The Soul Anchor [Hebrews 6:19] - May 1, 2024
In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus speaks the words that we are familiar with as the Great Commission. “Then Jesus came to them and said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
It sounds pretty straight forward but in a recent survey Lifeway Research reports that here in the United States only three in ten unchurched Americans (29%) say a Christian has ever shared with them one-on-one how a person becomes a Christian. Only slightly more say a Christian has told them about the benefits of participating in a local church (33%) or the benefits of becoming a Christian (35%). For four in ten unchurched Americans (40%), they’ve never had a Christian explain any of those things to them. It doesn’t sound like we are teaching them to obey everything Jesus told us. Why is that? There could be many reasons but I think if we look at the life of Jesus there is one thing that motivated Him that we could use a lot more of and that is compassion. Let’s look at the verses below:
Mark 6:34 (NIV) “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” and
Matthew 14:14 (NIV) “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
Compassion led Jesus to tell people the truth. Compassion lead Jesus to heal people. Compassion led Jesus to feed people.
Does compassion lead us to the truth to a generation that doesn’t want to hear the truth? We must understand that eternity is a long time and that eternity separated from the loving God who created the world and us is hell. Jesus spoke of hell this way,
"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.” Mark 9:43 (NIV)
Do you want anyone to experience the fire that never goes out? Do you have any compassion for them. If you do you have the heart of God whose word says,
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
Without a great compassion the great commission is just something on my “to do” list, a concept or a good idea. With the compassion of Jesus it becomes the driving force of our lives.
God bless,
Pastor Frank
Comments