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Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, "But the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace forbearance kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law." Today we're exploring the power twins of kindness and goodness—two spiritual fruits that work together so perfectly that they're inseparable.
Think of things that naturally go together: peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, rice and stew. They enhance each other. The same is true of kindness and goodness.
If kindness is the outward expression, then goodness is the internal network that produces that kindness. You cannot have one without the other. If you're working in kindness but have no goodness backing it, eventually someone will pluck your nerves and you'll have nothing left to give.
Early Greek translators used two words to represent these gifts: chrestos (kindness) and Agathon (goodness). Both describe what is good, beautiful, right-functioning, and just. Kindness and goodness are directly linked to God's love. You cannot say that you love people or love God without kindness and goodness propelling what you claim about the fruit of love. They are the practical expressions of God's love to us.
Both of them lay a foundation for all the other spiritual gifts—faithfulness, self-control, longsuffering. If you can't hold your peace when people come at you, perhaps check whether your meter of goodness is stocked up.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Paul writes about love: "Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always persevere."
Notice: love is kind. This means kindness is love. If love is patient, kindness is patience. If love does not envy, kindness does not envy. Technically, kindness can be substituted for love. In Scripture, we even see "loving kindness" as a compound word to demonstrate the character and action of God.
Psalm 100:5 says, "For the Lord is good. His mercy and loving kindness is everlasting. His faithfulness and truth endures to all generations."
Jeremiah 9:24 declares, "But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercises loving kindness, judgment, righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, says the Lord."
The Greek word for kindness points to active goodness. Kindness is a property and quality of how you treat other people. This spiritual fruit is about your relationship to others.
In Matthew 11:30, Jesus describes His yoke as easy and His burden as light. A yoke was placed on the necks of oxen—they had to be yoked together to pull something. That's how it is in the body of Christ. You cannot go too far from somebody else. You're yoked together, linked together. Jesus is saying that the kindness of God is easy to bear. It wasn't meant to be difficult. It was meant for you to develop discipline—to live obediently, submissively, with service and cooperation.
Ephesians 4:32 puts it plainly: "Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted. Forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."
Kindness is your disposition to do good. It is generous, gentle, and gracious.
I love fragrances. They create a feeling, a mindset, a perspective. I especially love fragrances that linger in a room long after the person who wore them has left.
Here's what redefines kindness and goodness for me: You can either be a fragrance or an odor. Fragrance attracts; odor repels. Fragrant people are happy wherever they go. If you have an odor, people are happy when you leave.
So ask yourself: Are you fragrant, or do you produce an odor?
2 Corinthians 2:15 says, "For we are the aroma of Christ to God amongst those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."
Imagine this: when you wake up in the morning, you have the perfume of Christ on you. You can choose to spread the perfume of kindness on yourself every single morning, or you can choose to have the odor of the dust bin, the trash put upon you. It is a choice we make every day. Do I want to attract people or repel them?
Many of us are aware of how spiritual we are. We're aware of the good things we do and our excellence. But we're not aware if we're smelling good to people. And then we wonder why people aren't attracted to us. Could it be they forgot to take the trash out?
Goodness—Agathon—is a property of who you are. It is the embodiment of the nature of God. When we say God is good, His goodness is all-encompassing. It includes His morality. You can't say God is good without recognizing that God is holy. It's inclusive of His faithfulness. My circumstances don't change His disposition; rather, I must change my disposition to connect with who He is.
God is truth. In various translations, goodness points to God's virtue, His benevolence, His love of accountability and obedience, and His righteous living.
Exodus 34:6 declares, "And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness." He is abundant. He is replete in His goodness and truth.
Psalm 145:9 says, "The Lord is good to all and his mercies are over all his works."
Whether you are living for God or not living for God, He is just good. He makes the rain fall on the obedient, the righteous, and the unrighteous. He provides the benefit of His goodness to all. That's why we can enjoy good air, the sun shining—because God is good. The fact that you are sitting here, alive and in your right mind, is a testament to His goodness. There are some who did not wake up this morning, but you did. You drove here. God is good, and we can take it to the bank and cash it every single time.
Goodness is attributed to who you are. If God is good, what do you think we should be? We should be good as Christ followers, as imitators of Christ. If we say we follow Him, then who He is should be who we are.
Kindness is attributed to your conduct—how you act once you have been filled with the goodness of God. What comes out of that goodness should be kindness to other people.
Anything with the fruit of the Spirit is going to take a next level of surrender. We have to surrender our preferences, our will. Even if other people aren't being kind to us, it doesn't exempt us from being kind or good.
John 15:5 says, "I am the vine. You are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit."
Don't you want to have much fruit of kindness? Don't you want to be the kind of person where someone is popping off like Chick-fil-A saying, "My pleasure," and people think you're crazy? What they don't realize is that you have a good storehouse of goodness on the inside of you. That's what comes out of you—kindness.
Someone curses you out? I don't have to repay evil for evil. I'm going to pray for you. In the name of Jesus, I silence every demonic influence over your life. Instead of responding in like manner, you respond with "I love you." Because on the inside of you is the goodness of God, and you cannot help but be kind.
Colossians 3:12 says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
The way you interpret the goodness, kindness, and compassion of God is to put it on as if you were putting on a jacket. Some of us walk out the house without our jacket of compassion, and the first person we meet—especially if we haven't had our coffee—we're not kind. Some of us are coffee addicts, and it's because we walked out the house without our clothing of compassion.
The King James Version puts it this way: "Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness and longsuffering." In Hebrew, "bowels" refers to emotions felt in the stomach. The point is: make it such that your compassion flows from the inside out. You're filled with compassion.
Matthew 14:14-17 shows us how Jesus operated: "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd he had compassion on them. And then what did he do? He healed the sick."
I have discovered that this is how God does miracles. He is first of all moved to compassion. Could it be that what we're lacking in the church is the need to have compassion first before we seek a miracle? Could it be that miracles aren't happening because we don't have compassionate people?
What is compassion? I see you. I empathize with you. I'm not just sympathetic; I empathize with you to the degree that I take on your issue as my issue. I approach God as if it were my own and say, "God, do something for this person."
Could it be that the miracle you're looking to experience is on the heels of compassion?
In Luke 17:11-13, ten men with leprosy met Jesus and called out: "Jesus, Master, have pity on us." There is compassion in that cry.
Our world is crying out to us: "Have compassion on us." We are bruised. We are battered. We're looking for people who say they are in the image of Christ. Where are you? Can you have compassion on what I'm going through? Can you see me before you see your need? Can you carry my prayer more than you carry yours? Can you be so bothered by the fact that I don't know Jesus Christ that you will seek Jesus for me?
Our world is looking for people who can recognize the need to extend compassion. We are drained by the wrong things. We sit on social media and we debate. We watch the news and we're bothered by what's happening. While that's not something to take lightly, sometimes it leads us to compassion fatigue—where what God wants you to pay attention to, you no longer have the capacity for, because you've already spent your compassion on something that is not the Father's heart.
If we are called to be Christ followers, what He has compassion for should be what we have compassion for.
Years ago, I led an outreach ministry with a mobile shower unit. We would go into Baltimore to dignify those experiencing homelessness. My sense of smell is extremely sensitive. As soon as I enter an environment, my nose picks things up. This mobile shower unit, I knew my nostrils would be assaulted.
As soon as it was opened and our first person came onto the truck, the entire space was filled with an unpleasant odor. God has a way of putting you in positions to test how good you are and how willing you are to be kind.
I said to myself, "He is coming straight to me." And I realized that if I'm leading this space, I have to do what I tell others to do.
So I said, "Hi sir. How may I help you?" Why am I calling him sir? He deserves dignity. What he is experiencing does not demean him. It actually elevates him to a space of honor greater than myself, because God has kept him alive, has kept him thriving up until he met me. Now I'm at the intersection to reaffirm the goodness of God in his life.
Be careful how we address people we think less than. Even children. Be careful how you come into contact with people you think are less than you. Be careful how you address people.
He said, "I need some size 8 and 1/2 men shoes. It's difficult for us on the street to find that size." I said, "Give me one moment." I looked for the shoe, but couldn't find it. I made him a promise I fulfilled the next week. "Here are some additional socks. Here are some hand warmers. Here are some jackets just for you."
He took off his shoes, and I looked at the feet that Jesus came to die for. I looked at the feet of a man going through life, through a very difficult patch. Who am I not to serve a man like this simply because my status is better than his?
When you experience the goodness of God, your next reaction should be kindness. Yes. Those two are the bedrock, the foundation for all the other fruit of the Spirit. You cannot talk about patience, longsuffering, and all the others without goodness and without kindness.
Could it be that because you are struggling with your longsuffering, your goodness meter is low, and now you're struggling to show kindness to those around you?
Matthew 25:35-40 says, "For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. And I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me."
Then the righteous will answer, "Lord, when did I see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And when did I see you as a stranger and welcome you or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?"
The king will answer, "Truly I say to you, as you did to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me."
Let me reframe "the least of these" for some of us. The least of these is not just in physical possession. The least of these is the affluent boss you have who is potentially going through a divorce and needs your ability to communicate that God is a prince of peace. The fact that you are sitting on peace and God has given you a measure of peace is a requirement on your life to extend it to somebody else.
It's not just the physical lack that is the least of these. It's also your coworker you just don't like. But have you found out why they are salty in the morning? Perhaps they didn't get that coffee. They need a measure of coffee because they don't have goodness on the inside of them. Could it be that God is calling you to do a coffee run?
Could it be that friend who has isolated themselves? They look all good. When you ask them how they're going, they appear self-sustaining. On the outside, they look pretty. On the inside, they're dying in depression. Could it be that the least of these is someone actually sitting next to you?
I don't want to isolate this to just somebody on the street. I want to talk about the person next door going through a traumatic event. Just smile. It takes more effort to frown than to smile. You guys are putting way too much effort on the wrong thing. Could it be that God has put a smile on your face so that when people come in contact with you, their life is changed by your smile?
Luke chapter 10 talks about a man beaten and bruised on the road to Jericho. A Levite and a priest stopped by, looked at him, and kept going. But a Samaritan stopped. If you know the history of Jews and Samaritans, they did not get along. They had different belief systems. But a pastor, a leader in church, was like, "I'm not going to inconvenience myself." So for somebody technically a brother, "I'm not going to go out of my way."
But a Samaritan who doesn't know all the scriptures, who doesn't belong to that faith, decides to stop. And when he stops, he takes the burden of caring for this man longer than he needs to.
Can we stop pretending church and be the church?
Acts 2:44 says, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything that they had." They shared all things in common. People in the church heard of a need, did not raise it up to the pastor, but handled it on their level.
The compassion of the Lord drives me to care about what's happening in your life. A man who should not have spent time with a Jewish man spent his time, his money, on somebody he should not get along with. The purpose and mission isn't just to provide physical goods, but to be moved to compassion.
Can you say, "God, move me to compassion. Let me care more about others than I do about myself. Let me be moved to compassion. When I see your face, I notice your grimace, what you're not saying. Can we notice what people are not saying?"
First Corinthians 13 is the love scripture. When we do marriage counseling, we read this to couples because we want to prepare them—for the rest of your life, your nerves are going to be plucked. Let's help you understand how you're supposed to be postured.
The Bible says that love is kind. I am confounded when I allow people to merge into my lane. The Lord is working on me. I have to work on goodness every day. I allow you out of the goodness of my heart, the bowels of compassion, the jacket of compassion to merge into my lane. And after I have allowed you to merge, I don't get a wave. All I require is just one gesture. Acknowledge the goodness flowing from my life.
Guys, if it wasn't for me, you would still be struggling on the shoulder. And because God is dealing with me and goodness is coming forth, just lift up a hand. I am equally confounded when I see us do the same thing with one another. I am blown away that kindness and goodness is absent amongst the body of Christ.
We treat each other callously, not gently. I see this entitlement that creeps up in the body of Christ. "I am entitled to receive this. Don't you know who I am?" And there's this entitlement that doesn't allow us to live from an overflow.
Acts 2:44 says, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything that they had." Everything. Everyone was entitled. Not just a group or select people.
I despise clickishness in the church where we don't welcome new people into our friend group because it's an inconvenience to get to know somebody. What would happen if you weren't welcomed? What if we had a preference for a particular small group and didn't want to create space for somebody else? Could it be that right there our compassion jacket is missing and we're not showing love?
Matthew 7:3 asks, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take that speck out of your eye' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye. You hypocrite. First, take the plank out of your eye and then you will see clearly."
John 15:16 puts it this way: "You have not chosen me. But I have chosen you and I have appointed you. I have planted you to show love. I have given you a measure of my love, my goodness, my grace, my kindness. Now do the same for somebody else. Create room for somebody else."
I love our dream team. I celebrate them. Anytime I'm talking to other pastors and leaders, they ask one question repeatedly: "What do you love about your church?" I say, "It's our dream team."
I've watched this group sacrifice themselves. Many times it's an inconvenience to get here at 5:30, 6:00 in the morning, but some do it. Others set up and tear down. There are those who spend time with your kids, who create room for them to experience Jesus Christ. And then what hurts my heart is when I see people not treat those folks right.
One of the things I asked God for when we started the church is for a large capacity to love—that nobody who comes into my presence doesn't feel loved, doesn't feel cared for. When it's not extended out from me, I said, God, help us live out the values You've called us to have in this church. Let us love truly, not just in word, but in deed. For you shall be known by how you love. By how you love.
As believers, sometimes we take for granted that God has given us the assignment, the pleasure to love somebody else just as He loves them. It is an honor and a privilege to love.
Sharing truth comes out of having tasted something and experienced it. We have some incredible business people in our church. I brag about their products. There are some products I will buy in large quantity simply because they're good. The stuff is really good, and I spread the news to those I'm connected to because I love their product.
But isn't that what God is asking us to do? If you have experienced the goodness of God, tell somebody.
It's like going to a restaurant. You like it. The next thing you do is text somebody: "Hey, hey, hey. You need to go here." I remember when Pastor Victor tasted a dessert all the way in Alabama. He called me from the restaurant and said, "Babe, the next time you come to Alabama, we're eating at this restaurant." I said, "Say less. We're ready."
When I arrived at the restaurant, he'd already spread the news to all his pastor friends. We were quick to get there after a session and he just watched as I tasted it.
Can we do that with the goodness of God? Where you just watch to see as you tell somebody about the goodness of God. You're not there to debate. We spend too much time debating other people. I'm not interested in debate. I'm interested in sharing how God brought me out of depression, how God saved my soul, how God is my provider.
I don't care about your belief systems. I care about sharing with you that Jesus Christ died for you, loves you, and wants to be in relationship with you. We have to be proud of the product of Jesus Christ, the goodness of God.
In John chapter 4, a woman who was ostracized—she had a lot of guys, a lot of exes—was going to get water at 3:00 p.m., the hottest time of the day. Somehow Jesus locates her. I'm so grateful that Jesus locates me even at odd hours. I'm grateful that He will go out of His way to find me, choosing a longer route just to meet that woman.
He says to her, "I got something you need. This thing I got for you is going to change your life forever."
She says, "Why me?"
He says, "I know what you've been through. I'm not surprised by your sin. Nothing of what you have experienced surprises me. But here's what I want to tell you: You're still qualified to receive my love."
Jesus goes for the one so that He can go get the many. Because she experiences His kindness and goodness, she tells her friends, "Come and see a man. He told me about me and he didn't condemn me. He told me about me and he knew all my secret sins. He told me about me and he knew all my faults and he still loves me. Come."
Could it be that even for us in this room, we've yet to meet that Jesus? That Jesus that loves you, that cares for you, that even if it was just you, He would have still shown up to die on the cross to take your sin and cover you?
Could it be that you can't remember the fact that while you were yet in sin, He died for you and thought about you all the way on the cross? So that then you can go back and tell your friends, "Come and see a man. Come and see about me. I found this Jesus that you need."
Kindness and goodness exist because of His mercies, that we are not consumed. His kindness and goodness last for eternity.
I have a personality that is reflective of my heavenly Father. I do acts of kindness and live a life of God's goodness. I delight in righteousness. I am known for my kindness. I show compassion to those in need. I share the truth with love. I am a light of kindness and goodness to those around me.
My nature, intuition, preferences, and choices are being conformed to that of Christ. I no longer willingly hold onto my culture above the word of God. I am committed to challenging ideas that have previously taken for granted the goodness and kindness of God. I am determined to show love to others through kindness and goodness.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, "But the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace forbearance kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law." Today we're exploring the power twins of kindness and goodness—two spiritual fruits that work together so perfectly that they're inseparable.
Think of things that naturally go together: peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, rice and stew. They enhance each other. The same is true of kindness and goodness.
If kindness is the outward expression, then goodness is the internal network that produces that kindness. You cannot have one without the other. If you're working in kindness but have no goodness backing it, eventually someone will pluck your nerves and you'll have nothing left to give.
Early Greek translators used two words to represent these gifts: chrestos (kindness) and Agathon (goodness). Both describe what is good, beautiful, right-functioning, and just. Kindness and goodness are directly linked to God's love. You cannot say that you love people or love God without kindness and goodness propelling what you claim about the fruit of love. They are the practical expressions of God's love to us.
Both of them lay a foundation for all the other spiritual gifts—faithfulness, self-control, longsuffering. If you can't hold your peace when people come at you, perhaps check whether your meter of goodness is stocked up.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Paul writes about love: "Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always persevere."
Notice: love is kind. This means kindness is love. If love is patient, kindness is patience. If love does not envy, kindness does not envy. Technically, kindness can be substituted for love. In Scripture, we even see "loving kindness" as a compound word to demonstrate the character and action of God.
Psalm 100:5 says, "For the Lord is good. His mercy and loving kindness is everlasting. His faithfulness and truth endures to all generations."
Jeremiah 9:24 declares, "But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercises loving kindness, judgment, righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, says the Lord."
The Greek word for kindness points to active goodness. Kindness is a property and quality of how you treat other people. This spiritual fruit is about your relationship to others.
In Matthew 11:30, Jesus describes His yoke as easy and His burden as light. A yoke was placed on the necks of oxen—they had to be yoked together to pull something. That's how it is in the body of Christ. You cannot go too far from somebody else. You're yoked together, linked together. Jesus is saying that the kindness of God is easy to bear. It wasn't meant to be difficult. It was meant for you to develop discipline—to live obediently, submissively, with service and cooperation.
Ephesians 4:32 puts it plainly: "Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted. Forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."
Kindness is your disposition to do good. It is generous, gentle, and gracious.
I love fragrances. They create a feeling, a mindset, a perspective. I especially love fragrances that linger in a room long after the person who wore them has left.
Here's what redefines kindness and goodness for me: You can either be a fragrance or an odor. Fragrance attracts; odor repels. Fragrant people are happy wherever they go. If you have an odor, people are happy when you leave.
So ask yourself: Are you fragrant, or do you produce an odor?
2 Corinthians 2:15 says, "For we are the aroma of Christ to God amongst those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."
Imagine this: when you wake up in the morning, you have the perfume of Christ on you. You can choose to spread the perfume of kindness on yourself every single morning, or you can choose to have the odor of the dust bin, the trash put upon you. It is a choice we make every day. Do I want to attract people or repel them?
Many of us are aware of how spiritual we are. We're aware of the good things we do and our excellence. But we're not aware if we're smelling good to people. And then we wonder why people aren't attracted to us. Could it be they forgot to take the trash out?
Goodness—Agathon—is a property of who you are. It is the embodiment of the nature of God. When we say God is good, His goodness is all-encompassing. It includes His morality. You can't say God is good without recognizing that God is holy. It's inclusive of His faithfulness. My circumstances don't change His disposition; rather, I must change my disposition to connect with who He is.
God is truth. In various translations, goodness points to God's virtue, His benevolence, His love of accountability and obedience, and His righteous living.
Exodus 34:6 declares, "And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness." He is abundant. He is replete in His goodness and truth.
Psalm 145:9 says, "The Lord is good to all and his mercies are over all his works."
Whether you are living for God or not living for God, He is just good. He makes the rain fall on the obedient, the righteous, and the unrighteous. He provides the benefit of His goodness to all. That's why we can enjoy good air, the sun shining—because God is good. The fact that you are sitting here, alive and in your right mind, is a testament to His goodness. There are some who did not wake up this morning, but you did. You drove here. God is good, and we can take it to the bank and cash it every single time.
Goodness is attributed to who you are. If God is good, what do you think we should be? We should be good as Christ followers, as imitators of Christ. If we say we follow Him, then who He is should be who we are.
Kindness is attributed to your conduct—how you act once you have been filled with the goodness of God. What comes out of that goodness should be kindness to other people.
Anything with the fruit of the Spirit is going to take a next level of surrender. We have to surrender our preferences, our will. Even if other people aren't being kind to us, it doesn't exempt us from being kind or good.
John 15:5 says, "I am the vine. You are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit."
Don't you want to have much fruit of kindness? Don't you want to be the kind of person where someone is popping off like Chick-fil-A saying, "My pleasure," and people think you're crazy? What they don't realize is that you have a good storehouse of goodness on the inside of you. That's what comes out of you—kindness.
Someone curses you out? I don't have to repay evil for evil. I'm going to pray for you. In the name of Jesus, I silence every demonic influence over your life. Instead of responding in like manner, you respond with "I love you." Because on the inside of you is the goodness of God, and you cannot help but be kind.
Colossians 3:12 says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
The way you interpret the goodness, kindness, and compassion of God is to put it on as if you were putting on a jacket. Some of us walk out the house without our jacket of compassion, and the first person we meet—especially if we haven't had our coffee—we're not kind. Some of us are coffee addicts, and it's because we walked out the house without our clothing of compassion.
The King James Version puts it this way: "Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness and longsuffering." In Hebrew, "bowels" refers to emotions felt in the stomach. The point is: make it such that your compassion flows from the inside out. You're filled with compassion.
Matthew 14:14-17 shows us how Jesus operated: "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd he had compassion on them. And then what did he do? He healed the sick."
I have discovered that this is how God does miracles. He is first of all moved to compassion. Could it be that what we're lacking in the church is the need to have compassion first before we seek a miracle? Could it be that miracles aren't happening because we don't have compassionate people?
What is compassion? I see you. I empathize with you. I'm not just sympathetic; I empathize with you to the degree that I take on your issue as my issue. I approach God as if it were my own and say, "God, do something for this person."
Could it be that the miracle you're looking to experience is on the heels of compassion?
In Luke 17:11-13, ten men with leprosy met Jesus and called out: "Jesus, Master, have pity on us." There is compassion in that cry.
Our world is crying out to us: "Have compassion on us." We are bruised. We are battered. We're looking for people who say they are in the image of Christ. Where are you? Can you have compassion on what I'm going through? Can you see me before you see your need? Can you carry my prayer more than you carry yours? Can you be so bothered by the fact that I don't know Jesus Christ that you will seek Jesus for me?
Our world is looking for people who can recognize the need to extend compassion. We are drained by the wrong things. We sit on social media and we debate. We watch the news and we're bothered by what's happening. While that's not something to take lightly, sometimes it leads us to compassion fatigue—where what God wants you to pay attention to, you no longer have the capacity for, because you've already spent your compassion on something that is not the Father's heart.
If we are called to be Christ followers, what He has compassion for should be what we have compassion for.
Years ago, I led an outreach ministry with a mobile shower unit. We would go into Baltimore to dignify those experiencing homelessness. My sense of smell is extremely sensitive. As soon as I enter an environment, my nose picks things up. This mobile shower unit, I knew my nostrils would be assaulted.
As soon as it was opened and our first person came onto the truck, the entire space was filled with an unpleasant odor. God has a way of putting you in positions to test how good you are and how willing you are to be kind.
I said to myself, "He is coming straight to me." And I realized that if I'm leading this space, I have to do what I tell others to do.
So I said, "Hi sir. How may I help you?" Why am I calling him sir? He deserves dignity. What he is experiencing does not demean him. It actually elevates him to a space of honor greater than myself, because God has kept him alive, has kept him thriving up until he met me. Now I'm at the intersection to reaffirm the goodness of God in his life.
Be careful how we address people we think less than. Even children. Be careful how you come into contact with people you think are less than you. Be careful how you address people.
He said, "I need some size 8 and 1/2 men shoes. It's difficult for us on the street to find that size." I said, "Give me one moment." I looked for the shoe, but couldn't find it. I made him a promise I fulfilled the next week. "Here are some additional socks. Here are some hand warmers. Here are some jackets just for you."
He took off his shoes, and I looked at the feet that Jesus came to die for. I looked at the feet of a man going through life, through a very difficult patch. Who am I not to serve a man like this simply because my status is better than his?
When you experience the goodness of God, your next reaction should be kindness. Yes. Those two are the bedrock, the foundation for all the other fruit of the Spirit. You cannot talk about patience, longsuffering, and all the others without goodness and without kindness.
Could it be that because you are struggling with your longsuffering, your goodness meter is low, and now you're struggling to show kindness to those around you?
Matthew 25:35-40 says, "For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. And I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me."
Then the righteous will answer, "Lord, when did I see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And when did I see you as a stranger and welcome you or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?"
The king will answer, "Truly I say to you, as you did to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me."
Let me reframe "the least of these" for some of us. The least of these is not just in physical possession. The least of these is the affluent boss you have who is potentially going through a divorce and needs your ability to communicate that God is a prince of peace. The fact that you are sitting on peace and God has given you a measure of peace is a requirement on your life to extend it to somebody else.
It's not just the physical lack that is the least of these. It's also your coworker you just don't like. But have you found out why they are salty in the morning? Perhaps they didn't get that coffee. They need a measure of coffee because they don't have goodness on the inside of them. Could it be that God is calling you to do a coffee run?
Could it be that friend who has isolated themselves? They look all good. When you ask them how they're going, they appear self-sustaining. On the outside, they look pretty. On the inside, they're dying in depression. Could it be that the least of these is someone actually sitting next to you?
I don't want to isolate this to just somebody on the street. I want to talk about the person next door going through a traumatic event. Just smile. It takes more effort to frown than to smile. You guys are putting way too much effort on the wrong thing. Could it be that God has put a smile on your face so that when people come in contact with you, their life is changed by your smile?
Luke chapter 10 talks about a man beaten and bruised on the road to Jericho. A Levite and a priest stopped by, looked at him, and kept going. But a Samaritan stopped. If you know the history of Jews and Samaritans, they did not get along. They had different belief systems. But a pastor, a leader in church, was like, "I'm not going to inconvenience myself." So for somebody technically a brother, "I'm not going to go out of my way."
But a Samaritan who doesn't know all the scriptures, who doesn't belong to that faith, decides to stop. And when he stops, he takes the burden of caring for this man longer than he needs to.
Can we stop pretending church and be the church?
Acts 2:44 says, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything that they had." They shared all things in common. People in the church heard of a need, did not raise it up to the pastor, but handled it on their level.
The compassion of the Lord drives me to care about what's happening in your life. A man who should not have spent time with a Jewish man spent his time, his money, on somebody he should not get along with. The purpose and mission isn't just to provide physical goods, but to be moved to compassion.
Can you say, "God, move me to compassion. Let me care more about others than I do about myself. Let me be moved to compassion. When I see your face, I notice your grimace, what you're not saying. Can we notice what people are not saying?"
First Corinthians 13 is the love scripture. When we do marriage counseling, we read this to couples because we want to prepare them—for the rest of your life, your nerves are going to be plucked. Let's help you understand how you're supposed to be postured.
The Bible says that love is kind. I am confounded when I allow people to merge into my lane. The Lord is working on me. I have to work on goodness every day. I allow you out of the goodness of my heart, the bowels of compassion, the jacket of compassion to merge into my lane. And after I have allowed you to merge, I don't get a wave. All I require is just one gesture. Acknowledge the goodness flowing from my life.
Guys, if it wasn't for me, you would still be struggling on the shoulder. And because God is dealing with me and goodness is coming forth, just lift up a hand. I am equally confounded when I see us do the same thing with one another. I am blown away that kindness and goodness is absent amongst the body of Christ.
We treat each other callously, not gently. I see this entitlement that creeps up in the body of Christ. "I am entitled to receive this. Don't you know who I am?" And there's this entitlement that doesn't allow us to live from an overflow.
Acts 2:44 says, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything that they had." Everything. Everyone was entitled. Not just a group or select people.
I despise clickishness in the church where we don't welcome new people into our friend group because it's an inconvenience to get to know somebody. What would happen if you weren't welcomed? What if we had a preference for a particular small group and didn't want to create space for somebody else? Could it be that right there our compassion jacket is missing and we're not showing love?
Matthew 7:3 asks, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take that speck out of your eye' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye. You hypocrite. First, take the plank out of your eye and then you will see clearly."
John 15:16 puts it this way: "You have not chosen me. But I have chosen you and I have appointed you. I have planted you to show love. I have given you a measure of my love, my goodness, my grace, my kindness. Now do the same for somebody else. Create room for somebody else."
I love our dream team. I celebrate them. Anytime I'm talking to other pastors and leaders, they ask one question repeatedly: "What do you love about your church?" I say, "It's our dream team."
I've watched this group sacrifice themselves. Many times it's an inconvenience to get here at 5:30, 6:00 in the morning, but some do it. Others set up and tear down. There are those who spend time with your kids, who create room for them to experience Jesus Christ. And then what hurts my heart is when I see people not treat those folks right.
One of the things I asked God for when we started the church is for a large capacity to love—that nobody who comes into my presence doesn't feel loved, doesn't feel cared for. When it's not extended out from me, I said, God, help us live out the values You've called us to have in this church. Let us love truly, not just in word, but in deed. For you shall be known by how you love. By how you love.
As believers, sometimes we take for granted that God has given us the assignment, the pleasure to love somebody else just as He loves them. It is an honor and a privilege to love.
Sharing truth comes out of having tasted something and experienced it. We have some incredible business people in our church. I brag about their products. There are some products I will buy in large quantity simply because they're good. The stuff is really good, and I spread the news to those I'm connected to because I love their product.
But isn't that what God is asking us to do? If you have experienced the goodness of God, tell somebody.
It's like going to a restaurant. You like it. The next thing you do is text somebody: "Hey, hey, hey. You need to go here." I remember when Pastor Victor tasted a dessert all the way in Alabama. He called me from the restaurant and said, "Babe, the next time you come to Alabama, we're eating at this restaurant." I said, "Say less. We're ready."
When I arrived at the restaurant, he'd already spread the news to all his pastor friends. We were quick to get there after a session and he just watched as I tasted it.
Can we do that with the goodness of God? Where you just watch to see as you tell somebody about the goodness of God. You're not there to debate. We spend too much time debating other people. I'm not interested in debate. I'm interested in sharing how God brought me out of depression, how God saved my soul, how God is my provider.
I don't care about your belief systems. I care about sharing with you that Jesus Christ died for you, loves you, and wants to be in relationship with you. We have to be proud of the product of Jesus Christ, the goodness of God.
In John chapter 4, a woman who was ostracized—she had a lot of guys, a lot of exes—was going to get water at 3:00 p.m., the hottest time of the day. Somehow Jesus locates her. I'm so grateful that Jesus locates me even at odd hours. I'm grateful that He will go out of His way to find me, choosing a longer route just to meet that woman.
He says to her, "I got something you need. This thing I got for you is going to change your life forever."
She says, "Why me?"
He says, "I know what you've been through. I'm not surprised by your sin. Nothing of what you have experienced surprises me. But here's what I want to tell you: You're still qualified to receive my love."
Jesus goes for the one so that He can go get the many. Because she experiences His kindness and goodness, she tells her friends, "Come and see a man. He told me about me and he didn't condemn me. He told me about me and he knew all my secret sins. He told me about me and he knew all my faults and he still loves me. Come."
Could it be that even for us in this room, we've yet to meet that Jesus? That Jesus that loves you, that cares for you, that even if it was just you, He would have still shown up to die on the cross to take your sin and cover you?
Could it be that you can't remember the fact that while you were yet in sin, He died for you and thought about you all the way on the cross? So that then you can go back and tell your friends, "Come and see a man. Come and see about me. I found this Jesus that you need."
Kindness and goodness exist because of His mercies, that we are not consumed. His kindness and goodness last for eternity.
I have a personality that is reflective of my heavenly Father. I do acts of kindness and live a life of God's goodness. I delight in righteousness. I am known for my kindness. I show compassion to those in need. I share the truth with love. I am a light of kindness and goodness to those around me.
My nature, intuition, preferences, and choices are being conformed to that of Christ. I no longer willingly hold onto my culture above the word of God. I am committed to challenging ideas that have previously taken for granted the goodness and kindness of God. I am determined to show love to others through kindness and goodness.
