How Do We Grow In Compassion?
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, ESV)
Mini Devotional
A mini message to take with you this week to help you in your devotion to God.
HOW DO WE GROW IN COMPASSION?
Devotional by: Kurt Montooth
As Jesus began his ministry He was bombarded by starvation, disease, oppression, poverty, and hopelessness. Jesus had just begun preaching repentance and that God’s kingdom was coming. This was important because his people Israel had fallen into sin, had sold themselves into slavery to sin. Making matters worse, their leaders (whether the scribes, Pharisees or Sadducees) didn’t have the necessary compassion to try and help the people. The Pharisees were too hypocritical and judgmental, and the Sadducees oppressed them for the sake of their own power. We read in Matthew 9:35-38 how this situation filled the Christ with pain and compassion:
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (ESV)
Jesus, the image of the invisible God, was full of compassion. The Jewish leaders? They had complacency at best and contempt at worst. I preached on this text at Holly Hill 7/3/22 (you can listen to that sermon here: https://youtu.be/14aSE8sHJlw) because I am confident the church today is living in the same kind of moment. We can choose between compassion, complacency, or contempt. The fields are ripe for harvest and our communities are full of people both seeking God and trapped in suffering. How will we respond as Christians? Jesus is quite clear: His disciples must become shepherds guiding and caring for the lost sheep. There is a lot to unpack here, but today is focused on growing in compassion. If we can let the Spirit fill us with compassion, and let that compassion motivate us, the work will follow. With compassion we can change the course of eternity.
Four Ways to Grow in Compassion:
#1 Courage
Courage is often defined as the ability to do something we are afraid of doing. Compassion takes courage because we can struggle to admit we lack compassion, and disguise our lack to make ourselves feel better. Even more courage is required to cast aside our selfish nature and embrace the selfless compassion of Christ. We must ask God to transform us by his Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-21) into more compassionate people, and courageously submit to His transforming power. This is guaranteed to push us outside our comfort zones and be extremely difficult. In Matthew 10, Jesus followed his sheep-saving commission with a warning of persecution. The life of the apostle Paul is another incredible example of this. He gave up comfort, authority, and safety in exchange for hardship and suffering. Read 2 Corinthians 11 and the book of Acts. Paul suffered because he was a shepherd caring for the lost sheep. If you want compassion, you need the courage to do what is difficult for the cause of Christ. Sacrificing comfort for compassion is what Jesus meant when He said, “take up your cross and follow me” (see Matthew 16:24-25).
Being a shepherd is no small undertaking: It take courage to grow in compassion because, “sheep without a shepherd,” typically get themselves into trouble and find themselves in rough shape. They are dirty, malnourished, dehydrated, and often injured. Being a shepherd is dangerous, hard work, and a full-time job. Working with lost sheep is extremely inconvenient. It takes courage to dedicate your life to finding lost sheep, it requires great sacrifice.
#2 Curiosity
How can curiosity help us grow in compassion? Curious means eager to know or learn. We must be curious about the “sheep without a shepherd.” Curiosity also means we believe something is worth knowing. Too often, we’re not curious because we’ve decided someone else’s situation is beneath our interest, or that we already know all we need to know about “those people.” When we interact with people who are poor, downtrodden, and lost, we should be curious about who they are and where they’ve been in life. What is it like to walk in their shoes? What are their feelings? How do they experience their reality? Jesus KNEW what the people experienced not only because He was the Son of God, but because He lived among them. He discussed their problems with them, He healed their sicknesses and cast out their demons. He knew people’s plight because He knew people. Christians could take a curious stance and ask, “What’s that like for you?” Then, actively listen without judgment and try to understand the other person’s lived experiences. Our empathy and compassion would overflow! This doesn’t mean we bend the Gospel because the lost have painful emotions, but it does mean we honor the painful experience of being a lost sheep. Only when we make people feel heard can we actually lead them to the healing Christ offers.
#3 Collaboration
Collaboration is a fancy word for working together. What does ‘working together’ have to do with compassion? Well, a few things make collaboration especially important to growing in compassion. First, we need to collaborate with the lost. The next step, after courage and curiosity, is to work collaboratively with the lost on solving their problems. Unfortunately, when interacting with lost sheep Christians often take an expert position and talk at people, giving orders rather than engaging in conversation. Not only is this ineffective, it breeds a powerful false sense of superiority. We start to forget that we’re sinners saved by grace working under the great Shepherd. We start to believe the lie that we’re superior because we know The Way. Then, we start placing the blame on lost sheep for being lost, while forgetting that we were once lost as well and we didn’t save ourselves! This attitude quenches our compassion and breeds an arrogance that turns people away from the Gospel. We need to learn to work collaboratively with the lost sheep, because we ourselves are just beggars pointing other beggars towards the Bread of Life.
Our internal collaboration as a church family is vital as well. It is God’s design that we work together as a congregation to reach the lost (1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4). Two of the most important benefits to this divine arrangement are that it makes the work effective, and it further enhances our growth together as disciples towards the image of Christ. Collaborating on gospel projects for the lost sheep, God will use our work to transform us to be like Christ. Jesus had compassion because he mingled and worked among the crowds. If Christians will do this together, we will be known for our compassion and love (see John 13:35).
#4 Commitment
Finally, if we want to grow in compassion, we must be committed. Committed in what ways? First, we must be committed to reaching lost sheep. Similar to courage above, the reality is that it’s difficult to shepherd lost sheep. You must let your commitment push you to work with lost sheep when you feel discouraged and the job gets difficult. Also, we must be committed to loving God by following Jesus in the power of the Spirit. What we are undertaking at Holly Hill is no small task. There will be peaks of excitement, but also deep valleys of discouragement. If we are committed to God, He will sustain us by the power of the Spirit and keep us going when the work makes us want to quit. Jesus said in John 15 that He is the vine – the trunk of a grape vine that feeds the plant – while we are the branches where fruit grows. If we stay connected to Him, we will have all the resources and nourishment we need to bear fruit. Bearing fruit is simply a different analogy that means in practice the same thing as becoming a shepherd for lost sheep. If we want to grow in compassion, we must grow in our commitment to loving God by following Jesus in the power of the Spirit. This commitment will strength our spiritual health and provide the nourishment we need to bear the fruit of compassion.
Compassion is a key attribute of Jesus. If our goal as disciples is to be better transformed into Jesus, then we must develop compassionate hearts. I hope you will join me this week and practice courage, curiosity, collaboration, and commitment. If we will be faithful to submit to Him, to let Him transform our hearts and mind, God by His Spirit will accomplish the rest.
News
This section is for any special announcements that are not upcoming events or prayer requests.
VBS After-Action Meeting Is This Sunday (4pm)
If you were involved in VBS, please plan on attending the VBS after-action meeting at 4pm this Sunday. Come prepared with 3 lists: What did you think went well? What didn’t go well? What do we need to change for next year?Thank You card From Alyssa and Forrest Hickey
"Dear Holly Hill Family,
Thank you so much for the Walmart gift cards! We are very appreciative and plan to use these funds toward diapers, wipes, and other essentials needed to take care of Harper. We are so thankful for the love and support this church family continues to shower us with, even though we are far away. There is something very special about the Holly Hill church family and it is always a joy to visit with everyone when we’re in town. It may be a while before we make the trip up North, but when we do we will be sure to visit so that you guys can meet Harper! Thank you all again so very much!
Love,
Alyssa and Forrest”
Prayers
Here are some individuals that especially need our prayers this week. Please keep them in mind every time you pray.
Family of Leon Best
Trent family (Dorothy’s brother passed away)
Alyssa Deaton
John Woodason
Charlie Caldwell (Sister passed away)
Upcoming Events
Here are some events that are coming up that you need to make space on your calendar for.
This Sunday, July 10th at 4pm — VBS After-Action Meeting
Come prepared with a list of what went well at VBS, what didn't go so well, and how we can improve for next year.
This Sunday, July 10th at 6pm — Singing Night
We will meet downstairs in the fellowship area to sing together in worship to God, and to encourage each other. The chairs will be arranged in a circle to intentionally draw attention to the fact that we are a family and are singing to build each other up. For many, these singing events are very moving and powerful. We want you to be there!
Monday. July 18th at 6pm — R.E.A.L. Ladies Devo And Fellowship
PLEASE SIIGN-UP IN THE LOBBY — Val Clarke is organizing a new ladies group. The first devo and fellowship will be at her house. R.E.A.L. stands for: Relationships, Encouragement, Accountability, and Laughter. Please note that the main focus of these meetings is to be warm and inviting so visitors will feel at home. Make sure to sign-up so Val knows how many people to prepare for.
Friday, September 30th at 6:30pm — Trivia Night
Robert Roach is hosting a trivia night at the church building to provide more opportunities for fellowship and community. Please make it a priority to be there if you can.
Saturday, October 8th — Hay Ride & Fall Festival
Games, activities, food, 4pm to 6pm. Hay ride at 6pm. The event will be held at the Bowman residence.
How You Can Serve
There are a lot of ways you can get involved and do the work of God in our community!
For more information or for help signing up for any of these ministries, please call the church office at: (502) 227-7796.
Limited-Time Opportunities:
Food Pantry Donations (Mini Pack the Pulpit events)
To better meet community needs and not overly burden the congregation, the elders have approved a change for the pantry: Mini Pack the Pulpit events — Each with a particular focus:July 24th — Collection for Holiday Boxes
Ramen Noodles
Macaroni & Cheese
Stuffing Mix
Instant Potatoes
Gravy packs
Taco seasoning
Taco shells
Spaghetti Sauce
Spaghetti pasta
Canned Meat (tuna & chicken)
Cans of corn
Cans of green beans
Cans of peas
Cans of carrots
Cream of mushroom soup
Cream of chicken soup
Cranberry sauce
Dessert mixes (brownies & cake with icing)
Minute rice
Peanut butter
Jelly
Pancake mix just add water
Syrup
Bisquick
Pudding Mix
Jello mix
Cereal
Crackers
Cans of fruit
Koolaid
If you make a monetary donation please put holiday food in the memo. If you have any questions please ask Tom, Sonia or Robin Mayes.
Aug. 28th — Collection for Backpack Program
Teachers Needed (Message From Matthew Woodyard, Deacon of Education):
It's been awesome to see more and more people return to in-person worship each and every week. Covid 19 robbed us of so much and I couldn't be happier to be on the other side of the tunnel. As more people have returned to in-person worship, so have their children. We've not had a full roster of teachers since the pandemic began. For a long time, this wasn't a big deal because we didn't have a lot of students. Thankfully we are seeing more and more students each week, but we still don't have enough teachers to be fully staffed. We desperately need volunteers to teach our Sunday and Wednesday Bible Classes. Our students need to be in the appropriate classes, where they receive age-appropriate instruction. We owe it to our kids to make sure they have everything they need and right now they need volunteers to teach their classes. The following classes need teachers for this current quarter: K-1st grade (Sunday & Wednesday), 2nd-3rd grade (Wednesday), and 4th-5th grade (Wednesday). If you'd be willing to help out, please get in touch with me. We've got a great group of kids and they deserve the best!
Long-Term Opportunities:
Greeter Ministry — We’re looking for people who are friendly and outgoing to welcome our guests and members each Sunday morning. If you are interested, contact Tom Owens.
Card Ministry — Every Sunday there are cards spread out on a table in the lobby that will be sent out to various church members and guests who need encouragement. You can help serve and encourage by making sure to sign these cards each week.
Casey Blessing Box — The Caseys are collecting items to give away to those in need in their Blessing Box. Currently, they are accepting donations of: Can goods of fruit and vegetables. Crackers, or cereal.
Shriners Children’s Hospital — Donna White is collecting soda can tabs to donate to the children’s hospital. Please leave your donations in the lobby.
Holly Hill Church of Christ
1020 Holly Hill Drive
Frankfort, KY 40601
Web: www.hollyhillcoc.org
Phone: (502) 227-7796
Email: hollyhillcoc@gmail.com
Service Times:
Sunday Bible Class: 10am
Sunday Morning Worship, 11am
Sunday Evening Worship, 6pm
Wednesday Evening Bible class: 6:30pm