This week, we began a brand-new sermon series called Leave No One Behind. Every day, we are surrounded by people who are lost and in need of the hope of Christ, just like we once were. As Christ followers, we have the message of hope that they so desperately need. The question we were asked during the weekend message is, “Do we see them?”. Are we intentionally taking steps to reach the lost and hurting in need of Christ every day? If we want to reach those around us for Christ, the first step is compassion. We have to care for the lost like Jesus cared if we are going to find them.
Who is someone in your life whom God used to help you begin your relationship with Jesus? What stands out about the way they shared the hope of Christ with you?
1. What holds people back from sharing their faith?
2. Read Matthew 9:35-38. Why did Jesus have great compassion for the people around Him, and what was the result of His compassion?
Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
3. Read John 5:1-8. How did Jesus demonstrate compassion in this passage of Scripture?
John 5:1-8
Then Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” 7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
4. Read Romans 15:7. What is the motivation behind loving and caring for all people, according to this passage of Scripture?
Romans 15:7
Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.
1. Why is care for others an essential first step in reaching the lost for Christ?
2. What stands out to you about the way Jesus loved and cared for those around Him during His ministry on Earth?
3. How can you follow Jesus’ example of compassion and care for the lost?
As a group, pray together. Ask God to give each one of you His compassion and care for those who are lost and in need of the hope of Christ. Ask Him to help you all as you seek to put your care and compassion into action and reach out to those who are far from Him. Commit to praying this prayer every single day for the next week. Pay attention to the ways God moves in your heart and answers this prayer by increasing your care and compassion for the lost and hurting world around you.
Compassion for the lost is a catalyst that leads us to share our faith with those who are lost. When we have compassion, we are compelled to reach out to the lost people we encounter and share the hope of Christ. Let's turn to Scripture to understand how we can develop deeper compassion as we consider the importance of sharing our faith with the people around us.
If we want to have deep compassion for the lost and have opportunities to share our faith with those who are far from Christ, we cannot show favoritism, picking and choosing whom to have compassion and share our faith with. Indeed, favoritism is not the way of Christ because His care and love extend to every single person.
1. Read James 2:1-13.
James 2:1-13
My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? 2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? 5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? 8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. 10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law. 12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
2. Why does James warn against favoritism in this passage of Scripture?
3. What is the motivation, according to James, to let go of favoritism?
4. How does favoritism impact your compassion for others who are far from Christ?
Whether it was twenty years ago or twenty hours ago, we were all, at one time, lost in our sin and in desperate need of the hope of Christ. When we remember the hopelessness and the lostness we felt before we came to know Christ, we can better understand the lostness and hopelessness that those around us are facing and we will be motivated to share the hope of Christ with them.
1. Read Ephesians 2:1-3.
Ephesians 2:1-3
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
2. What were our lives like before we came to know Christ, according to this passage of Scripture?
3. Describe the change Christ made in your life once you came to know Him.
4. How does remembering our lives before we came to know Christ increase your compassion for the lost and motivate you to share your faith?
All around us are people who are searching for hope and healing. As Christ followers, we have Christ’s message of hope that the world desperately needs. We have the privilege of spreading His message of hope to the lost. When we remember that we have Christ’s message of hope that the lost around us are searching for, our compassion will grow and will motivate us to turn our compassion into action and share our faith.
1. Read John 14:1-6.
John 14:1-6
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.” “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
2. What does Jesus reveal about Himself in this passage of Scripture?
3. How is Jesus the hope that the lost world is looking for?
4. How does understanding Jesus’ message in John 14:1-6 impact your compassion for the lost and motivate you to share your faith?
We were challenged in the weekend message to write a short note and thank the people that God used in our lives to help us begin our relationships with Jesus. If you have not already done this, take a few minutes to do this now and write a thank-you letter to the person who first shared Christ with you. For those who have already written this note, spend some time writing a prayer of thankfulness to God for the people who shared their faith with you. When everyone has done this, share with your group how this exercise impacted you, specifically how it impacted your compassion for the lost.
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