THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST - John Mark Ministries
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Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list No. 762 (Moderate length)
(This continues the series on The Marks of a Healthy Church)
A Biblical Case Study of Renewal: Church and Ministry at Antioch (23)
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COMPASSION AND MERCY
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These believers were concerned not only about 'saving souls'-
evangelism - but helping others deprived of necessary daily needs.
Unfortunately Christians have sometimes emphasized one or the other of
these two areas of essential ministry, rather than both: creating 'an
unbiblical divorce between the kerygma and the diakonia'. (7)
Jim Wallis put it well: 'The greatest need in our time is not simply
for kerygma, the preaching of the gospel, nor for diakonia, service
on behalf of justice, nor for charisma, the experience of the
Spirit's gifts, nor even for propheteia, the challenging of the king.
The greatest need of our time is for koinonia, the call to simply be
the church - to love one another, and to offer our life for the sake
of the world.' (8)
A theological understanding of Christian social concern begins with
the character of God. He is a 'social God' (9), relating within the
community of the Trinity, and, in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ,
with his creatures on this planet. Jesus came with a mandate to
preach, liberate and heal (Luke 4:18-19) and commissions his followers
to do the same as he did (John 20:21).
So the church, the body of Christ, does in its world what Jesus did
in his: no more, no less.It adopts Jesus' stance towards others: that
of a servant. And it will be called to account at the Great Judgement
relative to the presence or absence of ministries of compassion to
the poor (Matthew 25:31-46).
Who are the poor? They are people who have no 'place'. The materially
poor are deprived of a place within the bounty of the community; the
lonely, the imprisoned, or the emotionally poor do not have a place
within a loving family or community; the politically poor do not have
a place in the decision-making processes of their government;
refugees are 'displaced', without a part of the earth to call their
own; the spiritually deprived do not have a place in the Kingdom. Our
Christian compassion must address all these issues. The meaning of
Christian 'hospitality' is simply our opening up our hearts, our
lives, our homes, our communities, to the 'wretched of the earth'.
Hospitality is providing a place for Jesus, who is still poor today.
I once asked some very poor rural Brazilians what made them anxious or
fearful. A sad-looking mother said, 'I cannot warm my children
with just one blanket.' A man who had the face and hands of half a
century's hard labour said, 'I toil and toil but have very little to
show for it'.
I was very moved. What do I say to them? Maybe my tears spoke louder
than any words. I felt helpless, but I also felt a solidarity with
them in their despair.
'Compassion' comes from the Latin pati and cum 'to suffer with'. The
church takes Jesus as its model for compassion. Twelve times in the
Gospels Jesus or his Father- God are said to be 'moved with
compassion' for worried and helpless people (eg. Matthew 9:36). Our
Lord sends us his followers into the world to 'be compassionate as
your Father is compassionate' (Luke 6:36).
How does compassion work? In the same way God's does: he sends Jesus
into the world to be with us. He emptied himself and became a servant
(Philippians 2).That gives us dignity: we must be worth a lot if he is
willing to be our slave!He says to us: 'I will be with you always
until the end of the age' (Matthew 28:20). We are not alone.
So compassion is more than sympathy - 'feeling sorry' for the poor.
It's not'pity' for someone weak or inferior. Compassion is a 'doing
verb' - relieving the pain of others, not just emoting about it. But
it's more than 'helping the less fortunate' - that's elitist and
paternalistic.
Compassion, says Matthew Fox, is the world's richest energy source.
(10) A few days before his death, Rabbi Heschel said, 'There is an
old idea in Judaism that God suffers when we suffer... Even when a
criminal is hanged on the gallows, God cries. God identifies himself
with the misery on this earth. I can help God by reducing human
suffering, human anguish and human misery.' (11)
But there's so much pain - where do I start? In the Matthew text
Describing Jesus' compassion (9:35-38), our Lord then turns to his
disciples and says 'There's so much to do, and so few to do it,
PRAY!' The first thing to do is to pray! Prayer tunes us in to the
heart of God. Prayer helps us focus on others and their needs. Prayer
turns frustration and anger into hope. A by-product of prayer is
peace, without which we will never act appropriately in an unjust
world.
I believe it is important for every wage or salary earner, with their
family or community, to give a proportion away regularly to the poor -
in one's own country and overseas. You can sponsor a child -
probably the best place to start for most: you have personal contact
with someone and their family/community in the two-thirds world. Or
you could be a 'project partner' - more of your dollar gets there
that way. Our family began by sponsoring a child with World Vision: I
liked their 'need not creed' way of doing ministry (as Jesus did it).
Others would prefer their dollars go to evangelical Christians only,
or to their own denomination first: OK, but also try to be well
informed about the situations you are supporting.
Discuss:
(1) Who is 'hurting' in some way in your neighbourhood?
(2) What community resources or groups exist to meet these needs?
(3) What unmet needs exist which your church could organize to meet?
(4) It is possible to assist with aid and development most of the
overseas poor, if we and our governments had a will to do so. One of
the tragedies of our time is Christians who 'walk by on the other side
of the sea'. What percentage of your church's families give regularly
to a Christian aid organization? What could your church do to
encourage more to be involved in world-wide ministries of mercy?
Bible Study:
Romans 15:17-29. First look at Galatians 2:6-10: why would Paul need
this reminder, do you think? What can you do, above what is done by
government agencies for the poor in our country? 'Every Christian
wage-earner and his/her family or community should give regularly to
the poor overseas'. Agree? Many churches take up an extra offering
once a month (at a communion service) for the poor: discuss the
possibility of this idea in your church. How should this money be
dispersed?
A Prayer: Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, prayed that his
heart would be broken for the things that break the heart of God.
Perhaps you and I could pray like this: 'Lord, the needs of the world
are so great; evil and pain are everywhere; I can't do everything, I
can't do much, but I can do something. It would be a privilege, Lord,
to share the pain of others, and so to alleviate some of Your pain. I
pray through Jesus Christ my Lord, who suffered so much pain for me.
Amen.'
Further Reading:
Matthew Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion, San Francisco: Harper &
Rowe, 1979;
Donald McNeill, Douglas A. Morrison, Henri J M Nouwen, Compassion: A
Reflection on the Christian Life, New York: Doubleday, 1983.
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'A Church That Is Alive' is available as a book - e-mail
rowlandc@mira.net. The full text of this study-series may be found
on the JMM website. See under 'Your Church Can Come Alive.'
Videos comprising four and a half hours of Rowland Croucher's
teaching on this subject are available from John Mark Ministries for
$40 aus. - write to 7 Bangor Court, Heathmont, Victoria, Australia
3135 enclosing a cheque in Australian Currency; or include details of
MC/Visa plus return address.
Shalom! Rowland Croucher rowlandc@mira.net
Director, John Mark Ministries - resources for pastors/leaders.
(Bookroom, library, and worldwide F.W.Boreham Trading Post)
http://www.pastornet.net.au/jmm (1600+ articles 1000+ links)
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