The Church Moved By Compassion!

Many times the Gospels use the phrase, “Jesus, moved by compassion,” and then it is followed by some amazing thing immediately happening.

God started building this phrase into me a few months ago, “The Church moved by compassion…” This is the Church that is more than conquerors. They are the ones that will get things done.

Something I don’t remember the Gospels ever saying are, “Jesus, moved by what he should do, ought to do, was supposed to do, or was required to do…” The only thing that comes close is when He would say He needed to do something to fulfill prophecy. But even that has to be undergirded by the foundation that everything He did was to prove that He loved the Father.

Too much of the Church has been taught to revolve around what it is supposed to do. No one can ever move in full power that way because they always have this struggle between their head and their heart.

Too many times people also choose to go a certain route because they feel like it is the way of humility. But if you are trying to be humble, I would say that you have ceased being humble.

When you are moved by compassion, you will push past far more than when you are required to do something. As Mike Bickle from IHOPKC always says, “The lovers will always outwork the workers because people will do anything for love."

One of the big keys to the compassion lifestyle is that when you feel deeply about something, you tie your heart to it. You immediately stir love for it in your heart. If I see a man walking with a limp, a lot of times I will get a sick feeling in my gut. I know that it bothers me inside to see them hurting. So I immediately, consciously tie my heart to this man.

Secondly, we have to understand that compassion is not merely empathy. Empathy is ok with sitting in the muck with someone. Compassion says, “I am gonna get you out."

Thirdly, we have realize what we are doing here, what we are going after. We are not after the miracle, the healing, etc. We are after loving people. Bill Johnson, Pastor of Bethel, says, “Many times we are paralyzed by fear because we are focused on getting whatever it is we are praying for. Fear and doubt creep in because it could be a 50/50 shot. But if we focus on loving the person, it’s a win every time.”

And let’s be honest, most people, if you love on them, they aren’t gonna be angry. If you pray for them and nothing happens, it isn’t like it did any worse.

But we have to get our focus on furiously loving people. You know, there is a place in 2 Kings 9 where Jehu defeats Jezebel. When he rides out, the king sends messengers to ask if he came for peace. His response to all of them, “What do you know about peace? How can there be peace when witchcraft and idolatry are allowed through Jezebel? Get behind me."

Anywhere there are things or ideas that do not inspire someone to hope, they are under the influence of a lie because Jesus has given us every reason to hope. So we have to come to a place where we say, “How can there be peace when these people are being allowed to be lied to?” We have to let ourselves be the light that goes into the darkest places.

It is the Church moved by compassion, especially in these times where so many real issues are being brought to the forefront, that will see things happen in great measure and that people will come to. In darkness, people are drawn to light. In hopelessness, they are drawn to compassion!