Compassion as a driving force in the church

There is some discussion around a particular global church group that is very popular for their music, and their practices of "welcoming" sinners of a certain kind into membership and participation while also stating doctrinally that they do not condone lives that are walked out in such sin.

I am not proposing to debate their approach. I am looking behind their reasoning and checking myself.

The words I hear in this discussion are "compassion" and also "discipling them TO Jesus." Those are sweet sounding words. They do not seem to me to be biblical ideas.

Last week in our home fellowship, we talked about the difference between compassion to the world's lost and love for the people in our fellowship. They are not the same. Only the latter did Jesus label as proof to the lost that God sent Jesus into the world. While no one is godly who will not help the needy around him or her, the face of the church is not compassion, is it? Isn't the face of the church our love for one another?

Jude 21-24 KJV

17But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 20But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

I use KJV here since it uses the "compassion" language in v. 22. Here is the ESV.

17But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18Theyf said to you, "In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22And have mercy on those who doubt; 23save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garmentg stained by the flesh.

Mercy, compassion. Very similar ideas when you read context. Very differently applied when we superimpose current worldly notions of compassion.

"Making a difference", "those who doubt". Same idea in Greek "diakrino", VERY different reading when we superimpose current use of "making a difference". Strong's Greek 1252 that supports both translations shows how unfortunately the KJV is manipulated right here by our contemporaries to mean the opposite of what it says.

(PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A KJV DEBATE. 😎😎😎 I am in full agreement with how KJV states the phrase and I know the translators intended the same thought that is now expressed more understandably to our use of language as in the ESV on this. Both are spot on. Pretty, pretty please don't go down that road of KJV issues.)

So, back to the point, compassion on those who are genuinely wrestling with the truth and whether to yield to it is valid. Compassion on the ungodly in order to make some nebulous difference is not. Am I off base?

It is a popular mantra that the church can "make a difference" or, as alternately phrased "make an impact" or "impact people's lives". It is a thought, though, that is used more to relieve us of gospel responsibility. We may not actually rescue people from sin, but we are "showing them Jesus" and "impacting their lives" in some fuzzy way that we are satisfied with. That's how this seems to play out day to day in the church in America.

I suppose my proposition or question is this: Is our submissive, yielding love for one another as part of the same body more powerful evidence to the world that God sent Jesus than our compassion on the lost? If so, what are we doing in personal prayer to birth it? What are we doing in prayer and in our fellowships to learn it? What is God doing in us to make it actually so that we are "one in Jesus"? Or, am I completely barking at the moon here?

Compassion was a driving force of Jesus it is an attribute
of God and it is a fruit of the Spirit.

add:
A Church that truly has compassion for a lost and dying world will be a Church that is full of Love for each other.

The two are mutal not exclusive.

I agree with PP here.

What was the purpose of Jesus's healing miracles? I don't believe that scriptures teaches that he preached the gospel with every healing. But perhaps those he healed and the bystanders were more receptive to the gospel. "It's your kindness, Lord, that leads us to repentance."

I wonder who gets more converts - the church you mention (Bethel, Hillsong?) or a church like Westboro Baptist?

I hurried myself this morning on that and maybe didn't do a good job of explaining my post. I apologize.

What we call compassion is often simply tolerance and a politeness. We mean well, even. But, let's take it as it is -- compassion is evidence of Spirit fruitfulness.

Papa, I don't know that it is true that a church with compassion for the lost is also full of love for each other. Certainly, a church that is actively, purposely submitting one to another in the kind of love and oneness among believers that Jesus prayed for in John 17 (so "that the world may believe that you sent me") has compassion on the lost.

Can I give a quick example? I know of a church that has compassion. It has a food kitchen. It buses in poor kids and people without a ride to church. It has "serving the community" as part of its tagline (taglines are popular now). But, within, most everyone is self-centered, materialistic, many with one or both feet in the world except for Sundays, etc. People attend for the music in large degree, and for a "shot in the arm" emotionally. There is, indeed, some real love among some people there, but there is far more fragmentation, criticism and disinterest in the deepness of God being deeply in the lives of one another. They will, from time to time, have attendance spikes but there is no evidence of real maturity, no growth, no fruit of growth.

But, compassion is used -- like a tool -- by churches. A tool of promotion. A tool of outreach. A tool of discipleship, even. Okay. Like the old saying goes, "smoke 'em if you got 'em." But, compassion is not what Jesus prayed for us. Compassion is not the precise thing that Jesus prayed the Father that we would be. He prayed for us to be one in Him in love.

That looks like the compassion of Jude 22, because if someone is doubting and trying to judge the truth, mercy beats our giving a final opinion on them while they're "in process" so to speak. That kind of compassion is a component of the very love and oneness Jesus prayed for in John 17. Jude 22 compassion/mercy is not what I see happening. Why not? Because, we are not living in John 17 love/oneness/that the world may believe.

Again -- I'm checking myself, here. Can I go one more step into this?

It pleased the Father to crush Jesus. The justice that God's righteousness required could not be satisfied by our own deaths. Our corrupt selves could never assuage the righteous anger of God at transgression, even if He wiped us out. He created us for His pleasure and glory and He must have what He created for Himself. In the perfection of justice, and in the securing to Himself what He made for Himself, He was pleased to crush Jesus, God the Son, who alone fulfilled all the righteousness of God in human flesh. Nothing less than God Himself could satisfy God Himself.

Jesus learned obedience through His suffering. He said, "for this hour I have come", about His suffering. In love, He became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. When HE prayed the Father to keep us from the evil one, to sanctify us in truth, to send us into the world, and to make us one in Him that the world may believe that God sent Him --- just as surely as God sent Jesus to Calvary to satisfy His justice and redeem His people to Himself, He also insured that He will have a people who love one another in that oneness that persuades men that Jesus was sent by God.

Papa -- I don't love that way. I don't love the brothers and sisters around me with the kind of love that Jesus had, and I don't love them with the kind of love that persuades men that God sent Jesus. And, I want to do that. I want to love that way. I will go so far as to say that anything short of that is not true love, and I believe the compassion of the contemporary American church is nowhere close to Jesus' prayer here.

I honestly am convicted --- and I want to be corrected, so I'm asking for it --- that the gestures and gesticulations of the American churches are self-deceit. We lie to ourselves and give ourselves credit for "compassion" when our lives as Jesus prayed for us in John 17 are just absent.

That's more of where my head is.

Hey Tim-

To summarize you seem to be saying that many or most in churches show compassion or get involved in compassion ministries to assuage their conscience about not really doing business with God while at the same time having the APPEARANCE of Godliness.

I cannot say you are not correct.

But the problem is we are still to show compassion to the lost. It may be one of those things where motive may be important but less important than the action.

In other words it may be better for a hypocrite to perform acts of compassion than for a non-hypocrite NOT to perform acts of compassion.

RE///What we call compassion is often simply tolerance and a politeness. We mean well, even. But, let's take it as it is -- compassion is evidence of Spirit fruitfulness.///

True compassion is a emotion aspect of Love.

The world may define compassion as "tolerance and a politeness" but that is because the world has very little true compassion.

"tolerance and a politeness" did not move Jesus but compassion did.

Flesh does not produce compassion, the animal kingdom is proof of that.
Men whom are led by the flesh are void of compassion.

The pharassies did not have the love of God with in them they where void of compassion.

RE: ///I know of a church that has compassion. It has a food kitchen. It buses in poor kids and people without a ride to church. It has "serving the community" as part of its tagline (taglines are popular now). But, within, most everyone is self-centered, materialistic, many with one or both feet in the world except for Sundays, etc. P...///

They do not have compassion. they have a food kitchen etc.

You can not be self-centered and full of compassion.

You can sell all that you have and give to the poor and still not have compassion. 1 cor 13

We can not work up compassion in our own strength, doing acts that appear to be fruits of compassion are just that they are acts.

Papa, you are saying my thoughts, too. I guess I am just letting their use of the word "compassion" stand without dispute.

But, there is reason for it. Churches are using that wordly view of the word. I will omit the church name from this news quote. I do not want them to be the issue. But, this church is allowing gay members while it rejects "on paper" homosexual approval. It affirms biblical sexuality and marriage officially, but allows homosexually active members.

"[Our] heart on this matter is to reach all people, even communities that present extreme complexities,” he said in an email. "We would rather be misunderstood and look ‘messy’ to some in the Christian community that do not agree with us and help some, than appease people that think differently and reach none.”

"Help some". That is an allusion to Jude 22 KJV. My point is not about homosexuals. We have been all over that topic. It is about compassion -- a word wrongly understood and misapplied as here -- as a driving force in the church as distinct from John 17 love.

The quote leans on compassion and reaching as a way to show people to Jesus. Okay. Jesus' prayer in John 17 did not. He prayed for us to be kept from the evil one, sanctified by the truth of the Word, to be sent, and to be one in Him as He is in the Father so that the world may believe that God sent Jesus.

Our love for each other is vital. It demonstrates that we follow Jesus. But what demonstrates to the unbelieving that God sent Jesus? Our oneness in Him. But, our American energies are not devoted to the John 17 oneness in Him. We are, instead, devoted to compassion and reaching.

Not that reaching is a small thing. The evidence before us is that our reaching is an ineffectual thing, though. If not, we would not need to pray for revival. The facts on the ground support a fair belief that the church in America, for all its compassion ministries and outreach, is poor, wretched, blind, miserable and naked. What is missing? We are not what Jesus prayed we will be.

God will have what He purchased through Jesus. I hear that prayer in my own heart. I want to be one with my brothers and sisters. Not philosophically. Truly. Practically. In the sense that Jesus demonstrated at the last supper, and beyond that demonstration.

Am I clearer now?

Tim-

How will the church loving internally be noticed by the outside world?

I am reminded of the old chorus: "and they'll know that we are Christians by our love."

Is that love for the brethren or love for "they?"

I know we are to love the brethren but as a practical matter how will the world see that- unless we show them somehow? Or perhaps we should just worry about loving each other and leave the world to God?

I am having trouble understanding the interplay.

Tim-

How will the church loving internally be noticed by the outside world?

I am reminded of the old chorus: "and they'll know that we are Christians by our love."

Is that love for the brethren or love for "they?"

I know we are to love the brethren but as a practical matter how will the world see that- unless we show them somehow? Or perhaps we should just worry about loving each other and leave the world to God?

I am having trouble understanding the interplay.

TMK, I'm having a real hard time expressing this, too, apparently. :) The trouble is caused by ME, I'm positive.
And, thanks for probing my reasoning.

As to the first question, I can't say for sure. The Acts church does not seem to be noticed for their outward generosity, but rather for their love for one another. Acts 2, 4 and 11 note tremendous generosity among believers, but not an outward generosity to the non-believing poor nor to the general community of the needy. That's not to say they weren't, but it isn't noted and it isn't tied to any particular spiritual fruitfulness.

What we do see, though is sacrificial love for each other. Philippians 4 and 2 Corinthians 8 are really helpful discussions about how that occurred, too. We also see that with this kind of life among themselves, the Holy Spirit made sure that the world saw the gospel of Christ by confirming it with signs and wonders and boldness in preaching.

Guys, I don't see any NT instance of the church itself loving the world around them with compassion in any such way as we emphasize it today, and I do not see that it is taught that it ought to be that way as a form of witness of Jesus. The NT is full of such instruction for the believers among believers. See, e.g., James 2:16, which is an instruction for believer-to-believer, not believer-to-world. But, we are -- as a matter of practice -- more eager to convince the world that we are Christians than we are eager to love the brethren enough to trust the Holy Spirit to convince unbelievers that God sent Jesus the Son. There is a problem with that.

John said that the antichrist spirit in the world denies Jesus came in the flesh as God. We fail to live according to the oneness in Him that Jesus prayed for, thus putting a gap between God and His witness to the lost world that He sent Jesus. The antichrist spirit will fill that gap. We can convince people we're Christians all day long by lots of ways other than love.

People will believe you're a Christian for going to church and owning a bible and putting a fish sticker on your car. But, the love that Jesus prayed for us to have in John 17, and the oneness He prayed for there, says nothing about what the world will think of us --- it says so that they world may believe that God sent Jesus.

The issue I'm focusing to here is not whether the world will know we are Christians, but whether the world will know God sent Jesus. That's the hell shaking witness, is it not? If it is, then we're taught only one way for us to live to make that manifest -- oneness in Him in truth and in love.

Now, I'm going to shift a gear here. Jesus prayed that the Father would do this work. There's mystery here or just rank ignorance in me about it; you can decide. :) He prayed that we may be one as Christ is one with the Father. I'm laughing out loud typing this because we ain't nowhere near knowing how to make that happen and never will be. And, this is more than "unity". This topic of oneness gets labeled as "unity". People can unite on about anything they set their mind to, e pluribus unum and all that. God alone makes two one.

There appears to be some amount of spectacle in this. Acts 17:6 (these who have turned the world upside down) is tied to Acts 4:30, 31 ([Disciples praying], "while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness) but separated by years of "one-ifying" and evangelizing. (See, also, Zechariah 2:9, the exiles and Babylon know that the sent one of God has been sent by God when God shakes His hand in judgment --- quite a spectacle.)

As we seek a Pentecostal power outpouring, God make us one in Christ. Make us one. Answer the prayer of Your Son. Do as You have spoken (2 Sam. 7:25). Forgive me for being a gap-maker between you and who you will save. Help me to love the brethren as surely and completely as Jesus is in You, O God.

I don't know if I can explain it, fellas. But, I'm praying it anyway.

Oswald Chambers talks a good bit about well meaning Christians who unwittingly interfere with God's work in people when they step in to try to make things better when things have gone bad in their lives.

It does indeed take wisdom to know when to interject oneself and when to leave it alone.

I think I agree with you tim in what you are seeing, but rather then get hung up on the definition on certaint words , I just see it as as those churches are not decipling biblically they put the cart before the horse, you decipling converts not the lost ,you preach the gospel of repentance to the lost rather then decipling the goats, your compassion accompanys biblical evangelism it doesn't replace it or out shine it or take the edge of the blade confronting preaching,, the largest church in our town is one of those mentioned by you ,and they have fallen so far away from biblical chirstianity that out of a five thousand member church ,they have one out reach van who claim to feed the lost and preach the gospel ,,but the gospel is a so called seed planting gospel with no dealing cross preaching and they can't even get enough members from the church to do one Friday night per week , which is four people on the van at once ,,they stoop to the level of getting unbelievers to ride on th van and out reach with so called believers and the rare true believer,,I could not continue to minister under those conditions,,,,,,this is the state of our Hillsong church called calvery church ,they are part of hill song',,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, our Salvation Army church here are similar working with goats to do the ministers of sheep ,,so called compassion orientated , laking serious gospel preaching ,,

Here in Townsville Queensland,, according to one of there new converts who I worked with as a plaster for a wile, whose conversion is very suspect, ,whom his treated like a poster boy so to speak, told me through there rehabilitation drugs and alcohol ten step gospel prayer centered methods of evenglisim, he was one of three percent that never went back to his old life, they treated him as converted and a rare case,,yet when I spoke to him many times he never even new what being born again was ,and only really herd a very shallow gospel presentation,,,,,,,,,,,,

This seems to be common umong the so called compassion toleration churches , false converts diluted gospel skued focase, seems to be a very obvious problem

Tim, I agree with your burden for the need of Love within the Body but disagree with contrasting or blaming the lack of love in the brotherhood on to much energies being placed on compassion and reaching the lost.

I do not believe (what I consider) the seeker friendly movement is being moved by true compassion.

RE: ///I will omit the church name from this news quote.///

That makes it dificult to judge the intent of there quote. The part that you stated that they : "allow homosexually active members" is alarming and disturbing, If that is true they are off base to allow open sin in the membership (body) 1 cor 5

On other hand welcoming sinners to fellowship with us is Jesus like : Mark 2:16 Matthew 9:11 Luke 5:30 Matthew 9:10
Luke 7:34 Matthew 11:19 Mark 2:15

RE: ///The quote leans on compassion and reaching as a way to show people to Jesus. Okay. Jesus' prayer in John 17 did not.///

Jesus reached out to sinners : Mark 2:17
Jesus entire ministry which is our example was based on "preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." It does not get more compassionate than that.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,"

RE: ///Our love for each other is vital. It demonstrates that we follow Jesus. But what demonstrates to the unbelieving that God sent Jesus? Our oneness in Him. But, our American energies are not devoted to the John 17 oneness in Him. We are, instead, devoted to compassion and reaching.///

I believe those ministries like Time Square, Brooklyn Tab., New Life Evangelistic center etc. That spend a great deal of focus on ministring to a lost and dying world have more love for one another than those ministries that do not.

"The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is a Baptism of Love" - David Wilkerson

As with the context of the sermon that the above Wilkerson quote came from : I believe that Love manifest both toward the brotherhood as well as a lost and dieing world.

Yep I think the flesh can produce a counterfeit compassion ,a humanistic driving force with hinden agenders like guilt and self righteousness, but that is not biblical compassion that comes from a regenerate heart that wants God to get glory and souls converted as a motavation,.

And we all know God sees the motavation as part of the deed itself ,if the motavation is not holy and sangtfied, then neither is the good works exceptable before a thrice hoy God

Welcoming sinners into fellowship brings us to James 2:16 compassion. That one is kinda easy. They are actively wrestling in doubt with the truth.

Jesus' healing ministry was merciful indeed. Compassionate. Had it not been accompanied by His teaching, there is no reason to believe He would have done it. Someone saw and was challenged to believe and understand Him each time. The challenge was to believe He was God the Son, the sent One, and that His message was true. He specifically prayed for us in John 17 that we would be one in Him as He is one in the Father and that THAT particular thing would be "so that the world may believe" that God sent Jesus. I do not think we ought to leave acts of kind mercy to the lost undone. But it is not a NT instructed means of proving to the lost that Jesus is the Christ. Will people at times be moved toward Him when we act in loving kindness? Yes. But the sporadic frequency of that response is supported by the absence of any doctrinal or exemplary NT instance of mercy and "reaching" as a persuasive form of action.

No doubt churches are doing mercy ministry to the lost and rightly. But you listen to Conlon and Cymbala and they lead their congregations to love for each other and God first and always. He is with them in the outreach because they are with Him in oneness with each other and Him, or at least it seems to be so.

Perhaps one should define mercy and compassion?

Tim, you are a lawyer - don't know if you have ever defended anyone in court - but perhaps you could describe what it looks like from that perspective? After all, there can be no mercy or compassion apart from judgement.

Sandra

Here is my take. Hope it adds something.

Compassion is the heart of God toward man. Compassion is a genuine motivation rather than an emotion or a set of actions, although compassion will often be accompanied by emotions and lead to actions. Compassion is a product of the great love of God toward mankind.

To exhibit universal acceptance of sin or of sinful lifestyles, or inclusiveness out of a desire to appear non-judgmental is not compassionate. Often these actions are born out of a self seeking desire for acceptance or image. If these are the motivations, then they are not the heart of God.

True compassion is born out of time in prayer, seeking to have God's heart toward lost mankind imparted to our own heart. When I see a lost man held captive to sin, and my heart breaks with the desire to see that man freed from the bondage to sin and reconciled to God, then I am experiencing compassion toward that man. From this motive, my actions can by pure and led of the Holy Spirit.

A church may welcome sinners into their doors out of a true desire to see these people set free from sin. But the same church will preach the unadulterated truth, knowing that anything less can lead to these people's eternal damnation. We have had a lesbian come to our church. We loved her. We accepted her in the sense that we showed her friendship and love. However we continued to preach the word of God and she understood that we considered her lifestyle to be sinful. She eventually surrendered her life to Christ, left her lifestyle. To me, we demonstrated compassion.

Here is my take. Hope it adds something.

Compassion is the heart of God toward man. Compassion is a genuine motivation rather than an emotion or a set of actions, although compassion will often be accompanied by emotions and lead to actions. Compassion is a product of the great love of God toward mankind.

To exhibit universal acceptance of sin or of sinful lifestyles, or inclusiveness out of a desire to appear non-judgmental is not compassionate. Often these actions are born out of a self seeking desire for acceptance or image. If these are the motivations, then they are not the heart of God.

True compassion is born out of time in prayer, seeking to have God's heart toward lost mankind imparted to our own heart. When I see a lost man held captive to sin, and my heart breaks with the desire to see that man freed from the bondage to sin and reconciled to God, then I am experiencing compassion toward that man. From this motive, my actions can by pure and led of the Holy Spirit.

A church may welcome sinners into their doors out of a true desire to see these people set free from sin. But the same church will preach the unadulterated truth, knowing that anything less can lead to these people's eternal damnation. We have had a lesbian come to our church. We loved her. We accepted her in the sense that we showed her friendship and love. However we continued to preach the word of God and she understood that we considered her lifestyle to be sinful. She eventually surrendered her life to Christ, left her lifestyle. To me, we demonstrated compassion.

twayneweb, that is true biblical compassion where this lost person repented and was in a place that was loving and true.

I ran across a pastor online who spoke about the need to brand his church plant. So, he said God spoke to them to brand it with compassion. They did. They gave away their tithes and offerings for a month to needy, etc. to brand their church. That is a real but extreme example.

What you describe, brother, is living out the Word.

My whole point in the thread has not been to belittle mercy. In fact, if we are one in Christ, mercy is a hallmark of our lives. But, the mercy for the sake of mercy is no better than faith in faith. The seed-faith/prosperity movement is faith in faith. Mercy for the sake of branding and compassion so you can say you are a compassionate church is qualitatively no different.

I am desperate for the life of Jesus in me, my family and those in our immediate fellowship. The prayer of Jesus in John 17 is paramount. A supernatural oneness is missing in the churches in America. Not among them....but within them. This is not a slur on them; it is a confession and acknowledgement of my own sorrow and repentance.

It is not sorrow for lack of compassion on the lost. Brother, I long ago decided that my work in the law wasn't worth the salt on an egg if I could not be merciful to the lost in it. But, it has yielded no fruit. Not just no visible fruit. No fruit. It is an empty shell. Why?

I think I know now. No real John 17 oneness among my brethren and me. That is what tells the world that God sent Jesus. Martin Luther was made to see justification by faith from a simple phrase, "and the just shall live by faith." God, show your people in America that our oneness in you is life to the world around us, that we cannot expect the world to believe you sent Jesus, that we cannot expect them to believe the gospel by our niceness, and that our oneness in You is indispensable.