The church doesn’t exist because of a building. The church is where ever we are.

The vision for Calvary City Church is that we would become:

* a church on fire
* a church on missions
* a church upon the Word

That it would not just happen in the church alone, but that the impact would reach out to the families, communities and people around us.

On the topic of missions, Jesus always had a heart of compassion to those around them. (Matthew 9: 35-38)

The theme for this year is “How will they hear?” and preaching the Gospel and gathering a harvest of souls. We are called to the reach out with a heart of compassion to those around us.

Jesus reached out to people with compassion. The word compassion is used several times in various accounts of Jesus reaching out to people who were in desperate circumstances. Jesus had compassion on them.

Compassion is such a characteristic of Jesus that it flowed out of everything that Jesus did.

What does it mean to have compassion? In the Greek, it means to feel deep sympathy for a person, a feeling from the innermost part of the body.

Luke 7: 11-15 is an example of this compassion. The heart of Jesus went out to the person in need.

Compassion can be just compassion in action. But could we have a compassion that comes from within us?

What is the difference between sympathy, empathy and compassion?

Sympathy means we understand how that person is feeling.

Empathy means we know and feel what the person is feeling.

Compassion means the willingness to relieve the suffering of another; to know, feel and act upon it.

Compassion says “Let me do something about it.”

How can we cultivate a heart of compassion? It’s not something we can churn or manufacture. In the connection with the Father, we can have a heart of compassion for the people around us.

Cultivating a heart of compassion? :
1. Be among the people.(Matthew 9:35)

2. Recognize their need: Felt needs + real needs (Matthew 9:35-36).

3. Pray, seek and ask (Matthew 9:37-38)

We can’t be a superhero to everyone and in the end, suffer from compassion fatigue. Yes, we need to meet people with compassion but we are not their Savior. We are just the sign posts to the One who will meet their needs. When you are well, we can meet the needs of others.

Let’s us ask God for a heart of compassion and to teach us to rely on Him.