The Compassionate Life - Part 1

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

I ended six months of Communion Sunday teachings this last week on the theme of "Embracing New Life". While the words New Life are a part of our church's name - New Life Fellowship - I was focusing on embracing new life as a Christian.    When we become "in Christ" we become a new creation...the old is meant to pass away, and the new comes.
I wished I could say this new life was automatic, but it isn't.  It is a process that begins and then continues on as we intentionalize growth...that's right "intentionalize"...purpose, do specific things that are meant to lead to growth.

Over the next few days I am going to share the text of that message because it's summer and sometimes people are gone.

I add that this teaching was the final of six teachings on this theme.  The 6 areas…are…

• Prayer Life: Our heart’s steady attention on God
• Worship Life: Encountering the invisible God in the visible world
• Word-Centered Life: Living the life-giving message
• Spirit-Empowered Life: Fueling our lives from the presence and power of God
• Character Life: Responding to life with integrity
• Compassionate Life: Extending compassion in every sphere of life

We are at the end of these 6 major ways scripture speaks of in terms of that growth - and on Sunday I taught on this theme of Compassion.

COMPASSION – WHAT IS IT?

Luke 10:25-37 (ESV)
25  … a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26  He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
27  And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
28  And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29  But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

THE SETTING IS WORTH NOTING…THIS IS A TEST, NOT A SINCERE QUESTION.  

NEVERTHELESS, JESUS’ RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION WAS TO TELL HIM TO LOVE GOD…WHICH WAS THE BEST WAY TO DEFINE HOW TO FULFILL ANY PART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW.

THE “LAWYER” THOUGH, IS NOT AFTER AFFIRMATION, OR EVEN AGREEMENT, INSTEAD HE IS AFTER A SELF-JUSTIFICATION.  “LOOK HOW GOOD AND RELIGIOUS I AM.”

JESUS TELLS HIM THIS STORY…A PARABLE SO TO SPEAK…

                                                
30  Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
31  Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32  So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33  But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34  He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35  And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
36  Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
37  He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE THOSE TEMPTATIONS TO DEFINE OUR FAITH BY WHAT WE BELIEVE IN.

BUT OUR ACTIONS REVEAL OF OUR BELIEFS.

FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE EXPERT IN THE LAW, PROBABLY A PHARISEE, OR A SCRIBE, THE ISSUE WAS DEFINING WHO THIS LOVE GOES TO….SO, “WHO IS THE NEIGHBOR?”  "WHO IS IT THAT DESERVES MY LOVE?"

JESUS MAKES THE ISSUE CLEAR,  “THE MAN WHO HAD COMPASSION”.

COMPASSION IS A WORD THAT IS MADE UP OF TWO WORDS:

“COM” = “TO BE WITH”, AND

“PASSION” = “TO SUFFER”… 

WE GET OUR WORD “PATIENT” FROM THE WORD.

E.G.  "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST" IS THE STORY OF CHRIST'S SUFFERING.

WHEN YOU PUT THEM TOGETHER, COMPASSION IS “TO SUFFER WITH A PERSON.”

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, COMPASSION IS EMOTIONAL, AND HAS MORE TO DO WITH “EMPATHY” THAN “SYMPATHY”.

BOTH HAVE THE ENDING  “pathy” on the end, and it comes from the greek word, “patheos”, which means “feelings”,

sym-pathy, is “feelings with/for” someone.

Em-pathy, is “feelings alongside, to enter in” their situation.

sympathy is more distant…i feel sorry for tornadoes that destroyed homes in a town, or the devastation of earthquakes in haiti, AND

.

empathy is an entering into, being there and therefore coming alongside of what they are going through.

jesus is talking about compassion that is emphathy, a willingness to enter in and do something to help....

THINK ABOUT THIS, AND TOMORROW I'LL SHARE PART 2 OF THIS.

PEACE