The Devotion Factor [3]

We must Understand Biblically the Basis for Compassion

If you have been a Christian long enough you have heard the debate over grace and works; faith and deeds. We spent a long time in Ephesians two and the phrase everyone loves is “we have been saved by grace through faith.” Who doesn’t love God’s grace? It’s the coolest thing ever. But Paul’s thought doesn't stop there.

If you go on a bit further in Eph 2:10 he goes on to say that you are “Gods masterpiece created to do good works.” This phrase here refers to works of compassion. What Paul is saying is that every believer was created to love humanity as a whole.

I wish I could float and blow up soap every week to keep you excited. But as your pastor it isn’t my job to keep you excited or entertain you or somehow keep you fully devoted to God. That’s your job. You must have a love and devotion that comes from your heart.

To be a compassionate church means we must not just consider the idea of serving through acts of compassion, but we must live it so our community sees it.

If we embrace the idea of worship being more than just songs we sing on Sunday morning; but as a lifestyle that is devoted to the fact we were saved from something very nasty and given grace to have relationship with our God through Jesus Christ; it changes us. I worship him because I love him. I’m created to do amazing things for him; and God gifts me with spiritual gifts that can truly affect people. If we embrace that it will change your life and our church forever.

Lastly as a church we must learn to Talk Jesus to People.

What I’ve been sharing ultimately leads us to this. How do I impact my little world for Jesus? Our desire as a church is that everyone in a sense buys into our mission vision. We won’t go far if you don’t.

As you can see we believe that God wants this church to be a compassionate force in this community. This isn’t the next model we are following as a church. This is what I believe God is challenging each of us to be and do.

I will never forget coming to the realization that most outsiders did not see the church as a force for good. Think about that for a minute. Those who live in our community don’t look at the church as a positive force.

 et me give you an example. “A pastor in our network who had some friends who are not followers of Christ asked them what they thought of his church. They said this: here is what we struggle with. We think the church has this amazing mission to make a difference in society but it doesn’t fulfill it. I hear you talk a lot about ideas to make your services better in hopes of drawing more people to sit for an hour on Sunday and stare at the back of some one’s head, but that is not Christianity as we understand it. Yet we spend weekends working our tails off to give hope to discarded people through food drives or mentoring programs. I think we are more like Christ than you.”

Listen, I’m not telling you we shouldn’t meet to worship God on Sunday’s, I know if we didn’t that might excite a few of you. But what I am saying is that we need to be and do in a different way; that compassionately reaches our world for Christ.

A lifestyle of devotion to God means we will desire to sings songs of praise to Him because we love Him. But true and genuine love will embrace a lifestyle that does so much more; it will impact people who impact other people who will impact other people.

Let me close with this. 

Isaiah 58:10-11 “If you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry.”  

Let’s be the spring of life!

 

You are Loved!