to mind-blowing fruitfulness in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Consider the burning passion of reformers like Wycliffe, Tyndale, and Luther. Each displayed an inspiring and contagious conviction for the glory of God and His gospel. But what drove them? Their fervent undying pursuit of the Lord and His kingdom.

Consider the society-changing impact of puritans like Owen, Edwards, and Baxter. Consider the revival-producing fruit of the preaching of Whitefield, Wesley, and Spurgeon. Consider the world-altering sacrifice of missionaries like Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, and John G. Paton. What allowed these men to be used with such extended fruitfulness that it’s still bearing fruit hundreds of years later? The answer is a passionate, burning desire for the Lord Jesus Christ and His glory, rooted in the comprehension and application of the gospel. They knew the treasure and could not stop the zeal. This kind of fruit simply cannot be accomplished apart from a powerful appetite for God.

Are we any different today? I believe that apathy is killing the Church, because many who claim to know Jesus do not understand or apply the life-changing truth of the gospel—and because they do not know the treasure of the gospel, they lack zeal. Nothing can replace the impact of a passionate pursuit of God.

Can we ever truly overestimate the influence of true and pure passion upon the Church? I am not talking about a passion filled with fanatical displays of emotion. I’m talking about a passion fuelled by the glory of God. I’m talking about a conviction for eternal treasures, a decreasing self, and an increasing Christ. We know without question that the Lord loves to honour those who passionately pursue Him. The Lord Almighty has always held up, honoured, and used powerfully those who hearts are fully committed to Him.

Just think of the impact of David, a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22). Just think of the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37–39) and the inherent passion and zeal that is found within. Just think of the call for our first love (Revelation 2:4), the despising of lukewarm affection (Revelation 3:16), and the command for single-minded and all-out devotion (Philippians 3:8). Just think of Romans 12:11, which says, Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit…

The Church has suffered too long from the pressure to conform to the dull, lukewarm, disinterested, and dispassionate status quo approach to Christ. I pray that day is done. I pray that the tide will turn and a new normal will be written, that the peer pressure within the Church will turn towards a heat-producing zeal for the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that instead of apathy, we would see an awakening of contagious Christianity fuelled by a passionate love of our Saviour. There is no way to deny that this is what the Lord has chosen to use over the history of the Church, and what He will continue to use in our day.

Is there any more important call upon the Church today? In the face of tremendous societal pressure, cultural and moral revolution, and an anti-Christ flavour increasing with every day, what will God’s people do? Has there been another time in recent memory when it was so important for the Church to rise up and decide which flag we are truly going to fly? As the persecution upon Christ-followers moves from subtle to not-so-subtle, we are about to find out where our passions really lie. That is why this message is so needed.

As we begin this passionate pursuit of passion for Christ, allow me to show you how to get the most from this book. Each chapter is part of a greater whole yet designed to stand alone to encourage you at a particular point of time or interest. Do not be afraid to read slowly and maximize each chapter. I also encourage you, when prompted by the Holy Spirit, to stop, consider, and pray through the truth you are encouraged and/or convicted by. The most fruit will come from this approach.

When you understand the treasure of the gospel and apply the resulting life-changing truths, genuine passion for God will follow. May the Lord choose to ignite a fire in us that produces undeniable fruit from our lives!

Chapter One

How I Stumbled into Passion

…for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…

—Ephesians 5:8

If Christ be anything he must be everything. O rest not till love and faith in Jesus be the master passions of your soul!³

—Charles Spurgeon

March 9, 1997 started out as the worst day of my life. That Sunday morning, I found myself alone in my parents’ house flooded with discouragement and deep despair. I felt completely lost and confused. I was angry and I had no answers. I had spent the previous two days at different universities visiting friends and seeking to satisfy myself with what had captured my heart for years. I had recently graduated from university, but the campus party scene and the need to hear others affirm my identity pulled me like a magnet back to my alma mater. I was there to get what I always got: self-fulfillment, self-gratification, and self-indulgence. Whether through partying, socializing, or seeking worldly success, the source didn’t really matter because the combination had always worked… at least until now.

I still remember the vivid scene. I was