Are There Societal Or Personal Barriers To Cultivating Expressions Of Compassion Towards The Poor, And If So What Are They? - John Hasler
When it comes to compassion towards the poor, there are many things that seem to get in the way. There is of course the normal laundry list of excuses like, not having enough time, not knowing where to begin, seeing the problem as too large to fix, and on and on it goes. But are there some deeper underlying reasons behind these excuses? I believe so. In order to keep the scope of this fairly narrow, I want to primarily focus on the action (or inaction) of Christians.
One of the first things to investigate is impetus or core motivation for action. This is the 'why should I care?' issue, which leads us to the first barrier; that of calling. Often when it comes to service to the poor, individuals claim that they do not feel called to serve the poor, and while I believe there are indeed certain people called to a higher and deeper level of care and attention to specific kinds of needs, all followers of Jesus are already called to some degree. There is a clear mandate in the whole of Scripture to show concern for the poor. If one looks at a broad picture of Jesus' life, it can be clearly seen that he demonstrated great care for the poor and downtrodden. Followers and disciples are then to do the same.
If then, there is a calling on all believers, what is it that gets in the way from the church really rising up to make headway against poverty and injustice? Where are the other barriers? There are some answers in Scripture that talk about the battle Christians will face when it comes to obedience in any area of life, including a life of service to the poor. There are greater spiritual reasons behind this, like what Paul talks about in Ephesians 6:12-
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
There are also more personal, inner, battles with sin and the desires of the flesh, as the New Testament writers refer to it, which are constantly warring against the leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul again, talks about this struggle very acutely in Romans 7:14-25. Specifically in verses 18 and 19, he discusses the tension-
"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.*"
In a greater discussion about the law, he unveils the difficulty individuals have in doing what they know is right. I think that this is one of the best examples of the barrier that is created in the spirit when it comes to serving the poor. It is the surrender to the flesh that allows for pride and greed to settle in and take root. And it is out of those two embedded attributes that Christians begin to create superficial excuses for inaction. The most difficult part is the fact that most believers will indeed profess with their mouths the willingness and desire to help, however, when it comes to the reprioritization of time and money, many of these great aspirations are grounded and snuffed out.
There is hope in breaking down these barriers though. In the cultivation of humility and deeper Holy Spirit driven character development, Christians can overcome the battles in the spirit and begin to see and react to the poor around them. Humility and discipline can overturn pride and greed. In Galatians 5:16-17, Paul encourages the people to follow the Spirit instead of the flesh-
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.*"
This is not just a onetime event. It is an attitude and practice of the heart that needs to be nurtured and continually revisited. There is a level of perseverance that is generated. In 2 Thessalonians 3:13, as an encouragement to the church there, it says-
"As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.*"
What would the world look like if the church today took that same encouragement and lived it out?
*All Scripture references are ESV

How do you cultivate a compassionate heart?

The late theologian B.B. Warfield wrote a treatise on "The Emotional Life of Jesus." It's little surprise that this Princeton Seminarian who spent his days caring for his invalid wife would be moved to explore what he called the emotion which most frequently can be attributed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: compassion. Stop and wrap your head around that a moment. The emotion which the Gospels most frequently attribute to our Savior is compassion.

Warfield goes on to describe the things which moved Christ's compassionate heart: the physical suffering of those in distress (Mk. i. 41; Mt. xx. 34; Lk. vii. 13), the wide-angle view of humanity's universal suffering (Mk. vi. 34, viii. 2; Mt. ix. 36, xiv. 14, xv. 32), spiritual destitution (Mark vi. 34; Mt. ix. 36), and most of all, persistent unbelief (Lk. xix. 41; Mk. viii. 12; Lk. vii. 34 and cf. Jn. xiii. 20) which seems to have elicited from Christ not only deep sighs but at times wails. Compassion, Warfield also explains encompasses, both the emotion which moves the heart and the benevolent action which flows from it.

Of course, this was a compassion rooted in love, not only for man but for the Father, who had created the world perfectly and made mankind to be fulfilled through right relationship with Him. Our sin marred everything and so Jesus is filled with compassion for us and for this large gap which remains between what is and what was supposed to be.

How then do we cultivate-this the most frequent of Christ's emotions? First, we must realize that compassion, like all spiritual fruit, is a work of the Holy Spirit. When we find our hearts lukewarm, we should pray for Christ's spirit of compassion to fill us, and then to move us. We can also contemplate the compassion of our Lord Jesus. We can study what moved Him. We can contemplate his most passionate desires: that people know God deeply and live in relationship with the Father. And we can find our own hearts being moved, like him, that people persist in their unbelief that they are like sheep with no shepherd.

In addition, to these things, we must cultivate our awareness. If we are ignorant of what is going on around us, or in our world, how can we be moved by compassion? The great abolitionist, William Wilberforce, for example, had to work hard to bring the evils of the slave trade before the eyes of the average Englishman. Very few slaves were held in England. The great horrors of the slave ships, of the plantations where men were beaten, and women watched as their own children were sold to others, were far removed from the eyes of the men and women on the streets of London. That's why Wilberforce and his Clapham Circle labored hard to cultivate awareness, since only then could the people of his day be moved by compassion to end the slave trade.

Awareness, however, is simply not enough. One recent study illustrates the importance of our sense of time in being willing to move from compassion to compassionate action. At Princeton, forty seminarians were asked to preach on the Good Samaritan. Every ten minutes a student would leave the prep room, walk to an auditorium, and deliver his sermon. But the test wasn't on preaching. Along the path, a man groaned in distress. Of the future pastors, only 16 stopped. It turned out that the only difference between those who stopped and those who didn't was their perception of whether they were late.

That's not very good news in our society, where using the word fast-paced to describe our culture is an understatement. It turns out when we are short on time, we are also short on compassion. The Jesus we encounter in the Gospels never seems hurried or rushed. He is on a mission, but that mission does not keep him from truly seeing those who are on his path.

I believe that as we sincerely pray for compassion, study the compassionate heart of our Savior in the Scriptures, work to be aware of the world around us, and slow down, we will find our hearts moved with emotions like Christ's and our hands outstretched in mercy as we follow his example.
Mark Earley is the President and CEO of Prision Fellowship, founded by Chuck Colson

For further reading:
B.B. Warfield, "The Emotional Life of Christ." http://www.the-highway.com/emotion-Christ_Warfield.html

Eric Metaxes, Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End the Slave Trade, Harper One, 2007. http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grace-William-Wilberforce-Campaign/dp/0061173002

Join us for a weekly conversation on the relationship between compassion, justice, poverty and community transformation. Tune in to what people like Dr. Amy Sherman, Ex. Dir. of the Center on Faith in Communities have to say about the Relationship between Compassion and Justice;Mark Earley, President and CEO of Prison Fellowship, founded by Chuck Colson, on How to Cultivate a Compassionate Heart;John Hasler, Associate Pastor of the Theater Church on Societal Barriers to Expressions of Compassion and many more!Send us a tweet on Twitter or follow us on FaceSbook. Never before in our current lifetime have so many needed compassion in all of its various forms. Share your thoughts, ideas, and make a difference right now in some one's life. It begins with compassion.

Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas right around the corner. Read David Treadwell's post on why the Central Union Mission has initiated a Campaign for Compassion. What unique ways have you found to express compassion for others during the holiday season?

While compassion is a noun, by its very definition it includes a call to action: sorrow for the suffering or trouble of another accompanied by an urge to help (Webster's New World Dictionary). At the Central Union Mission during our Campaign for Compassion we hope to first call attention to the needs of many people in the Washington, DC area who are suffering, and, even more importantly, we want to present opportunities to satisfy that urge to help. Right here in the nation's capital there are thousands of hungry, homeless and hurting people. These men, women and children need food, clothing, housing and work. They also need spiritual guidance and practical counseling and training for everyday living. Did you know that one out of five children live below the poverty line in the District of Columbia?

The needs and opportunities for compassionate service and ministry in Washington are great. Our desire is to partner with many new and old friends and together work to satisfy the God-ordained urge to help those in need in our nation's capital. What can you do? Posted by David Treadwell, Executive Director, Central Union Mission