Last week I was challenged by a church planter who said, “we need to have a theology of conversion along with a theology of compassion.”

This statement struck a cord with me.

Jesus clearly articulated a theology of conversion. Matthew records Jesus as beginning his ministry with the statement, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Repentance is a key component to conversion.

We also see Jesus, all throughout the Gospels, living a life of compassion. Jesus met the physical and spiritual needs of those he encountered in his mission on Earth. A statement such as “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) demonstrates Jesus’ sense of compassion.

Without the theology of compassion, it is unlikely that non-believers will be willing to hear our theology of conversion. Jesus met the obvious need while pointing to the greater need. The greater need being a restored relationship with God. For example, in John 4:7-15, Jesus turned a conversation about water (an essential need) into a conversation about eternal life.

To live out a theology of compassion without pointing to the need for conversion provides short term relief but ignores the eternal.  If Jesus is who he said he is and if what he said about eternity is correct, then the stakes are very high and the eternal destiny of of those to whom we minister should weigh heavily in how we minister.

Both the theology of compassion and the theology of conversion must be operational for effective ministry to take place (Tweet This).

I read this paragraph this morning and thought it too good not to share:

“Prayer, in many ways, is the supreme expression of our faith in God and our faith and confidence in the promises of God (Tweet this). There is nothing that a man ever does which so proclaims his faith as when he gets down on this knees and looks to God and talks to God. It is a tremendous confession of faith. I mean by this that he is not just running with his requests and petitions, but if he really waits upon God, if he really looks to God, he is there saying, ‘Yes, I believe it all, I believe that you are a rewarder of them that diligently seek you, I believe you are the Creator of all things and all things are in your hands. I know there is nothing outside of your control. I come to you because you are in all this and I find peace and rest and quiet in your holy presence and I am praying to you because you are what you are.’ That is the whole approach to prayer that you fin d in the teaching of Scripture.”

– Martyn Lloyd-Jones from The Assurance of Salvation.

This morning, I started reading The Assurance of Salvation by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, which is an exposition of John 17, and ran across this paragraph:

“. . . I would argue that our Lord would never have uttered this prayer audibly unless he had intended that we should hear it and that we should be able to study it and, above all, that w should be able to grasp its teaching. He did not merely pray to God, he prayed audibly to God, and the disciples heard him. Thus the prayer was preserved, and it seems to me that in this we have a wonderful illustration of the kindness of our Lord in allowing his disciples to hear this prayer and in arranging that it should be recorded in this way.”

Earlier this week, I wrote about pitfalls in praying which broached the topic of corporate prayer. Having this in mind, what struck me about Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ comment is his emphasis on Jesus praying audibly. He prayed aloud and in the presence of his disciples.

If (since) we are comforted by hearing Jesus pray, it stands to reason that we can also be comforted and a comfort to others through praying together (Tweet this).

It is refreshing to know that someone is praying for you. It is more refreshing to hear him doing it. It is also encouraging to be in agreement with another through prayer. To know that another has the same concern and is also seeking God for intervention is helpful.

Even in giving thanks, hearing what someone else is thankful for is helpful. The expressed gratitude of others challenges my own self focus and ingratitude.

So while there are pitfalls in praying in a corporate setting, it is something that still should be done. The rewards are much greater than the risks.

In Luke 15, Jesus presents a picture of God as the loving father waiting for his rogue son to return. The father is not passively waiting, he is actively searching the horizon for sight of the son who was lost to him.

Contrast that picture with the idea of a vengeful God who is waiting to smite anyone and everyone who breaks his laws.

Certainly, the church is culpable in this in that we have misrepresented the very God we claim to worship. Too often the church has propagated rather than dispelled the idea that God is out to get sinners for their disobedience.

Other parts of the church have gone the far opposite extreme and presented God as accepting everyone on any terms. The idea of a Biblical standard of moral conduct is fluid and subject to the prevailing opinion of the surrounding culture.

So how do we find a balance?

In reading Romans a few days ago, I was struck by this verse:

“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4, ESV)

God is loving, kind, forbearing and patient. But these are also tempered by his holiness. He is the loving father waiting for the prodigal to return but he is still the father and manager of his domain.

We do well to emphasize the kindness of God. But that emphasis should lead us to repentance and not further rebellion (Tweet This).

In the story in Luke 15, one gets the sense that the relationship between the son and father has been restored. The son came to realize his stupidity in wasting his life and resources. The restoration of the relationship would not have caused a return of the rebellious attitude that had previously separated the father and son.

It was the kindness and goodness of the father that made the repentance of the son possible.

In the same way, we need to present God as the loving father who is waiting for all of us to turn to him. But our turning to him is initiated by our repentance. With proper understanding of the kindness and the holiness of God, repentance is the only reasonable response.

God’s kindness should lead us to repentance.