Conduit January 19/ Moved By Compassion

When Jesus stood in front of a large and growing crowd in Galilee Matthew tells us that he was “moved with Compassion”. (Matthew 14)

I’ve felt compassion. But being moved by it, that’s another thing. I’ve been moved by anger. I’ve been moved by fear, heck I’ve even been moved by joy. Being moved by compassion, that’s something that’s kind of new to me. It seems to be that there is a difference between feeling compassionate and being moved to action because of it. I felt compassion for a long time for the hungry, disenfranchised and poor but I ultimately changed the channel. That was then, this is now.

I swear I’m not making this up, but that phrase “moved by compassion” in the original Greek speaks of wretched bowels. My Greek lexicon states that the bowels were the seat of love and pity in the Jewish culture. It might explain how it was that Joseph’s “bowels did yearn” in talking about weeping for his brother and family. (Genesis 43)

Being moved with compassion in that context would speak of some urgency, purpose and single minded mission. (So for all of you doubter’s who have scoffed at me calling Conduit God’s toilet where we flush our resource’s into the system, might have to apologize to me.)

I guess for our more modern mental palate perhaps it would be better described as a kick in the gut. A feeling that makes you stop and take notice. A feeling that moves you to action.

It’s worth noting that Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the folks that were in need. As anyone who has stared suffering face to face can attest, seeing it changes everything. I personally have experienced that seeing it in person is more powerful than seeing it in pictures and video. There is something about holding a child in your arms that moves this information from your head to your heart.

Perhaps that’s why Jesus commanded us to “go”. If I’m just sitting at home, I’m not encountering need first hand. The book of Acts is aptly named because it was the actions of the early church as they moved from town to town, state to state, and country to country preaching the gospel and serving the needs of those they encountered.

It’s interesting to me that Jesus served the needs of these 4000 people based solely on His compassion. They didn’t ask Him to feed them. The Disciple’s sure weren’t operating in faith. He did it based on compassion. There are clearly times when Jesus was moved by and impressed by the faith of someone (ie the centurion) but Jesus, in His Grace was moved by compassion and healed the sick and fed the hungry in this crowd.

It honestly seems like the only prerequisite for the folks who were taken care of was that they were hanging out where Jesus was. That’s especially good news for you and I.

It’s my prayer that we might no more be moved by anger at the liberal media, or fear of what rogue states are cooking up for us. Instead might we as The Conduit, as the actual Body of Christ be moved with compassion and Jesus Himself was.

The results speak for themselves. Matthew 15:31 says that the response was that the multitudes “gave glory to God”.

Tomorrow night it’s time for Exodus 8. I love this chapter because it includes the infamous “tomorrow” statement from our man pharaoh. There are frogs everywhere from the ovens to their beds and when Moses asks him when he would like the transaction to go down, pharaoh says, “tomorrow”. He is asking for one more night with the frogs. We shall unpack that and many other things.

Hope to see you there.

Blessings,
Darren
www.darrentyler.com
www.conduitmission.org
remember you can donate online at the Conduit website or mail checks to
Conduit
256 Seaboard Lane C-103
Franklin, TN 37067
$15 feeds a child in Haiti for a month.

****HAITI BALL***

Please mark you calendars for January 31. The Haiti Ball kicks off at 7pm at Rocketown in down town Nashville. It’s a time that we’re gathering together to celebrate the hope we find in Christ. It’s a time to celebrate all the good things God is doing through Conduit in Jacmel Haiti.
In years past we’ve had several hundred people join us and raise several thousands of dollars. All of the proceeds go to Restoration Ministries in Jacmel, Haiti where hundreds of lives are impacted by our actions and like those in Matthew 15, are giving glory to God.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? Glad you asked.
1. buy your ticket in advance. You can do so at www.conduitmission .org they are $17
2. Change your Facebook or Myspace profile pic to the jpeg of the poster. You can rip it from the conduit website.
3. Donate your facebook status to promote the ball.
4. Post bulletins on your myspace or post notes on your facebook.
5. Donate your money. If you can’t make it, pray about making a donation anyway.
6. I have the video at www.youtube.com/darrentyler posting the video on your facebook or myspace or blog would be a great way to spread the word.
7. Bring your friends. There is a difference between inviting and bringing. Load up your car. It’s not just a date night, so feel free to come stag.
This has always been a great time to get dressed up, enjoy some time with a DJ spinning tunes eating free food and winning prizes all the while knowing it’s for a cause that’s way bigger. This year we have surprise musical guests that will rival anything we’ve done in the past. www.conduitmission.org for more information.