Meeting Report Dec 17, 2006:

We were blessed to have Sis Wattleton from Atlanta, Georgia and the saints (Sis Kate and Sis Jeri) from Washington Court House with us in discipleship class. They are always an encouragement to us. We appreciate their prayers and their support for this outreach effort.  

Bro. Joe spoke about the compassion of Christ.  He used I Peter 3:8 as his text – “having compassion one of another.”  He explained that compassion is just pity towards another and a desire to help them. 

Jesus Christ demonstrated that compassion every time He stooped to mend a broken heart or heal the sick.  Over and over again, the scriptures give examples of His compassionate dealings with mankind.  Since we know that Jesus came to “show us the father” – or what God is like – we can rest assured that He is compassionate as well, both to the sinner and Christian. 

To the sinner, God pities his state and longs to reach down and deliver him.  To the Christian, He is there to tenderly extend “grace to help in the time of need.” (Heb 4)

But we must be persistent, like the woman who pressed through the crowd and touched Jesus’ garment to obtain healing, until we receive the help from God that we need.   

After receiving a touch from God ourselves, let us follow Christ’s example and be a channel for His love and compassion to flow through us to other needy people.  The seed of God cannot be planted where the love of God hasn’t first tilled the ground.  Compassion and spreading the Gospel go hand in hand.  People are more apt to listen to what we say when we demonstrate that we are concerned about them as people.  Christ mingled with sinners and got to know them.  He really cared.  We must show that same care to others if we expect to influence them with the Gospel.