Community Starts With Compassion

Intro: with so much material out there giving the methods to build a great church, you would think there would be great churches on every corner. But with all the greatest programs and church growth material, it still all boils down to compassion for the lost and hurting. Today, community starts with compassion

Community starts with Compassion

Matthew 9:35-38

Background: what a beautiful picture of the ministry of Jesus Christ. His desire is to see people go into the harvest field, so that the harvest may be reaped.

Matthew 9:36- Jesus was moved with compassion because of seeing that people were like sheep with no shepherd. Jesus saw the pain, the hurts, people that had no direction in their lives. We must see this world through the eyes of Christ, we must be moved with compassion. Christ’s community is here to give direction and purpose into people’s lives.

Matthew 18:27—the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion. In this parable, Jesus says that compassion for people will cause us to forgive others. No matter how bad the hurt or offense is, compassion will cause us to forgive them, and erase the debt.

Mark 1:41—the healing of the leper may seem to some just another story in the Bible, but Jesus touched the untouchables. If you touched a leper, you were ceremonially unclean. Jesus was moved with compassion to heal the leper. Today, compassion will cause us to touch the untouchables of our world. Compassion will reach out, compassion will love those discarded by the world.

Mark 9:22—have compassion on us—here is a story of a father who had a son that was possessed by a demonic spirit, a spirit that was trying to destroy him. Jesus saw this father’s heart, and was moved with compassion on him. Today, our heart breaks for all the struggles we see in families. The devil is out to kill, steal and destroy. We must have this same spirit of compassion for souls.

Luke 7:13—a mother lost her only son to death, and Jesus seeing her tears, seeing this mother’s broken heart, was moved with compassion on her. Today, we need to see the world of broken lives, broken hearts and broken dreams around us. We must be moved with compassion to touch them, love them and help them through their hurts, and pain.

1 Peter 3:8-having compassion on each other, love as brothers. Loving each other, caring about each other, that is what the church is supposed to be. They will know we are Christians by our love.

Jude-verse 22—and of some have compassion, making a difference. When our preaching won’t be heard, our compassion will be heard. When our best program doesn’t reach the lost, our love will. The best way to make a difference in this world is to love people, care about people, have a burden for the lost.

Close: the multitudes didn’t follow Jesus just because of the teaching, or the miracles, or because they believed He was Messiah, they followed Him because they knew He cared, that He had compassion about what they were facing.