I. COMPASSION DEFINED
A. From Webster’s Dictionary
Sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.
B. From Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
1. Verbs:
a. OIKTERO: to have pity, a feeling of distress through the ills of others, is used of God’s compassion - Rom. 9:15.
b. SPLANCHNIZOMAI: to be moved as to one’s inwards, to be moved with compassion, to yearn with compassion, is frequently recorded of Christ towards the multitude and towards individual sufferers - Matt. 9:6 and Lk. 7:13.
c. SUMPATHEO: to suffer with another, to be affected similarly ( Eng.,sympathy), to have compassion upon, Heb. 10:34, of compassion for those in prison, is translated “be touched with” in Heb. 4:15, of Christ as the High Priest.
d. EELEEO: to have mercy, to show kindness, by beneficence, or assistance - Matt.18:33.
2. Nouns:
a. OIKTRIMOS: the inward parts, the seat of emotion, the “heart,” Phil. 2:1; Col. 3:12,; “a heart of compassion.” It is translated “mercies” in Rom. 12:1.
b. SUMPATHES: denotes “suffering with,” or “compassionate,” in I Pet. 3:8.
C. Statement by Author Ken Blue
“The kind of compassion Jesus was said to have for people was not merely an expression of His will but rather an eruption from deep within His being. Out of this compassion of Jesus sprang His mighty works of rescue, healing, and deliverance.”
Many of you may feel that praying for the sick is the pastors job or maybe the elders but it is not! It is your calling to fulfill. We may feel intimidated to face a disfigured, severely handicapped or dying person. Our fear of not seeing them healed keeps us from trying to “Heal the Sick” to keeps us from fulfilling the commandment of Jesus. Fear rules our actions, but it should not be this way Compassion should drive us into the arms of the sick, dying and disfigured. It should move us to pray with the broken heart of the Father for the hurting and lonely. I want to share an excerpt from the testimony of John Wimber:
D. Testimony of John Wimber - taken from Power Healing
“Lord, I asked, are most people (myself included) afraid (fearful) to pray for the sick because their understanding of your nature, who you are and how you work inhibits them?" Again, I sensed him saying, "Yes - most people are hesitant, even fearful, to pray for others healing because they misunderstand my compassion and mercy. They know about me, but they do not always know me."
Sweeter Than Honey
It really works, I thought as I went on my way toward home, and God used me as a vehicle of his healing mercy. Then I was jolted out of my jubilant mood by an incredible vision.
Suddenly in my minds eye there appeared to be a cloud bank superimposed across the sky. But I had never seen a cloud bank like this one, so I pulled my car over to the side of the road to take a closer look. Then I realized it was not a cloud bank, it was a honeycomb with honey dripping out on to people below. The people were in a variety of postures. Some were reverent; they were weeping and holding their hands out to catch the honey and taste it, even inviting others to take some of their honey. Others acted irritated, wiping the honey off themselves, complaining about the mess. I was awestruck. Not knowing what to think, I prayed, “Lord, what is it?”
He said, It’s my mercy, John. For some people it’s a blessing, but for others it’s a hindrance. There is plenty for everyone. Don’t ever beg me for healing again. The problem isn’t on my end, John. It’s down there. (For readers who have never had a vision or supernaturally heard God in this fashion, I did not physically hear God speak. I experienced more of an impression, a spiritual sense of God speaking to me. Time proved that what I thought I had heard was true.)
That was a moving and profound experience; certainly it revolutionized my life more than any other experience I had since becoming a Christian. I have never looked at healing the same way since that day.
What made this experience so powerful was that it confirmed my newfound conviction, rooted in Scripture, that God’s abundant grace included diving healing, if only we would believe him for it. I learned this lesson from the story in Mark 9:14-32 of Christ healing a mans son who was possessed by a spirit and as a consequence was mute. After the disciples had failed to heal the boy, the father approached Jesus asking if he could help. Jesus wasted no time in identifying the reason for the disciples failure: unbelief.
After explaining to Jesus that his son had been possessed by a spirit since childhood, the man asked, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (v.22). Jesus said, “If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes” (v.23). The key to experiencing Gods healing mercy was belief, belief in the God who heals. “I do believe, the father said. Help me overcome my unbelief! (v.24). With this confession what Jesus called faith as small as a mustard seed in Matthew 17:20 he cast a deaf and mute spirit out of the boy, and the boy was instantly healed.
What God showed me through scriptures like Mark 9, my first healing, and the honeycomb vision was that he is much greater than I ever imagined him to be, and with only the smallest act of faith I could experience his compassion and mercy. I also realized that Gods mercy is constantly falling on us, because everything that he does is related to what he is: the Father of compassion (mercies, oiktirmon) and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles. (2 Cor. 1:3; Exod. 34:6, Neh. 9:17). Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made”. Titus 3:5 says the Lord saves us because of his mercy.
But too often I did not see God in the fullness of his mercy and grace.
I trusted him to lead me, but I did not trust him to provide for me; I had faith to receive forgiveness of sins and salvation, but I had no faith for divine healing. I never realized Gods mercy was as readily and abundantly available to me as the honey was available to all under the honeycomb.
Through the honeycomb vision I also understood that my first healing was only the beginning of my experiencing Gods mercy if I would only choose to believe and to receive it. In the vision, some people rejoiced, freely received, and freely gave away. The more they gave away, the more they received. There is plenty for everyone, The Lord said. Don’t ever beg me for healing again.
But others, full of unbelief and skepticism, could not receive the grace, blessings, and gifts of God. They could not see that Gods mercy and healing are greater than their understanding of how he works. The problem isn’t on my end, the Lord said. It’s down there. It is we not God who place limitations and unbelief on Gods compassion and mercy. We are invited to cooperate with his Spirit by entering into a diving partnership, a partnership in which he brings direction and provides
for healing.
E. Know Who You Are - Then You Know What To Do!
When we begin to be sensitive to the needs of others and to minister to them in this way, the ruins of the Body of Christ will begin to be rebuilt and repaired and a body which has been desolate for many generations will be restored. This type of ministry takes a real laying down of your life, your desires, and what is convenient for you to help and minister to someone else.
F. I would like to leave you with this thought it is a quote from my wife’s book Compassion:
Act Justly and Love Mercy: Micah 6:8
In the book The Justice God Is Seeking, the author and our friend David Ruis writes, "Steeped in humility, we are called to act justly and to love mercy. Don't miss this! Justice is an action, to be done in and through the power of Christian community, but mercy is to be loved. It is not an action; it is a passion:"
True compassion and mercy stem from a passion for the Father's heart. Do you love mercy? When we learn to truly love mercy and compassion, out of our passion for God's heart, we will be motivated to act justly. Justice and righteousness form the foundation of the Father's throne. The psalmist writes, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne: mercy and loving-kindness and truth go before your face” Ps 89:14
James W. and Michal Ann Goll
Don’t you want to make history before the throne of the Almighty? Then join me and countless numbers of others from around the world as watchmen on the walls for such a time as this!
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