Believer part 5

The last few weeks, we have been talking about some of the most basic, and most important, traits of a believer.

Christ’s single-mindedness and His submission to God’s will; Joseph and his dedication to God’s will and his dedication to the things that God put in his life; the lifestyle of faith that Job led.

If we are to truly become that person who walks with Christ, there are areas that we must either add to or change in our lives.

Tonight as we continue to dig down into this believer idea, we are going to be talking about the heart of the believer and how the believer is concerned about the people around him.

Read John 11:1-44

Throughout the New Testament, we find Jesus’ compassion and love for people.

Here, we see that Jesus was genuinely concerned for Lazarus, he wept.

And for most of us, we might think that a little bit odd.

I mean, why was Jesus sad?

He knew that He had the power to raise him from the dead.

Jesus was not only concerned about Lazarus, He was concerned about the pain of His friends and their lack of faith in Him.

Look at Mary’s comment in verse 32, she failed to see Him as Lord over death.

But Jesus was troubled by their pain.

How many of you are troubled by other people’s pain?

As a believer in Christ, we should be concerned about the things that other people are going through and have a heart of compassion.

We have got to have compassion for people if we are ever to see them come to Christ.

Look at the life of Christ.

Christ had a heart for people; that’s why they flocked to Him.

We need to have that same compassion.

Nobody wants to be around someone who they think is uncompassionate.

I know this Pastor who sometimes asks about my well-being.

I’ll tell him what’s going on, then he says “I’m sorry” and changes the subject.

He puts an outward appearance of caring for me, but in reality, he doesn’t care for me at all.

Someone with true compassion not only cares to ask, but finds ways to help and pray with and for people.

There is a man in our church named Tim.

He is one of the best examples that I know of on compassion.

When you talk to Tim, he is genuinely concerned about you.

We went to lunch together at one of the local resturants.

As we walked in, all the employees said "hi" to him and were so friendly.

Tim talked to each of them and was truly compassionate toward each of them.

Tim also invited one of the guys to church on Sunday.

And this is not a rare action for Tim.

Tim lives like this everyday.

Tim is not a guy who is afraid to pray for you or talk to you.

That’s the way we need to be.

If we truly want to be a follower of Christ, we have to have a heart like Christ as well.

Tips for Being a Compassionate Believer
1. Ask God to give you a heart of compassion.
2. Look for opportunities that come your way.
3. Realize that you can’t solve everyone’s problems, but Christ can.
4. Listen to not only what people are saying, but how they are saying it.
5. Follow up with that person.
6. Include them in your prayer list.

Who do you need to show kindness and compassion to in your life?