Compassionate Foundations

Perhaps you have had the experience of really “seeing” a Bible passage for the first time. Many of us, even as church leaders, need a similar a-ha experience when it comes to Bible verses that connect the fundamental purpose of the church to the principle of service. Without this biblical foundation, our churches will lack vision for ministries of compassion in their communities.

First, we are saved for both worship of God and service to others. We are “created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). God is able to make all grace to abound “so that in all things . . . [we] will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8, Titus 2:11-14,3:8).

While we are not saved by good works, good works are a natural outpouring of God’s grace in the life of the believer. (If we’re not seeing good works, then something unnatural is going on. . . .)

Second, proclaiming the gospel and living the gospel through service go hand-in-hand. The New Testament presents the gospel as something lived out by a community of believers in both word and deed. In 1 Peter 2:12 and 3:11-13, the positive witness of the church as a “people of God” is tied to an attractive lifestyle and “good works” of moral purity, generosity and benevolence (see Galatians 6:10).

Service is the “sweet spot” where the needs and dreams of the city, the mandates and desires of God, and the calling and capacity of the church come together. (Rick Russaw and Eric Swanson, The Externally Focused Church (Loveland, CO: Group Pub. Co., 2004), p.60.)

Third, a church that is healthy will be a church that serves. Not all churches that serve are spiritually healthy; but a church cannot be spiritually healthy unless its members are equipped to use their gifts in service to others, all for the building-up of the church (Ephesians 4:7-16, Hebrews 10:24, 1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:3-8).

Indeed, our good works reflect God’s character, so that the world may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Finally, works of compassion are simply not optional for believers. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) is one of the Old Testament passages most often quoted in the New Testament. In Old Testament legislation, the requirements of justice and compassion toward those in legitimate need were seen as an obligation of both individual families and the larger community (Deuteronomy 26:1-19).

The New Testament frequently echoes these moral requirements of Old Testament law and applies them to the Church as a people redeemed by God. (See Matthew 25:31ff; 2 Peter 2:9-12; 1 Timothy 6:17,18; James 2:8,9; 1 John 3:17,23,24.) Truly, holiness is far more than a matter of personal piety, and compassion is anything but an optional act of personal charity for individual Christians.

Adapted from EFCA TouchGlobal’s “Quick Start Guide: Creating a ministry of compassion,” by Dr. Ron Hesselgrave.