Compassion the Key to Faith - David Mitts

"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it." 1Co 9:19-23

Click the link to listen to "Compassion the Key to Faith"

We have been exploring the realm of true faith. What is faith? How do we operate by faith? How can we transform in faith?

Today, I want to look at the role of compassion in the activation and transformation of our faith. Keep in mind what we have already shared, that faith is the ruling conversation in our heart determines what we allow ourselves to do. Faith defines our being. There is no such thing as people without faith, whether people want to acknowledge it or not. Even the avowed atheist who boldly asserts that he or she doesn’t believe, operates according to an inner conversation which defines what they believe in. Without faith, we would become chaos, formless and void. Inner words frame our reality and bring light to our darkness.

"The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness." Gen 1:2-4

Notice that God separates light from darkness, where chaos rules by speaking light. Light, in Hebrew is the word “Or” which comes from the root word “Ar” which means order. Light through speaking is order expressed. Another way of saying that is by the revelation of words, we bring order to the experience of life. Light shines and darkness is converted to order.

In this way, when Yeshua who was the light of the world, or the order bringer, the author of true faith, came to the world in the flesh, He exposed the chaos in men’s hearts and the chaos refused to accept it because it was shift of kingdoms, or of authority.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Joh 1:1-5

The Word was God. I know this is speaking about the person of Yeshua. BUT I want to suggest another parallel perspective, the “words” are forever God. Speaking and listening are God. The conversation that lives in our heart is God. This conversation is what we call faith. Faith isn’t just what we “believe”. No! Faith is what we live, the conversation of our heart. In this way, the conversation is Lord of our lives.

When the conversation of our heart aligns with the Word, then it is life to us. When the conversation of our heart aligns with Satan, then it is death to us. This is called sin and is the conversation of chaos or darkness. It is the conversation that seeks to make us like God, thinking we “know” good and evil, that we can judge and protect ourselves through control. It is a lie and it is death.

Chaos is the reality of sickness, loss, and destruction.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Joh 10:10

This is the realm of unbelief, rejecting the simplicity and power of God’s love sonnet, His words that produce life. Unbelief is also a conversation of the heart, but it is rooted in lies, false foundation stones that produce an unstable life.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall." Mat 7:24-27

Notice the condition is hearing and acting, what the bible calls “sh’ma”. Everything begins with a conversation. The prime mover is God who speaks light, order, firm foundations centered in love. This is called faith.

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love." Gal 5:6

Faith, the conversation of our heart, “works”, is effective, when it is based in love. Love is about surrender of our self-protection into the trusting arms of our beloved, who is God. It is important to realize that we always surrender our self-protection to a god. That is innate and by design. There is always a conversation, a program, an operating system running our lives. It must or we would die in the chaos, the abyss of formlessness, the void, what the bible calls tohu, b’vohu. These words imply a condition of chaos that is a waste or devastation from some great cataclysm. Some teach that this was the result of the great satanic war of rebellion against God. I don’t know but I do know it is a place of insanity and disruption of all of life and the source of lies that ruin us. It is the true opposite of love, beyond hatred, beyond coldness, even beyond unforgiveness, which may be its true doorway through bitterness.

"See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;" Heb 12:15

Today, I want to look at how to shift the conversation of our heart towards truth and life to find our way in life. We know Yeshua is that doorway and we need to learn from Him as our master.

The key is to be effective, to have a working, life-producing conversation in our heart. How do we best do that? I want to suggest that the first master key is compassion:

"Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd." Mat 9:35-36

The word translated compassion comes from the Greek root: G4698

σπλάγχνον

splagchnon

Thayer Definition:

1) bowels, intestines, (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.)

1a) bowels

1b) the bowels were regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, especially kindness, benevolence, compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.)

1c) a heart in which mercy resides

Part of Speech: noun neuter

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: probably strengthened from spleen (the “spleen”)

The spleen, in Chinese Medicine, is the seat of the emotion of sympathy, which means literally to feel as another feels. Compassion is at its root experiential level, the ability to enter into the feelings of another.

Because Yeshua is both the author and the completer of our inner conversation, then He has access to the conversation and can alter it to one that brings life, what we call healing.

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:2

The phrase, the “author” and “perfector” or “completor” or “finisher” gives the image of the source of the new conversation and the force to bring it to pass. The cross is the point of the outcome of chaos, destruction, annihilation. Yeshua endured that place for the joy! What is the joy? For Yeshua, joy is the fulfillment of Abba’s design!

"At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight." Luk 10:21

This is the place where compassion reaches its intended outcome. (Share dream)

Activation: Compassion Exercise

""In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Mat 7:12

""For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?" Mat 7:2-4

""For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." Joh 3:17

Compassion is developed by inner healing. Whatever judgments we have is a region of chaos. Salvation is the opposite of judgment. The reason Yeshua never judged is because He needed compassion for faith. Salvation is by faith. It is the transformation of the conversation in our hearts that is free from the judgments of sin. So, we want to walk as He walked with Him. To activate compassion, we have to face our own inner critical voice and release ourselves from its bondages.

The exercise:

· Take a moment, close your eyes or look at a patch on the ground in front of you.

· If practicing while calm, bring a situation to mind that is causing you distress. Choose something upsetting but not overwhelming.

· Notice the feelings arising in your body. Stay with them for a moment.

· Say to yourself: “This is a moment of suffering” (or something similar such as “this is stress” or “this hurts”).

· Say to yourself: “Suffering is a part of life” (or “other people feel like this”, “I am not alone, “everyone struggles at some point”).

· Say to yourself: “May I be kind to myself” (“may I give myself the compassion that I need” or “may I learn to accept myself as I am”).

You can only walk as Yeshua walked when you are free from self-judgments which are the true roots of all judgments.