Without Compassion, Vision Dies

 

My family, and many others from Redeemer, just returned from the Holy Spirit conference at Green Lake, Wisconsin. This conference is a lot of work for Michael and I, and so many others who contribute to make it happen, that many years I feel too worn out or task oriented to show up to this conference with much level of expectation. God always does incredible things as we gather here year after year and, if nothing else, our times of worship are so sweet. People come hungry, ready, hearts engaged to have Jesus seen and heard. It's the easiest "arena" so to speak to lead worship in.

This week...was a new ballgame for me. In all of my busy-ness, God met me. In all of my organizing and leading, God provided so many moments of stillness to hear Him. He brought clarity and direction for me. He put words in my heart, understanding for His current transformation happening within me. He worked on the foundation and building of my faith and my purpose - personally, within my family, within ministry, within my community. I feel set straight. Clearer. I am not interested in a conference emotional high when I attend these kinds of things. That is so fleeting. But to steal away, break away from the routine with the intention of meeting with and encountering God is a part of our relationship with Jesus that is so important, I think. That can look like a conference or maybe an individual prayer/worship retreat. Jesus stole away to meet with God, the Father. He broke out of the demands, needs of others, opinions and brain storming. He broke out of the work of ministry to be reoriented and ministered to by the presence of God. Despite the work leading up to this week in Green Lake, I feel refreshed, solid, quiet, grateful, ready to listen, ready to go...reset. 

Here is one thing spoken (out of many) that is really sticking with me, haunting my thinking. Chris Overstreet (Compassion To Action) was one of the main speakers, someone I have great respect for. I am drawn to people who simply want what God wants and obey what God says. Chris was sharing one session out of Matthew 9:35-37...

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. WHEN HE SAW THE CROWDS, HE HAD COMPASSION FOR THEM, BECAUSE THEY WERE SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD. Then he said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 

After reading this passage, Chris said, "without compassion, vision dies." This line hasn't left me. I feel plagued by it. I feel followed and harassed by it...in a good way. I'm thinking about those crowds that Jesus inserted Himself into. I bet they had beliefs about God that didn't line up fully with truth. I bet they had been misled, mistreated by spiritual leaders. I bet they had wrong theology as they had the living Christ standing among them. I mean, they eventually crucified Him. That's quite a misunderstanding of who Jesus is. But Jesus did not shrink back from them because He disagreed with their theology. He didn't stay back safe in His synagogue pew thinking about how wrong they were and celebrating how right He was. He went. But the thing that drove Him was not the need to teach. It was not the need to be right or make them right. It was not religious political gain.

It was compassion. 

Compassion. "sympathetic, pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others"

He saw their condition not as something to war against, but as suffering. Jesus' led His ministry with a broken heart. Compassion is what drove Him...with His disciples, the Pharisees, the outcast, the wealthy, the demon-possessed, the religious...all of them. He met them with compassion. All of His strong words, gentle words, miracles, teachings...compassion. I've read this story many times. Many times. But in this time, in this moment, the Holy Spirit shifted something in me. I'm looking at my kids differently. I'm looking at my parenting differently. I'm looking at those I know who have walked away from God differently. I'm looking at those who don't know Him differently. I'm looking at our culture different. Sheep without a Shepherd. 

Without compassion, vision dies. Without compassion, we've lost Jesus' way.  Without compassion, there is left only criticism and judgment. Compassion goes out, immerses itself among the sheep. Criticism sits back while all those around them are flailing and suffering without the Sheperd. This is why the harvest is ripe but the laborers are few - the church is too busy criticizing, marinating in their own comfort in the name of truth, judging culture out of fear of being tainted by culture. This is easier than being on the front line. For me, this has been driven by fear or a hidden belief that to be a laborer in the harvest is for the outgoing folks. Nope. Wrong. 

So, I'm praying. I'm watching. I'm asking for a great shift of compassion to happen in my heart. I'm asking God to give me bold compassion, to be able to discern better what is driving me - my own need to drive truth or Jesus' compassion for sheep without a Shepherd. I'm asking God to break my heart for what breaks His and to lay all other things aside. 

Just one of several things that happened this past week.