Hello friends, It is great to have you here again!
For the past few weeks, we have been extrapolating the real-life implications of the characteristic nature of the fruit of the spirit.
We started the series with a two-part letter on love: I love you, and what does it take to feed his sheep? In the following weeks, we discussed joy (with Chara: The Liberating Joy of the Holy Ghost, then peace by looking at the biological and spiritual roots of fear with Unfazed, and our last letter was centred on four ways the virtue of patience must be manifested in this rush-hour year with Patience. This week, we shall be treading the less-trodden path by discussing some ways we have been hindered from expressing kindness as Christians.
The most obvious characteristic of any creature is the ability to understand another human's feelings. Every animal is capable of deciphering the feelings of their fellow animal. A dog can understand the whining of another dog; a goat can understand the bleating of another; a lion can understand the roar of another; and so on. And they can understand it more than any other creature outside their species. However, it is left to each animal to decide how they respond to what is being communicated.
Without a doubt, for a deeper level of communication and human interaction, a reasonable amount of learning and observation must be invested in understanding the nitty-gritty of emotional and social intelligence. But I believe that you don’t need to drown yourself in the multitudes of psychobooks to show compassion for your neighbour or stranger (when you can).
It takes love to be compassionate—an unbiased love for humanity. It takes loving everyone we know, just as we should love ourselves. It doesn’t require all that discipleship or spiritual impartation. It might seem strange to say it this way, but we see many unbelievers express compassion more than some Christians would. The parable of the good samaritan Jesus told the scribe in Luke 10:25–37, where the wounded man by the road was ignored by the priest, Levite, but delivered by a samaritan (a pagan gentile), explains that fact.
However, the lesson here is not always spoken about, which is how Christians get overwhelmed in the work of sharing the gospel, judging bad deeds, rebuking sinners, casting out demons, tithing mint, anise, and cummin (herbs of the littlest value), and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy (Matt. 23:23).
Many times, we always lose track of the real identification of being a disciple of Christ. Our redemption does not find expression in becoming wealthy, battling demons, and conquering territories. “I give you a new commandment,” Jesus said. “By this, everyone will know that you are My true disciples if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.” He continued.
Here is a balance, we can not do any of these important aspects of Christianity without the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. However, we ignore the little things and we are in a kingdom where these seemingly minor issues are majors.
For our dear life of devotional fervour, Jesus asks, “What is written in the law? How do we interpret it?” (Luk 10:26)
How far has religion gone?
We overlook a roadside beggar, fearing incursion from a dark realm, which is a pity for all our spiritual exercise and public showdown in church.
We rebuke the poor among us, basing their poverty on their spiritual unseriousness. This begs me to ask: What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, why do you brag as if you did not receive it as a gift? (1 Cor 4:7)
We have seen more reasons why we should invest our resources in respected members among us so they get richer, and the invalids and unheard-of should remain so. We shouldn’t get to the last day before we receive this reminder:
Jesus rebuked them, saying, For when you saw me hungry, you gave me no food, and when you saw me thirsty, you gave me no drink. I had no place to stay, and you refused to take me in as your guest. When you saw me poorly clothed, you closed your hearts and did not clothe me. When you saw that I was sick, you didn’t lift a finger to help me, and when I was imprisoned, you never came to visit me.’
Many would wonder when Jesus was in need and they didn’t attend to his needs (I mean our churches even say Jesus can never be in need, lol). “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment (Matt 22:35–46)
kindness is surely not the only way to heaven, but the lack of it is a sure way out.
I was led to minister to a brother sitting in his retail shop several months ago. A little into the conversation, I learned he was more versed than me in religious and history books and had even won competitive awards in theology. He wasn’t ready to receive any more chat about how Jesus came to save him from sickness and disease and how he should attend my church if he truly wanted to receive his blessing. He must have had such encounters with a flier-sharing evangelist who wanted to sweet talk him into being her guest at church that day (because evangelism these days is just affiliate marketing and referral programs). Many evangelise for commissions, not their passion to see the lost one saved. He went gun-blazing, arguing that the Jesus idea was a historical scam and so on. However, I let him rant and introduced him to the lover in the messiah and how the gospel I preach is born out of an unbiased love from the creator and lived by the creature. After explaining the concept of God’s love to him with the help of the Holy Spirit, we later reached a point of agreement. I was skeptical about a follow-up, but he asked for my contact details and said he’d like to continue the journey. He then confessed that he had given me an audience because there was no flier in my hand inviting him to another power-packed service.
Another way religion has fallen short of the standard of kindness is by casting aspersions. We take so much pride in our spiritual state, as though it were our power. Or look with disgust at the infidels and depraved among us without making the slightest effort, like saying a prayer of salvation for them. It gets worse when a hypocrite (peddler of small lies, foul speaking, hate, complaints, and murmurs) hands out condemning words, hailing judgements on them as though we aren’t going to be judged according to the same measure by which we judge others. (Matt 7:2).
You judge those who do wrong, but you do wrong yourselves. Do you think you will be able to escape the judgment of God? He has been very kind and patient, waiting for you to change, but you think nothing of his kindness. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and lives. Romans 2:3-4 New Century Version (NCV)
‘You aren’t as bad as they are, or you are knowledgeable enough to know that you have been freed from the shackles of sin (congratulations, thumbs up)’. It is pride to judge sinners. The Bible allows us to judge sin (addressing such acts in condemnation), but why don’t we lead with love on the first foot and correction and guidance on the second when reaching out to the person enslaved by the sin?
What do I do?
Whenever I have to relate to humans, I ask God for the grace to show his love in the best way I can. I realise that I was once lost, and his mercies found me. So on that basis, the Holy Spirit grants me the humility to lead with love.
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. Galatians 6:1-3 The Message (MSG)
Watch what you say to others
The drive a person needs to go forward and the discouragement a person needs to stop advancing lies in our tongues.
Raise people when you talk; let your conversation be seasoned with grace and hope.
Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. Colossians 4:5-6 The Message (MSG)
Watch how you treat others
There is always a reason for giving up an opportunity to do good. Such a lifestyle is not convenient.
The truth is that we cannot help everybody because we must be prudent and accountable. We must be careful of toxic generosity and careful of teaching the taker that all there is to life is consumption and not contribution.
However, in certain cases, these are excuses to support our show of unkindness. Let us watch it.
Do not say go and be clothed without contributing to his buying clothes (James 2:15). Some of these things cost money, not prophecy.
The goal should be to leave everybody in a better state than when they met you. It must not always be in a happier state, but a better one. Such that they would see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matt 5:16). Sometimes, if you don’t know what to do, you can make an effort to ask. Jesus was talking about lifting a finger to help earlier, so even if you can’t save everybody, remember that you have ten fingers.
God is ready to assist you in this journey
God is the One who gives seed to the farmer and bread for food. He will give you all the seed you need and make it grow so there will be a great harvest from your goodness. He will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely. And your giving through us will cause many to give thanks to God. This service you do not only helps the needs of God’s people, it also brings many more thanks to God. It is a proof of your faith. Many people will praise God because you obey the Good News of Christ—the gospel you say you believe—and because you freely share with them and with all others. And when they pray, they will wish they could be with you because of the great grace that God has given you. Thanks be to God for his gift that is too wonderful for words. 2 Corinthians 9:10-15 New Century Version (NCV)
Dear believer, when he says, “Love your neighbour,” it comes without bias. To fulfil the law, we must be compassionate to all.
“Which of the three [priest, Levite, or Samaritan] proved [do you recognize as] neighbour [one who is kind, helpful, etc.] to the victim of the robbery?”1 (Lk. 10:36).
The scribe responded: “He who showed compassion.”
“You go and do likewise,” Jesus said (Lk. 10:37).
In my opinion, to be compassionate or kind, you would need to:
Be human, that is, have flesh and blood, heart and conscience
If you have to read a book, I can only recommend a few:
The Bible by the Holy Spirit
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim
Were you blessed?
Who Was the Good Samaritan? (2024). Christian Courier. https://christiancourier.com/articles/who-was-the-good-samaritan
Hey Shittu- my dad's been writing a substack blog about gospel-centered mentoring, but he hasn't been able to get many eyes on it. Can you take a look and maybe give him some feedback?
https://authormatthewdoebler.substack.com/p/gospel-centered-mentoring-believes