I wanna thank Dr. Bill for the privilege and the honor of being here today. I certainly wanna thank my wife for the support that she gives. I'm gonna introduce her. That's my wife in the back. If you'll raise your hand or stand up, that's my wife, Missy, if you don't know her. Ladies, I'd love for you to get a chance to know her. She really has a heart for ministry. And I'll tell you, I wouldn't be where God has me today without her, certainly without the Lord. But let me tell you this, fellas. Look forward to marriage. Don't rush into it, but look forward to it. You can turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9. I heard a story one time told about a Navy SEAL that was on leave and found himself waiting for a seat at a restaurant. And he leans across the way and he asked the guy sitting across from him, he says, hey, have you heard about the one about two Marines and a sailor flying to Atlanta? The guy responds, listen, before you tell that, you should know that I'm about six foot tall, I weigh 200 pounds, and I'm a Marine. And the guy sitting next to me is 6'3", he's 225, and he's a Marine. Now, are you sure you still want to tell that joke? The sailor sizes him up and he says, nah, I don't want to have to explain it three times. Now, consequently, I just want to let you know, John, I'll be up front later if you need me to explain that later. You can bring a couple of your friends if you need to. Listen, God's good, isn't he? I have the great privilege of ministering alongside of some of the giants that had such a tremendous impact in my life while I was here. Again, I appreciate the opportunity that Dr. Beal has given for me to be here, and I'm so thankful for the stand that Ambassador Baptist College has had through the years and continues to have today. You know, I received a precious education. I really prized the education that I received while I was here. But, you know, there's something that I got from here that I did not get just from classroom lectures. You're not going to remember every lecture and every lesson that you've learned while you're in these hallowed halls. And as important as those lessons are, This college gave me something that has been so much more helpful and important than just those individual lessons. Now listen, by the way, those lessons are important. Don't throw those outlines or class notes away. I'm not saying they're not valuable because they are and you just might find yourself referring back to them as a resource one day. But you know what I learned here while I was here that I believe was so important? I learned how to study the Bible. You see, all those classes gave me a foundation. They gave me a grasp on God's word, but the tools that those instructors put in my hands have allowed me to make these truths mine. Listen, don't just learn to regurgitate some answers back on a quiz or a test. Learn God's word while you're here, but more than that, Learn how to study God's Word, how to apply God's Word to your life. You know, there is one thing I did not learn while I was here at Ambassador. It's not because of a deficiency in some part of the college. It is because that it cannot be imparted in a classroom. The culture here, I believe, promotes it. The faculty pushes it, and I believe demonstrates it. Godly men and ladies can only reach the world and minister effectively while employing it. You see, there's not a class or a course that can adequately convey it, or even a chapel message that could fully instill it. Because without it, you're never going to accomplish anything, anything worthwhile for God in ministry. What component that, if missing, is going to render all your schooling useless and your education nothing more than a piece of paper? What is it? Well, I'll tell you this morning. It's compassion. Compassion. Compassion is the engine that drives passionate and powerful ministry. You know, there's six different Greek words alone that are translated compassion in our New Testament. The Greek word we're going to look at this morning is translated moved with compassion. It's splantnizomai. If you can ever learn how to say it, it's kind of fun. I was going to have you all try it, but I know it'd just be me saying it again, all right? But what is this splanchnizomai? This verb is used only 12 times in the New Testament, and it's from a word that means our inward parts, like our liver, our lungs, things like that, our intestines. And so, we understand that in Bible times, the Greeks believed that our intestines, those inward parts, the bowels, were the very seat of our emotions. So ladies, don't be surprised when that special guy finally opens up and he says, darling, I love you from the bottom of my spleen. All right, he's just being biblical. He's being biblical. Yeah, I don't think I'll be having anybody come to me for dating advice. I understand that. Now we commonly use the idea of our heart being the center or the seat of our emotions. But there are still some traces, even in English, that we understand that our intestines still carries a deep, deep emotional movement, if you will. Certainly you've heard someone say, I've got a gut feeling about this, right? Or maybe you've seen something that was devastating in your life and you said it was absolutely gut-wrenching, right? You were deeply moved by it. This word compassion carries with it the idea of being deeply moved in response to another person's plight. It's a deep awareness and sympathy for someone else's suffering. Let me tell you, I believe that compassion is the foundation of ministry. And so with that in mind, we must realize that compassion is a love for people that absolutely grips your soul. But then it motivates you to do something about it. That's why it's important this morning to remember that people is ministry. You say, that doesn't sound like good grammar. It's not. Don't worry, I've already warned Mrs. Mason before we got started. It's bad grammar, but it's good theology. Someone once wrote that compassion moved the Lord Jesus to associate Himself with sinners in Matthew 9, 13, and thus attracted them to Himself in Luke 15, 1. Compassion moved the Lord to liberate mankind from the cold, dead legalism of the Pharisees in Matthew 12, 7. It's compassion that moved the Lord Jesus to a ministry of healing diseases and infirmities in Matthew 14, 14. Compassion is what moved the Lord Jesus to feed the hungry masses in Matthew 15, 22. It was compassion that moved the Lord Jesus to restore the sight of those blind beggars in Jericho in Matthew 20.34. It was compassion that moved the Lord Jesus to touch the untouchable leper, healing him in Mark 1.41. Compassion moved the Lord Jesus to raise the widow's son from the dead in Luke 7.13. And so it is the words that Christ spoke shows us that what proceeded from him was a life deeply affected by those to whom He identified with us by becoming human flesh. He suffered with us and ultimately died for us. And so by His demonstration, our Lord, by His very actions, understood that people is ministry. The real question that we're going to have to grapple with this morning in our own hearts is, when was the last time that we were moved with compassion to do anything? We are motivated by deadlines. We are motivated by to-do lists. We are motivated to accomplish just for the sake of accomplishment. And we look at our syllabuses, our syllabi, excuse me. We look at all the different things that we have going on. We look at our calendar and our schedule, and that all motivates us. And we have scheduled compassion right out of the ministry. The Puritan preacher of old, Richard Baxter, said this, Brethren, can you look believingly on your miserable people, and not perceive them calling to you for help? Can you see them as the wounded man by the way and unmercifully pass by? We're not going to take time to look this morning, but this very word is used to describe the father that is waiting for the prodigal. Seeing him afar off in the distance, his father had compassion and hugged and kissed his son and ultimately killed the fatted calf. You see, when we fail to have compassion, when we are not gripped to the absolute core of our being with the plight of lost sinners or those struggling in our churches, it changes the entire motivation of the ministry before us. You see, a lack of compassion renders an after-hours visit to be a bother rather than to be a blessing. A lack of compassion will turn your studying into nothing more than an academic exercise. A lack of compassion will turn your soul winning into a one day a week drudgery rather than an everyday passion. Because ministry is going to be nothing more to you than an occupation or just another J-O-B. You see, when we are compassionless, we can become guilty of professionalism. You say, what is that? Ministry requires money and education. That's what we start thinking. That's the fallacy that we start believing and we start gauging the success of our ministry on the size of our budget and on the amount of degrees hanging on the wall. When we are compassionless, we can become guilty of ritualism. That means ministry only happens on scheduled days. Saturday is the only day that I'm going to witness. Sunday is the only day that I'm going to worship God. Wednesday is the only time I'm going to study my Bible. Do you understand that when we get into this ritualism, we limit ministry to a place or a time we're going to limit our ability to help people in their greatest hour of need? When we are compassionless, we can become guilty of intellectualism. That's when ministry becomes primarily about the pursuit or the impartation of knowledge. Can I say just a quick word to some of you that have been teaching, some for years, and some really are just getting into the groove of things here? You know, you can train a group of people that can recite creeds and facts and quote reams of verses, and you know this, but you can train them without compassion, and it's going to be lifeless and inert. Continue to give them the facts that they need to pass the classes, but listen, continue, continue to give them the burden that you have for souls. Let the fountain of your burden to reach others flow into their lives. Let your desire to meet the needs of people be a constant reminder and challenge to them that ministry is people. I thank God for the teachers and professors here that have compassion, not only for the lost, but for the students that are here and for their community. You know, General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was asked by Queen Victoria of England to meet with her. And because she had heard so many favorable things about his work in the slums, she asked him for the secret of his success. Your Majesty, he replied, some men have a passion for money. Some people have a passion for things. I have a passion for people. You see, the real idea behind Splat Neitzamai is not just a deep stirring of the emotions. It is a deep stirring, but it's followed by action. Eight out of the 12 New Testament uses describes the emotions of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And if we're to see our need to love people, to be filled with compassion, we need to go no further than the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, to see the impact that His compassion had on those to whom He ministered. You see, I believe if you will minister with compassion, you will intercede for others. Turn your Bibles, if you will, to Matthew 9, verses 35 through 38. It says, And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in the synagogue, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them. because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep, having no shepherd. Then, saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into the harvest." I realize you've just gotten through your missions conference, and I have no doubt someone might have touched on this verse in this passage, praying for laborers. But what is the motivation of your prayers? Is it just simple obedience? That's not a bad start. But I don't know that you'll reach fervency in your prayers with that alone. You see, Jesus saw the multitude. He knew that they were lost and undone and away from God. They had no one to show them the way. Look up where it says, as sheep having no shepherd. That word shepherd is the same idea as pastoring. They had no one to care for their soul. So, what did he do? Did he start complaining that, you know, I've got to spend a few hours a week trying to reach these lost souls? Did he look for a way to get out of organized soul winning because he was just too busy? No. He did something. Not only did he reach out to those people, he prayed. But not only did he pray, he showed others and got others together and began praying that these people would be reached. Listen, I know you have a missions prayer band. I know that some of you get together from time to time. Let me encourage you in that. Listen, if it's important enough for the Lord Jesus Christ to give us a prayer request, the only one he's commanded us to pray for, and is motivated by his compassion, seeing those people that are lost and away from God. Do you think we ought to get together and pray that God would send forth laborers? When was the last time you were so moved with compassion that you begged God to send forth laborers? To pray for lost souls, to pray for those that you worship with on a weekly basis. You know, the truth is, every preacher that I know wants to have the ability and even the acclaim of George Whitefield. But I'll tell you this, I believe there are a few of us alive today that have his compassion. His compassion was so ingrained into his very soul. He had compassion that permeated every fiber of his tireless, itinerant preacher's body. He said this once. You blame me for weeping, but how can I help it when you will not weep for yourselves? Although your own immortal souls are on the verge of destruction, for aught I know you are hearing your last sermon and may nevermore have an opportunity to have Christ offered to you. Therein lies the secret of Whitfield's success. It was not his capabilities. It wasn't his ability. It was his compassion for lost souls. His love and concern for people drove the engine of his ministry. Listen, I promise you this. If you do not have compassion for lost souls, you'll not long pray for laborers. When we remember that people is ministry, We'll be motivated to pray for those that need the Savior, to pray for those that are struggling, for those that need an encouraging word. Turn your Bibles over to Matthew chapter 14, if you will. Matthew 14, 14. I believe that if we're going to have compassion, we will, excuse me, I believe that compassion will motivate us to intercede for sinners, but I believe it will also help us to identify struggles in others. Matthew 14, 14 says, and Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. Verse 15 begins, and when it was evening, his disciples came to him saying, and they go on and talk about how they need to get the crowd something to eat. But I want you to see what he did. He healed their sick. He did something about their plight. He wasn't just gripped or moved, he just didn't look out and say, oh look, there are some people that need something, I hope they find it. He did something about it. That stirring in his soul caused a reaction or an action, if I could put it that way. He was moved with compassion, and then he was moved with action. I've said it a couple times, but I want you to get this idea in your mind that true compassion is not just seeing a need and moving on with your life like you've just visited some kind of museum and saw the display of suffering and you move right along and it has no effect on you whatsoever. True compassion always moves us to do something about that person's plight. We need to identify when somebody is going through a struggle. I believe the first part of identifying a problem is to observe someone. I worked maintenance at a factory out in Rutherfordton when I was going through Bible college. There are so many different kinds of machines. They made all these plumbing fixtures. All of the machines were made somewhere else. So we didn't have really any drawings, and the only schematics that we had were in Italian. So they were no help to me whatsoever. So when something broke, it would be my responsibility to get it back up so the operator could continue making whatever piece that machine was supposed to break. And the only way I could figure out what that machine was supposed to do was to watch it, even in its limited capacity. to see and try to figure out what it was supposed to do and how or why it's not doing it now. You know, I believe people, excuse me, preachers must be people watchers. Just as the cashier is watching what goes by her scanner, we can learn so much about people simply by observing them. We can't fail to observe people. Listen, I have a mechanic that watches my car, that watches over my car, is that right? But I'm watching out for his soul. Others are too preoccupied, and you'll find this in the ministry, they'll be occupied with their own lives to care so much for mine or for yours, but that's okay because you've taken up the mantle of ministry. Our calling makes us our brother's keeper, and we must be on the lookout for them. You know, there's a lot of places you can go to study people. You can go to the airport, the playground, go to Walmart. Those are all very true, but what about the very pews to which you're going to preach from week to week? You know, it's been said that there's no place where humans tread where the preacher cannot learn something about them. I read a story about a preacher who wept at a football stadium while thousands of people were cheering, and they were engrossed in the game. They were involved in the action on the field, but he was involved in the lives of desperation. That is compassion. Here in verse 14, Jesus is healing. Now, listen, I readily admit that we're not going to be healing people physically of their problems. But the word translated heal is therapeutic. Does that sound familiar to you? It would be translated therapy today. And so while you cannot physically heal someone, you can identify someone going through a difficult time and give a therapeutic encouragement to that person that is struggling. You can give a verse, you can give a promise from scripture, sometimes you can just give a listening ear or maybe some encouraging words. You can help heal a sin-sick soul by pointing them to your Savior. But it must not be observation only. To identify, you must observe or have observation and you must have oration. Look again at verse 15, if you would. And when it was even, evening. There, really tells me there was a great investment of time. He could have easily said, all y'all be healed. Is that right? Listen, I'm not being disrespectful. The Lord is absolutely all powerful. And he could have, he didn't even have to say that. He could have just thought it and they would have left rejoicing in their healing. But it says that, It took all day into the evening. Are you too busy to have compassion? If you think that getting a degree is going to automatically give you compassion, you're gonna be sorely disappointed when you get out into ministry. And if you're too busy to have compassion now, let me just say this, you are too busy. If you think that you can wait to love people until after you finish your degree, you're missing out on opportunities for God to use you to minister to the needs that people has allowed you to influence in their lives. So do you wanna look back on your time in college and realize that you were so busy that you didn't do anything for the Lord other than accumulate information? I'll tell you, I don't see that anywhere in scripture. You should be ministering now. You are in ministry now. You know, I believe there's another very important point that we can infer from this. He did it individually. Oh, listen, he must have listened to them one by one as they told him their problem. I wonder how many of them ask him what their problems were, what his problems might be. I don't think he was waiting for that. We're so often in search of big crowds. Now listen, it says clearly in this verse that Christ had compassion on the multitudes, but do you understand that he dealt with them individually? One author powerfully asks this litany of questions, are we like Christ? Or are we aloof from the everyday drudgery of mankind? Do we despise the afflicted, loathe the godless, flee the needy, avoid the helpless, fear contamination by the perverse, and shut up our hearts from the pain of identifying with the hurts of others? Well, my friends, if you want to have an effective ministry, you are going to have to be able to identify problems and struggles that people are going through. and look for a way to alleviate those as much as you can. Intercede for sinners. Allow your compassion to identify struggles in others, but also let compassion cause us to imitate our Savior. Turn your Bibles forward just a couple of pages further to Matthew chapter 18, verse 27. It says, then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. Now, I'm not gonna take time to start from the beginning of this parable. I believe it's familiar with most of you here. The Lord is giving a parable of the unforgiving servant. But in this part of the story, the master, by the way, that is he which represents God in the story, is forgiving someone a debt that they could never repay on their own. And hearing of this servant's dilemma, he forgave the servant the entire debt. His compassion, his love for that person caused him to forgive that person's debt. You realize when somebody does you wrong, in a very real sense, they are indebted to you because they have wronged you. And when you are forgiving them, you are releasing that debt. We are never more like our Savior than when we forgive. When we imitate His forgiveness on others, God is glorified. Compassion for others will cause you to forgive. You see, one day, you're gonna have a bad day in ministry. And it may turn into a bad week. I hope never, but it could turn into a bad month. I've never experienced that. Praise the Lord. But it could happen, I imagine. Someone will quit on you, someone else may accuse you of things that you've not done, maybe of things you've never even thought of doing. You'll be battered and bruised, and you'll not only take it because you love them, you love them more than you love your pride, you'll forgive them. Even while you are asking them to forgive you. even if they never asked. You'll be gripped at the very core of your being, wanting God's very best for them, and you will remember in that time, I hope, that people is ministry. As a matter of fact, those of you that are running the soundboard, if you're able to slide it past Brother Hankey, I'd like that to be the title. of the message this morning. We need to intercede for sinners. We need to identify their struggles. We need to imitate our Savior. You know, those are only three of the 12 verses that have Splach Nitzumai in it. And each verse sheds just a little more light on this deeply moving and motivating word. That is just one of the Greek words translated compassion in the New Testament. There are another five in Greek and four more in Hebrew for a total of 41 different times the word compassion is used in our Bible. Let me tell you this, if you try to be in ministry without having compassion, you'll be like the new recruit that was at basic training. You're standing there at attention, And his company commander was just yelling at him, chewing him out. And suddenly the company commander just stopped. And he said, you know what? Yelling does not work with you. And so he left him standing at attention for about 45 minutes and just walked away. After about 45 minutes, he comes back and he's holding a plant, a little small tree, almost a shrub in this pot. He sticks it out to that new recruit and he takes it. Dare not ask why. But he gets this answer. He says, I'm done yelling at you. It doesn't work. So instead, you're going to carry this tree with you wherever you go. And if anyone asks you why you're carrying this tree, you'll say this. It's to replace the oxygen I've stolen from everyone else. Your exertion. and your hard work and your study and those things that you do to fulfill the ministry obligations that God will lay before you will be vanity and fruitless without compassion. Your preaching and your teaching ministry will be a waste of oxygen because of your lack of love for people. Never, ever, ever forget that ministry is people. Thank you.