Put Your Passion In Its Place

Goal: This week’s discussion is about discovering the relationship between passion and perseverance.
 
Introduction:

1. What were you passionate about as a child or a young adult? How has that passion changed over time?
2. Who was your first crush? Were you passionate about getting their attention? What did you do to try and win their approval?
3. Ask someone in your eGroup to read Revelation 2:1-5.
4. Ask someone in your eGroup to pray for your time together.

Discussion:

1. The writer of Revelation 2:1-5 uses the picture of a lamp on a lamp stand to illustrate the passion and effectiveness of the Ephesian church. Passion looks a little different in each of us, but it is easy to recognize. Who is the most passionate person you know? What are they passionate about? What is it like to be around them?

2. Sometimes we are under-equipped and overwhelmed, but we can still succeed if we have passion. Have you ever overcome great obstacles for the sake of something or someone you were passionate about? What happened? How did your passion come into play?

3. In Revelation 2, we read that the church has accomplished many great things, but they are in danger of losing their place on the lamp stand because they lost their first love. How do we lose our “first love”? What ideas or experiences may try to extinguish our passion?

4. In his sermon, Pastor Steven said this: “Passion is not a personality type. Passion is proven by perseverance.” Have you ever initiated a change or a project you were “passionate” about, only to see it fizzle? How do passion and perseverance work together?

5. We know that it takes great levels of passion to “step out in faith,” but true passion often calls you to remain planted when you would rather run. What is an area of your life where God has planted you and called you to remain? What is an area of your life where you sometimes feel like running?

6. Revelation 2:5 says, “Consider how far you have fallen!” Even though it is hard, if we have lost our fire, it’s important to determine where it fell so we can pick it up again. What passion have you lost or abandoned? Where did you leave it? What is keeping you from taking it back?

7. It is never too late to reclaim our passion. Passion follows purpose, and each one of us has been given a purpose by God. When we forget that, sometimes we end up pursuing our preferences instead of God’s priorities. What is God calling you to pursue? What instruction or encouragement does His Word give you about that thing?

8. According to Revelation 2:5, the best way to rediscover your first love is to “do the work you did at first.” Pastor Steven said it this way: “Practice makes passion.” In other words, passion isn’t just a feeling; it is an action—the product of hard work.  What is one practical way you can approach your work, marriage, education, family, etc. everyday with the passion you had “at first”?

Conclusion:

Ask everyone to find a partner and share one specific way they want to “practice their passion” in the upcoming week. Partners can choose one of the following exercises:

1. Pray over one another very specifically.

2. Pray and exchange contact information so that they can remind one another of their resolve and provide encouragement throughout the week.

Closing Prayer:

Pray together as a group. You may use this prayer as your guide:

God, thank you for pursuing us with passion. Help us to align our priorities with yours and put our passion to practice. Help us to persevere in the face of hardship. Restore our passion where it has been lost. In Jesus’ name, Amen.