Compassion

A recent study has found that religious people, in general, have less compassion than others who are not religious.  NPR article  This is odd, since it has already been shown that religious people tend to give more to charity than the non-religious. Study by Stanford

What does this mean?  First of all, that the religious give more out of duty rather than compassion.  It would be interesting to try to get the numbers that religious and secular people give to charities to the poor or give to political causes or one's own religious community.  It also means that duty is a more effective means of motivating giving rather than compassion.

For Christians, however, why should this be?  There is something terribly wrong with this.  Some Christians say, "The important thing is that we are giving, not the motivation for giving."  At least when I first posted the original study and concluded something was wrong, that was the response I got.  Obedience to the command of giving is what is important, not the motivation behind it.

I strongly disagree.  For a number of reasons.

First of all, to give out of duty means that giving is significant, not where we give.  Most Christians feel that it is sufficient to give to their church and their church primarily gives that money to staff salaries and property maintenance and growth.  Because there is little concern about compassion, little of the money actually goes where Jesus says it goes.  He never said, "Sell your possessions and give to the church."  The apostles didn't take the sacrifice of the people and give themselves good salaries, nor did they build any buildings.  Rather, they used the far majority of their funds creating programs for the poor.  (Acts 4-5)  The poor is where the majority of Christian funds should be given.  There is nothing wrong with salaries ("The worker is worth his hire") or buildings necessarily, but if the staff and buildings aren't used for the benefit of the poor, then we are disobeying Jesus command.  Thus, neglecting our true duty.

Secondly, we are supposed to have the character of God.  This isn't taught much in Christian churches, (sadly), but there is a strong theme in the NT about having the character of God. "Be imitators of God and walk in love" (Eph 5:1) "Love your enemies so you may be sons of your Father in heaven for he is kind to the ungrateful." (Matthew 5:42-43)

And most Christians do know that we are supposed to imitate Jesus.  And one of the main characteristics of Jesus is compassion for those in need.  "He had compassion on them." (Just in Matthew: 9:36; 14:14;  15:32; 20:34).  Jesus spent all of his time teaching and meeting people's needs.  He really had no other ministry.

If the church of Jesus has rejected compassion as their main motivation, but duty, they are no longer sons of God, who is "gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in merciful faithfulness."  Instead, we are slaves.  The slave does the duty of the Master because they must.  It is the son of the Master that sees his duty as being like the Master.

We all have a certain amount of empathy.  Without it, we cannot learn, we cannot live in societies or communities.  And we have the ability to exercise our compassion.  If we refuse to grow our compassion, we refuse to become like God, thus we are refusing to be children of God.   Yes, we can give out of duty, but then we remain slaves.

God deliver us from our limited moral vision.

Asking for Money

If you were called to be a missionary today, would you ask for money? -Jake Ray on Facebook

My wife and I have been "missionaries" among the homeless for 15 years now, with my wife working one day a week on minimum wage. But we NEVER asked anyone for money. The Lord is our employer and so He pays our wages. We do not ask the government or the church to pay that which is His responsibility. When we get donations, it is because the Lord stirs people's hearts through the Spirit and He provides abundantly.

The church has a huge number of resources, both financially and otherwise. And I don't believe the NT teaches tithing, and even if tithing were great (50% or more) I think that most churches don't have their priorities correct. Jesus commands us to give to those in need, especially those doing His work (Luke 12:33; Matt 10:10; Galatians 6:6-10). But the churches seem to think that their main responsibility is a huge salary for their pastor and a huge building. God's people need to re-prioritize toward those in need, without judging, without hoops.

12 Values

I also received yesterday from the same person 12 values to live by. I had already made my own, but I revised it:

Freedom: To grant everyone the God-given freedom they have to make their own choices, even if poor

Tolerance: Accepting that others believe differently than I, while still standing firm in Jesus.

Responsibility: Whatever results from our actions, we resolve to deal with the negative ones

Community: In whatever community we live in, we resolve to live by those principles, even if uncomfortable

Faithfulness: To keep our word and our loyalties in relationship

Do No Harm: To never, under any circumstances, damage another unless for their benefit by their will

Golden Rule: Treat others with the same amount of respect, love, care, compassion, and consideration that we would be treated

Compassion: Putting myself in the other person’s need, and trying to meet it

Generosity: Never keeping anything for myself that someone else needs more

Self-Sacrifice: Meeting other’s needs even if it means to not meet my own

Courage: Standing up for Jesus and His gospel in all situations, especially with other believers

Hope: Trusting in my actions that Jesus is returning to rule the world

Parable of the Model Christian

Andy Wade wrote on the Anawim:Radicals for Jesus cause on Facebook:

In the parable of the man who fell among theives Jesus redefined for us who our neighbors are - anyone we encounter who is in need. I'm challenged when I think about how I pamper myself; my needs, my wants. But what about the least of these? Oh, how I love myself while tossing leftovers to those in need.

I used to laugh, then cringe, when I heard stories of people sending used tea bags to missionaries. Now I'm caught wondering, "What are the used tea bags I'm offering the poor and homeless, my neighbors?" It's not about solving problems for people in need, it's about understanding that our humanity, our lives, are wrapped up with each other.

As I feast on Starbucks coffee and fresh scones, what shall I offer the one who gave me the bread of life and springs of living water? Used tea bags and a little stale bread? To cheapen my offering is to forsake the one who died for me. To offer my leftovers to those in need only produces spiritual malnutrition.

What do you think?

Once there was a wonderful Christian who loved his family, prayed daily and read the Bible frequently. He was wise and frugel and didn't waste money unnecessarily, taking care to save it up for a rainy day. Nevertheless, he didn't neglect his responsibility for the poor and needy. He would give out the socks that he couldn't wear anymore to the people on the street. He would give out the clothes that were so out of fashion that they were laughable to the Salvation Army. He would give watery broth and stale bread to the local soup kitchen. And he knew he was in favor with God, for he had done what Jesus wanted him to.

Then he died and he truly did enter Jesus' kingdom, for he was truly a good man at heart and loved Jesus. Jesus welcomed him with a hug and said, "Well, let's get down to it! I'll show you where you're going to live." And Jesus brought him to a cardboard shack. The man looked disapointed, so Jesus said, "Come in, I've got a feast waiting for you!" On the broken table inside the shack was a bowl of watery broth and stale bread. "And I have some clothes for you!" Jesus showed him his bed of newspaper and on it were the unfashionable clothes he had discarded to the poor.

In whatever we give to the poor, that is what we give to Jesus.

Whatever we give to Jesus, that is what we will live with for eternity.

"Sell your possessions and give to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven."