Compassion for the Lost
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. (Matthew 9:36-38 NLT)
Dear Friends and Members of IBC,
On Sunday, we heard about the evangelism training that will take place on 11th May, from 11:00 to 14:30, in the IBC office. As a prelude to this training course, for the following three weeks I will share some thoughts about evangelism and conversion in our weekly ‘Word for the week’.
Matthew 9:36-38 tells us that Jesus looked around at the large crowds that followed Him, and was filled with compassion for the confused and helpless, for the lost. When we talk about evangelism and sharing the gospel, a good place to start is to ask ourselves how much compassion we have for those who don’t know Jesus. Do I also look around on the modern-day crowds, on the busy streets of Eimsbüttel, Wandsbek, and Altona, and am also filled with loving concern for those around me? So many seem oblivious to reality. So many don’t even know they are lost. A pastor once shared a story of a little boy who got lost at a big shopping mall one day. His grandparents, who were looking after him, were frantic, desperately looking for him. They understood the dangers involved. They eventually found him - at the sweet shop staring at the sweets. He wasn’t upset, he didn’t even realise he was lost, like a lot of people today.
There have been some times in my life when I have been in a crowd, or just walking down a busy street, when it has suddenly hit me, God has shown me at a heart level, that the harvest is so many. I remember once walking around the Hauptbahnhof area, I had been praying a little on my way, and I suddenly had to stop in the street, look around me, and was almost overwhelmed with the knowledge there were just so many people who didn’t know Jesus. As Christians, we can easily feel under some kind of pressure, pressure evangelism you might call it, to share the gospel. But we have to realise that this rarely works. Because where there is dutiful pressure, there is little freedom to share openly from the heart. Sharing the gospel can instead become a bit like trying to sell something to someone.
The result of Jesus having compassion for the lost, is that He deeply desires workers to tell them the good news. That is the natural follow on. He looks around, He sees the great harvest, His heart is so much for the lost, and He tells His disciples to pray for workers. Workers who will tell them about Him. So, brothers and sisters, let’s pray for a compassionate heart. Pray that God will show us how He sees those people around us. Because it is this love for them that will really compel us to say something and will naturally come out in the words we use.
God bless you
James