Compassion

Welcome. Just hand away tagalog Sermon podcast. Your daily does

of inspiring, heartfelt taglog sermons from different pastors and speakers

all over the Philippines. We hope that this podcast finds

you in good shape. And now here's your message.

You were listening to a message from Victory. We hope

it inspires you to honor God and make disciples in

your humanity.

They were going to be talking about compassion, compassion. If

we talk about compassion, it's more than I'm a big guy. Yes, yes,

that's true. As Really the ruth word of compassion is

suffer with or come is with, and then passion is suffer,

suffer with, suffer with somebody. It's to show to show

love when somebody is suffering, suffer with. That's actually selfless,

that's actually being selfless. I love how Martin Luther King

Junior said it plainly when it said an individual has

not started living until he can rise above the narrow

confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of

all humanity. In plain terms, in plain words, Martin Luther

King is saying we should move from just looking at

ourselves but really on the concern of others. It's really

not are not us anymore. We have to move out

of that. Maybe it's not your comfort zone. I don't know.

I'm just guessing. Maybe not all of us here are compassionate,

or we're compassionate in in in a small way, in

a little way, but all of us has to move

from just looking at ourselves to the concern of others.

We we in victory. We belong to that a network

of churches that operates all around all around the world,

and we're part of this movement called Every Nation Churches

and in every nation. Our mission and vision says, our

mission is to honor God by pride by planting Christ centered,

spirit and powered and socially responsible churches and campus ministries

in every nation. Marchim parton social responsibility that we have

to be socially responsible. It is actually our mandate. But

you know what, it just doesn't stop in just being

our mandate because if you let if you look at

the Bible, if you check the Bible and Ephesians two

verse ten, it says, for we are His workmanship. That's us. Okay,

brothers and sisters, all of us are God's workmanship. Okay,

workmanship is we are his. He made us, He created us,

He created us to do. But he created us in

Christ Jesus for good works. Okay, this is different in

good works. In good work means parasa good work. No,

but for good works we were made. We were created

to do good works. We will not earn our way

to heaven because of good works. But we are created

for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should

walk in them. This is the handle for not just

for the preaching today, but for the preaching of the

Word in selfless the whole series. Let's pray. Let's pray.

It's about our heads and pray. Father, Thank you, Lord,

thank you again for rebinding us on what happened on

the cross of Jesus Christ and why we can celebrate,

why we can have love, enjoy love, and give love Father,

because of what Jesus did and that cross. Let us

now God's workmanship, be one united in mind and heart,

knowing Lord that whatever we do, Lord God, will be

out of reverence and would glorify you Jesus name. We pray,

and everybody say amen. We're talking about compassion today, and

when we talk about being compassionate, I do believe a

lot of us, maybe before he became a Christian or

now you're now you're a Christian, you can say that

you are compassionate, okay, but there was There's actually one

time that I questioned myself and if I'm really compassionate

to Bacho, if if you're my friend, you would know

that I'm I'm very generous, okay, that that I would

love to give gifts and and really be generous. I

remember one of my friends, Jason law and Jason law

in In in one of our meetings. I was about

to treat him. We were in a buffet, Jason and people.

Jason indeeded that it was the main course that to

this a dessert. So when when when when we were

in the buffet, he really asked me. I was about

to pay, and he asked me, why do you love

giving gifts? Why do you love treating people? He I

almost stopped there and did not pay for his meal,

but only caution hardcore. But that's true. When we help

people sometimes it tends to be again because of our

selfish nature, my selfish intention t y ibato too long

to too long something in return my papa to later

on I can get something in the return okay, but

and then connection your influence as an organization because see

nation White Sila. So parapack next time. But make remember

again a while ago when when we said that we

planned churches for we are a church that plants churches

for for social responsibility. Some people they would help not

because of socially responsible rose social responsibility, but because of

their mind age in social media, were not compassionate a

social media. My prayer is that after this preaching we

will have a change of heart again. It's a it's

it's a reminder. Why do we do communion every once

a month. It's to remind us why because we're short

sighted people memory not in short my short term memory gottile. Okay,

even if you're not as old as or as young

as we have, we have short memory. We have short memory,

and we have to be reminded. I love this this,

this letter to the Church in by Paul when it

started chapter two in reminding us, he reminded us, as

for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sin.

So this was our old status before first and foremost

we were dead. Shang no, never, let's not go there.

We were dead in our transpace. It's dead because of

all our sins, and we are actually also disobedient in

which you used to live. When we follow the ways

of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom

of the air and the spirit who is now at

work in those who are disobedient, we were dead. We

were disobedient, and what we deserve is actually the wrath

of God. All of us lived among them at one time.

This was when we were We were still with the enemy.

We are not yet children of God. We gratify the

creative cravings of our flesh. Itsabian tito, because of our

old nature. But to mulung tayo, what's in it for me?

But tom selfie they are remember what the Bible said,

do not let your left know what you're right and

is doing. That is that is Jesus reminding us when

we give give it not out of compulsion, but with

that cheerful heart, that potion I gave this amount. Well,

sometimes in our hearts still we try to gratify the

cravings of our flesh, and this once again creeps in

and out every day of our lives, and following its

desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature

deserving of wrath. But we didn't do anything, We didn't

have to do anything, but God gave us the solution.

My prayer is that the union solution, because we know

that that was actually the meaning of the cross. What

what what Allan was actually exhorting a while ago. Is

that apart from Christ, we can't do anything. That's why

He had to come cleanse us of our sin and

now assures us of hope. But God, being rich in mercy,

because of the great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us

alive together with Christ. By grace, we have been saved.

This is God's solution. No longer are we dead to

our sin. No longer are we disobedient. No longer are

we deserving of God's wrath. But because of his great mercy,

now he has made us alive and raised us up

with him and seated with us, with us with him

in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, so that in

the coming of ages he might show the measurable riches

of his grace and kindness towards us. In Christ Jesus.

The gift here is no longer judgment. What we actually

deserve is death judgment. But he gave us mercy. He

gave us mercy and said and that he did not

just stop in mercy. He also gave us grace, grace

that is what we don't deserve. But the thing is,

sometimes when we still have that craving in our hearts,

when when we are we help others in compassion to others,

sometimes no my love as young nature or not, and

that sometimes we boast. So Paul exhorted us and reminded

us in verse eight when he said, for by grace

you have been saved through faith. Well, I have saved

you because you have done something right. I am saving

you have given you hope. Why just keep on doing

what you're doing in helping others. Know, he reminded us

that we are saved by grace through faith, and this

is not your own doing. It is the gift of God,

not a result of work. So that no one may boast.

No one may boast, But this gift that God gives

us should not just stay with us. I remember I

always teach this to my children, especially to my six

year old Lara, because every time she gets a gift,

she would acknowledge God and say thank you. Lord, Thank

you Mom, thank you Dad, because thank you Grandpa, thank

you grandma. But then when somebody would approach her and said,

can I play with you? No, this is mine six

years old, that Megia malapet lapet, you would see the

horns in her and tale, la la basta la gay.

Why this is mine? I deserve this. This is a

gift for me. And how dare you touch it? It's mine?

And Lara, what are they doing? You should share? Yeah, come,

let's play. Don't touch it. It's true nature of our hearts.

We have to remind ourselves that that gift that was

given to us is that except for us, it's actually

to share. It's activity to show the love of Jesus

Christ to all. The ultimate intention for our salvation is

for us to love and serve others. That's the selfless love.

That's a selfless love, and that's a selfless plan of

Jesus for us. My prayer is that we would always

remember that our compassion is only possible because if Christ

is mercy, love, grace and kindness, that we can give

love now that we can be generus, that we can serve.

I know some of you here, you even have your

own foundation that you serve in. But all of this

should go back again to Jesus Christ for his mercy, love,

grace and kindness, because apart from it, all we do

is nothing. All we do it goes back again to us.

All we do again points us to we're the hero.

We should be gratified and we forget Jesus Christ. I

remember when we talk about mercy. I always remember about

this story, this story that happened in a diner in

the in the in Honolulu, in Hawaii. There was a pastor.

His name is Tony Campolo, Pastor Toni. He's not from

our church, but he's a pastor there and he has

a he has a heart for the prostitutes in the

Honolulu in Hawaii. This diner is right in the middle

of of a slum area that there's there's a lot

of prostitutes. And there was one morning, one one am

in the morning when Pastor Toni was inside that he

saw a group of a group of prostitutes came in,

three of them and when he when they went in,

he overheard one of the procetutes saying, you know what

I'm gonna I'm gonna be turning thirty nine years old

next year, and I've never received a birthday cake. I've

never experienced blowing candles from a birthday cake. And then

she quip, actually, I've never celebrated my birthday ever, the

whole thirty nine years. And Pastor Toni was there to

actually minister to them. But instead of ministering to them,

you know, you know what he did. He went out

of his way. He went out of his way, connived

with the dinery owned you may add in the diner's

and said, you know what, why don't we do this.

I'm gonna pay for everything, I'm gonna decorate this place.

Can we invite her Agnes's friends and surprise him. I

surprised her for a birthday party that she'd never had.

One week after they had they had the birthday party.

The place was filled up with twenty prostitutes inside celebrating

her birthday. First time she received a cake, first time

she blew candles from her own birthday cake. Guess what

he was, Passer TONI was really able to minister to

her palang. The minister not only that didn't stop there.

Even the diner. Even the owner of the diner now

attends church y because he has seen. He has seen

how this person loves this woman even though she was

a prostitute. That's mercy and grace when you look at it.

We can be like that prostitute. We don't sell our bodies.

But there are times that arkadeving is on for ourselves.

I remember in the book of Zakariah, when when when

when the prophet Zakariah he was he was, he was

ministering to the Israelite people. The Israelite got to know Jesus,

Christ got to know God. We're converted, and now they

were given a chance to redeem themselves. And the word

from God, from the prophet Zakariah goes like this. He said,

three to one another, justly, love your neighbors, be compared,

passionate with each other. Don't take advantage of the widows, orphans, visitors,

and the poor. Don't plot and scheme against one another.

That's evil. Maybe most of us we're in this room.

We're in this room. Now they're saying, Okay, I'm not

like that. I'm a Christian, I love Jesus, I don't

I'm compassionate. I don't take advantage of widows, orphan, visitors

and the poor. I don't plot evil against them, but

you know, if you don't do anything for them, it's

as if it is the same thing. Let me repeat that.

Maybe you're not plotting, maybe you're not taking advantage, but

if you don't do anything about it, it's as if

that we have taken advantage of the widow of the poor,

of the orphan. We live in a society in this world,

but my prayer is that we would see ourselves assault

and light. As the Bible said, we should not conformed

to the patterns of this world. But now take a stand.

Sometimes it's going to be messy, but that's good. Why

because when Jesus came here for you and I, it

was actually messy. It was way better in heaven. But

he still did so and chose. Here are some truth

and lies about compassion. First is a lie that just

a little bit more will be enough. But the truth

is I have more than enough. I remember growing up,

growing up the lie in my head it goes like this,

if I become the next president of the Philippines, Yes, Hagad,

never in my wildest dream that I would imagine to

become a pastor. I would love to speak to throngs

of people like this, but never, never, I imagine it

will be inside the church. I thought I would become

a politician. Why because gustrong my hear my ah. That

was in my heart and I was praying, said, okay, Lord,

make me rich. Why each child I'm gonna pull out

of poverty, I'm gonna give them new life. Just make

me rich because I need more, I need more, I

need more. We have more. It's not about the money

that we have in the bank. Sometimes it's not even

about the money. Yes, part of compassion is giving, but

a lot is actually praying. A lot is actually volunteering

yourself for service. A lot is actually being just being

there to listen to somebody. That's that's that's true compassion.

When Jesus came here, he didn't have any centabo nothing.

He even had to borrow money from a fish. Remember that.

So he had to get money from a fish. But

he gave himself, he gave his life, he gave his

very heart. I'm not here to promote anything or to

sell anything. My prayer is that you know your church

and in victory we never sell anything. But what what

we we want to accomplish now is that to show

you what's in the heart of Jesus Christ, what's in

what's in this heart? What makes his heart tick? I

remember John D. Rockefeller, one of the industrialists who built America,

when ask how much money is enough money? You know what?

You know what he said, just a little bit more.

The the sinful heart that we have is always wants more, more, more,

and it goes out of the way. Also, okay, more, okay.

If I help you, what do I get in return?

And sometimes when what do I get in return, it's

much more than we actually give. Sometimes in beginning I

think and take that interest love. How Peter said in

Second Corinintances eight verse nine, we said, for you know

the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he

was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so

that by so that you, by his poverty, might become rich.

We are rich. We have everything. We have the Gospel

of Jesus Christ to spend. We have the love that

is abundant in us to share. Not everything is about money.

I remember my son Jello. They're in a private school.

And what I love about their private school is a

part of their value is compassion. And every year since

since he was in grade four. They would actually have

time with the poor. He has gone through Believed prison

for the past three years in a row. He would

go there. Yesterday, he just came from Paiatas. He spent

a whole morning with the family and supervise. Okay, it

was just one teacher and there's a group of them there. Okay,

the parents, we were not there. And I love, I

love about one time from his experience when he went

to Fabelia Maternity Hospital. Fabelia Maternity Hospital, if you don't

know Fabelia, it's one of the biggest hospital that houses

I'm a big maternity hospital, nak Okay. It's so big

that that when he was there, there was one bed

for three mothers, Yes, one for three mothers, and and

and and he came out, actually he came out literally crying.

And when it was his brother's turn to go in,

he told Monty, my second son, he said, you know, Monty,

when you go and experience what I experienced inside that hospital,

you will come out a different person. There has to

be an awakening in our heart Church. Maybe our hearts

are already so callous us every time we turn on the television. Actually,

when you go in the street. There are peddlars everywhere.

Somebody knocking on your on your window. You know. I

want to also admonish the parents here. I I I

grew up. I grew up in Benondo and we we

live in a building. Sorry, we live in a building

third floor, so we have we we will live there.

But every time I open my window, the stair of

Benondo is right there, I can see people living in

a box. Ge Refrigerator. You never this, Jason ge Refrigerator, Union,

Baha Union, see Arnila La but Malissa Mahamagula. They would

just cover themselves if they want to relieve themselves, ge

g Refrigerator. So you would know, right I was actually

checking them out early on in our lives, we've seen

that poverty is all around. But my prayer is that

you will not let your heart be callous. You would

do something about this. Parents, I want to admonish all

of you as well. Open the eyes of our children,

let them know and let them know that as Christians

we have a responsibility. We have a responsibility. We have

to go out of our way. Compassion is intentional, It's

very intentional. I love in how Luke said it. 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 and release the captives and

the regaining of the sight of the blind, to set

free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the year

of the Lord's favor. It's upon us. We have to

be intentional. It's intentional. I love how Bishop Manny. I

learned this from Bishop Manny when he said, before you

can actually preach the gospel to the people, you have

to know and you have to touch their felt needs first,

and gospel while Ian magret Repellian story. In one of

our kids' church, I remember one of our guards I

could never forget his name, Noel, when he allowed a

group of Muslim kids from the third floor. Na it's

like a playground for for for kids and maham Matin

dera Matin like the Beta here on the other side.

And one time one of the kids was was intrigued

and asked and as one of our guards Noel. Noel

is no longer in our church and he's in different

church now and when they ask him, can I go in?

And actually he was not allowed to let him in

but out of compassion. He said, yeah, just go. After

fifteen minutes, the girl came back with five of her

friends somewhereing veil mahaka Belloslim. She saw that there were

that they were actually serving food inside cupcakes and they

were able to go to church. And right now they're

totaling around fourteen or fifteen. Give and take. Show compassion,

show genuine compassion. You have to touch first their failed needs.

There were times that I was actually preaching them. There

Muslim kids in front of me, and they were laughing

at me because they couldn't understand. But once they received

the food, they started eating U biscuits, long biscuits, jolly yeah,

the jolly biscuits. And I sat with them and I

reinforced what I thought the taught them about Jesus Christ.

They received the Lord. Touch their failt needs first. Before

you can actually preach the gospel to them, God will

make way. God would actually give you boldness and confidence

and even words to say. Next. Truth and lies about compassion.

The lie is that God helps those who help themselves.

But the truth is God commands us the church to

help those who can't help themselves. What we do is

that okayda baha lay. But we have to do. What

we need to do is to go out of our way.

The lie here is that no, that's why they're helpless.

We need to help them. Think about this. We were

actually helpless. That's why God had to send his son

for you and I because no amount of good, the works,

no amount of anything on our end could earn our

way to heaven. We were helpless. We were helpless. Now

it takes us to move. Now we need to move.

God helps the helpless. It would take you and I

to be assault and light to be the bearer of

good news. In Proverbs twenty one, verse thirteen said whoever

shuts their ears to the Christ of the poor will

also cry out and not be answered. Won't be answered

when you see, there was a time when I stopped

giving alms to the poor on the street. There was

somebody who told me region I and babalikan. But then

again I remembered every time they knock and you see

your face, sometimes I see a reflection of my children

just looking out and us not doing anything. I'm not

saying take them in one, all of them, but I'm praying,

is that are we doing something? Here's my take on generosity.

We are so generous when the Christmas season arrives. But

Christmas season is only one month in a span of

one year twelve where there's actually twelve months. Generosity has

to be every day. It has to be intentional, and

it has to be continuous. Being compassionate means every day.

I remember C. S. Lewis in his code. I do

not believe one can settle how much we ought to give.

I'm afraid the only safe rule is to give more

than we can spare, give until it hurts. Sometimes attendasawa

when there are when when they are old things in

the house, I would hear them say, I know, I know.

My point is we can't use them anymore. Why do

you have to give it to other poor people? Why

throw them away? Yes, do a garage heal and then

get the money and then help other people. Don't give

them trash, don't give them things that for you are

unusable anymore. Go back again to what God did. He

gave his one and only son, He gave his very best.

Jesus gave his own life. Last. Truth and lies about

compassion is that compassion is his ministry for the select few.

What do you call this? Uh? A chosen few. Like

Fundraising Foundation, it's just for them. The truth is compassion

should be a lifestyle for all Christians. Again, remember what

efficients do. Verse then said that we are made for

good works. That sometimes as we grieve for for our government,

I'm not saying that they're perfect. They need help as well,

they need our prayers. But then not everything is for

our government to accomplish. As a church, we have to

be in the forefront. Hind w No, we have to

be in the forefront. Why wait for the government to

move whereas we are as we as the church, we're

called to be in the forefront. We need to leave

this society. Awareness to the plight of the poor and

those suffering. Social injustice does something to our heart, and

my prayer is that it awakens our heart in fee.

John three seventeen to eighteen says, if anyone has material

possessions and sees a brother or sister in need, but

has no pity on them, how can the love of

God be in that person? Dear children, let us not

love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.

It has to be seen. There has to be a fruit,

It has to manifest what we say. There has to

be an action what we pray for, we have to

move as well. And again I want to exhort you

and want to remind everybody that our compassion is possible

because of christis mercy, love, grace and kindness. This mercy, love,

grace and kindness, it's in us already because of what

He has done and that cross. The challenge now is

how to be, how to be a channel of blessing.

You're ready blessed, We're beloved. We're no longer dead anymore,

no longer disobedient. Now we are alive. Now, we are

made alive. Now the love of Christ overflows in and

through us. My also prayer is that if you're on

the other end, Combos giantidito, it's nearing our the end

of the end of another school year, do not lose hope.

Elena Peis is not just one of those stories that

we pick. There are hundreds, even probably thousands of stories

out there that when they they learned about their salvation

and their calling in Christ, they made it big. And

again they made it big, not just for themselves, but

to be a blessing to others. Let me close with

this verse in fee John three sixty wh it said

by this, we know love that he laid down his

life for us, and we ought to lay down our

lives for our brothers. Thank you Jesus, we counted as

a blessing to be part of this church, to be

part of this movement, Lord God, that that just honor

you and make disciples, but rather go out of our way,

Lord God Lord, to make sure that we are in

the forefront. Father, I pray right now to those who give,

to those who serve, to those who who who like

teacher Lynn, Lord God, I pray Lord that you will

draw them out Father, for them, Lor God, to be

used more to advance your kingdom. Father, I pray Lord

that we because because of your selfless love, Father, we

can do all of these things. Lord, I pray right

now for our nation to be transformed. Use each and

every scholar. Lord. Even pray, Lord God for our church

here in Victory Greenhills, Lord God, to produce scholars, to

have scholars, Lord God, Lord, that you can use Lord.

I pray Lord that all of us, Lor God, will

be a beacon of life. Father, I pray Lord that

we will be sought and light Lord in our own homes.

You know, Church it doesn't. It doesn't take a lot

of us, or it doesn't. Sometimes it doesn't take you

to be in a be in a foundation or create

a foundation. Actually it starts in your own home. So Father,

I pray this, Lord God Lord, that we will go

all out Lord yet in reaching people in our own homes. Father,

I pray Lord even I'm behind them, and Lord God

Lord malilam te mamahalangdios at the time mummulas Amen. Father

even pray Lord God for our for our community, Lord God,

where we are, for our for our school. Lord God, Lord,

let be let us be the beacon of beacon of life.

And Lord, I pray Lord that at the end of

the day, Lord, all this Lord we do would give

you and you glory. Father. So Lord use us. Father,

Can I ask everybody to just raise up your hands. Father,

thank you Lord, because we counted not more than the privilege,

but rather, Lord God, let it be our life right now,

LORGD for us to go out, for us to share

who you are and to love God others completely. Father,

So Lord use us.

Thank you for listening to this message. For more messages

like these from other Victory centers, please visit victory dot org,

pH Slash Resources, Slash Podcasts.

Thank you for listening.

We hope that you enjoyed today's episode.

Don't forget to share and subscribe to this podcast for more.

God bless you all,