Zeal: Alive to the Things Around Us - January 4th, 2026

Rooted in Romans 12, this calls God’s people to reject a cultural drift toward hollow activity and recover a Spirit-born zeal that flows from a renewed heart. Growth and programs are not the measure of health; love for Christ producing concrete, sacrificial obedience is. The warnings to Ephesus, and the rebukes through Amos and Isaiah, expose the danger of pristine externals with a loveless core—works become mechanical, and the lampstand is removed. What undermines a church most isn’t a lack of events but the slow corrosion of apathy: the disconnect between head, heart, and hands. Busyness, entertainment, and the worship of happiness masquerade as passion while siphoning devotion from what matters eternally.

Zeal is not noise, novelty, or one-off heroics. It is spiritual intensity expressed as long obedience in the same direction—being awake to God in the ordinary: present with family, faithful at work as unto the Lord, responsive to the Spirit’s promptings, consistent in Scripture, prayer, gathered worship, generosity, and hospitality. Knowledge without zeal calcifies into self-righteousness; zeal without knowledge careens into misdirected fervor. The necessary starting point is not willpower—our will has no power—but repentance: confessing indifference, asking for cleansing, and receiving the Spirit’s renewing fire. “Do not be slothful in zeal; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord” becomes a way of life where love fuels work, and work shines as light.

This year’s focus is Zeal—rekindled affections rightly ordered under Christ. Let sports, fun, and good gifts become servants of ultimate things, not masters of the heart. Aim passion at what will matter in two billion years. Seek a community marked not by spectacle but by a palpable heart: genuine love, brotherly affection, outdoing one another in honor, patient endurance, constant prayer, overcoming evil with good. Such zeal does not burn out; it burns pure—because it is kindled, sustained, and directed by the Holy Spirit.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Name apathy as your chief enemy Apathy is not mere laziness; it’s a quiet disconnect between what you know, what you love, and what you actually do. It often hides behind full calendars and endless distractions, numbing urgency for the things of God. Identifying apathy is the first grace, because you cannot repent of what you refuse to name. Call it out, and you’ll begin to see where zeal must be rekindled. [29:04]
• 2. Guard heart over external mechanics God rejects polished worship that runs on loveless autopilot. When love cools, works become ritual, and a church’s light dims—even if attendance and activity rise. The biblical pattern is love producing works, not works masking lovelessness. Tend the inner fire first, or the outer forms will become lifeless. [18:07]
• 3. Zeal begins with repentance, not willpower White-knuckled resolutions burn fast and short; transformation belongs to the Spirit. The pathway toward holy intensity is honest confession of indifference and a plea for cleansing. God delights to forgive and re-ignite what our best efforts cannot sustain. Repentance opens the heart to power that actually changes us. [45:13]
• 4. Zeal is steady, everyday presence Holy fervor shows up in ordinary places—being present with your family, faithful at work as unto the Lord, and attentive to the Spirit’s small assignments. It is not dramatic flair but consistent obedience over time. Zeal listens, notices, and moves toward what God already placed in front of you. Small faithfulness, repeated, becomes a blazing witness. [50:29]
• 5. Aim passion at eternal priorities Our culture trains us to feel deeply about what is trivial and to yawn at what is ultimate. Reorder your loves: let entertainment and hobbies serve a life of worship and mission—not replace it. You are an ambassador of Christ; nothing you touch in that role is insignificant. Direct your strongest affections where they will matter forever. [36:43]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:39] - Opening Prayer
• [05:10] - Romans 12 Introduction and Vision
• [05:48] - Romans 12 Read Aloud
• [08:40] - Reinforcing Foundations in Growth
• [11:02] - “God’s Forgetful Pilgrims” Insight
• [12:04] - What Actually Marks a Mature Church?
• [18:07] - Ephesus: Lost First Love
• [19:15] - Amos and Isaiah: Empty Worship Rebuked
• [28:25] - Naming Our Greatest Enemy
• [29:04] - Apathy Defined and Exposed
• [34:54] - Paradox of Misdirected Passion
• [44:32] - Willpower Won’t Change You
• [45:13] - Begin with Repentance
• [49:00] - Theme Verse: Do Not Be Slothful in Zeal
• [49:50] - Zeal as Daily Awakeness
• [51:22] - Be Present at Home and Work
• [53:34] - Zeal as Long Obedience
• [56:22] - Corporate Confession and Prayer
• [63:42] - Elders Available for Prayer
• [73:01] - Offering and Next Steps
• [75:43] - Press Start for Newcomers
• [77:16] - Closing and Dismissal

1. In Romans 12:1-2, what are believers called to present to God, and what two contrasting patterns are we told to avoid and pursue?
2. In Romans 12:9-13, list the specific marks of sincere love. Which of these are tied directly to zeal and steady presence?
3. What did Jesus say the church in Ephesus had abandoned, and what consequence did He warn would come if they did not repent? [18:07]
4. What did God, through the prophets, say about worship that keeps its external forms while justice and obedience are ignored? [19:15]

1. If lasting zeal does not come from human willpower, why must repentance be the starting point for real change? How does Romans 12:2 (renewal, transformation) support this? [45:13]
2. How can knowledge without zeal harden into pride or self-righteousness, and how does Romans 12:3 (sober judgment) call that out? [46:34]
3. What picture of zeal emerges from Romans 12:9-13: dramatic moments or steady, everyday faithfulness? What might “being awake to God in the ordinary” look like? [50:29]
4. What does Jesus’ warning to Ephesus teach about tending the inner fire of love before focusing on external works? What happens to “light” when love grows cold? [18:35]

1. Name apathy as the enemy: where is the disconnect between your head, heart, and hands right now? Identify three concrete signs from the past 7 days (habits, screens, calendar choices) that reveal drift. [29:04]
2. Guard heart over mechanics: where have your spiritual “externals” outpaced love—serving, giving, attending, but with a cooled heart? What first love work (time with Jesus, reconciling, obedience) needs attention this week? [19:15]
3. Begin with repentance: set aside 10 unhurried minutes for honest confession. What specific indifference or misdirected passion will you name before the Lord, and what promise from the gospel will you cling to as you ask for cleansing? [55:31]
4. Zeal as everyday presence: name two small assignments already in front of you this week—one at home and one at work. What exact step will you take to be present and faithful in each? [51:22]
5. Aim passion at eternal priorities: choose one boundary to place around entertainment or hobbies this week (time cap, tech-free block, no-Sunday-morning conflicts), and one redirection that turns that space into prayer, Scripture, or neighbor-love. [58:53]
6. Practice the basics that burn pure: pick one concrete habit from Romans 12 (prayer, hospitality, generosity). What will you do, for whom, and when, at least three times this week? Share your plan with the group for encouragement and accountability. [07:36]
7. Refuse to go it alone: if you have a need (physical, spiritual, emotional), who will you ask to pray with you this week, and when will you reach out? Be specific. [01:03:42]