Compassion That Transforms

Jesus was “moved with compassion” ten times in the New Testament.  It makes me think that for every commandment, we are to see grace.  Isaiah says we are to help feed the poor (Isaiah 58:6,7).  It is heartbreaking to know that 24 children die every minute from hunger and preventable diseases.  So what can we do as a church about this?  Jesus did say we would have the poor with us always (Matt. 26:11).  This does not excuse us from obeying other scriptures that command us corporately and individually to help the poor.  

There are challenges to helping with the poverty issue around the world.  Exclusion, misuse of power, and spiritual issues are the three main reasons that I see that cause many to be trapped in the stronghold of poverty.  For example, the Brahmin in the caste system will not hire or give the “untouchables” a chance for a better life.  The machismo continues to drink, sleep around, and beat his wife because he sees it as a legitimate way of life.  We see this in corporations using their political connections to move the poor out of an area so they can build.

Evangelizing these poor communities comes with several challenges.  First, we need to define such a broad term.  It simply tells the good news about Jesus being the saving King, an announcement of His Kingdom, and invites people to enter by faith and repentance.  In my opinion, transformational development is the fruit that comes out of an evangelized people.  We can’t have one without the other.  One challenge is trying to relate the gospel without being relatable to their culture.  They may not understand what you are trying to share.  Another is trying a Western strategy where it will not fit.  In India, for example, they need to see the Christian faith walked out among them with signs and wonders, or else it will be just another god to worship.  Lastly, many social issues prevent the gospel, such as dealing with the local government.  Many governments are hostile to the propagation of the gospel.

Do we throw our hands up and quit?  No, we show people they do not have to wait for government assistance.  The village can be improved when, with our help, we implement clean water solutions, health care, and education, along with planting churches and training leaders.  Transformation is to change the whole person: material, social, and spiritual.  In the text, we see four strategies for this transformation: economic growth, political advocacy, relief, and transformational development.  We can teach trades to both men and women in the village, which will have a domino effect on the economy.  We can get involved with them to lobby for change in their government.  Giving relief to them through supplying practical needs like clothes, food, and shelter, along with educational programs showing them agriculture and farming solutions.  Lastly, transformational development is significant because the heart of the poor must change, or they will stay captive to the stronghold of that mindset.  (Not that it is as simple as a mindset.)  What stood out to me in the principles of transformational development was that God is already at work among them.  We need to partner with what the Holy Spirit is doing and not be arrogant with the attitude of “Listen to me; I am a world-changer.”  

To avoid burnout, missionaries must remember the main reason for it all, “to know God, and make Him known.”  I love this YWAM saying.  Jesus had a mission from the Father that is our model also.  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” Luke 4:18 (ESV).