Compassionate Outreach Is Essential to Discipleship

As Christ-followers, we are to engage in Compassionate Outreach, so this is one of our Nazarene Discipleship International (NDI) core principles. God’s compassionate and redemptive love is foundational to discipleship and the appropriate motivation for Christian outreach. Whatever we do, wherever we are, we aim to intentionally influence non-Christians to experience God’s love. This is Jesus’ form of evangelism-discipleship.

Compassionate outreach reveals God’s deep love for humanity

The greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) motivate us to engage the world in compassionate outreach. As Paul wrote to the Philippian church, “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:1).

God is continually reaching outward

God’s prevenient grace prepares people’s hearts to receive salvation. The Church is sent into the world to participate with God in this ministry of love and reconciliation through compassionate evangelism.  

God’s Holy Spirit is the master evangelist in the world. While we share with a person what Jesus means to us, the Holy Spirit speaks to the person’s heart. It is a disciple’s care for nonbelievers, both local and global, that places a face and hand to God’s grace and love. Jesus challenges us to be involved in his compassionate outreach.

Compassionate outreach is every disciple’s calling

The challenge is for every disciple to faithfully live and love like Jesus. We are to be engaged in nurturing genuine relationships with others. A disciple’s authentic and loving relationship with non-believers is essential to communicating the beauty of God’s grace and salvation. While the Scripture calls us to maintain separation from the world (James 1:27, 4:4), it also calls us to love, witness, and win the lost to Christ. We are to be committed to the call of Jesus to be “fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). To “catch fish,” we have to go to where the “fish” are located.

When we are committed to witnessing to the lost and winning them to Christ, we are assured that the Holy Spirit goes before us. He prepares people to hear and receive the gospel. He works through circumstances in their lives and through their relationships to prepare them to understand their situation and God’s loving cure. The deepest truth is that compassionate outreach is God’s idea first. God yearns for restored relationship with these people even more than we do.

Prayerful preparation and engagement

Through a disciple’s prayerful and compassionate actions, God is reaching out and preparing hearts to receive salvation. As we pray, God inspires us to be actively engaged in the world. Through prayer, we participate in the Holy Spirit’s transforming power, both for ourselves and for our neighbors. Christ-followers need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide them to those who are in spiritual need. Then we need to pray for and actively care for them.

When disciples are in a compassionate relationship with non-believers, they are obeying Jesus’ command to go into all the world to proclaim the good news (Mark 16:15). That command comes with God’s empowerment as Jesus promises: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  

It is our hope that you are already finding ways to engage in compassionate outreach. Please share with us ways you are engaging in compassionate outreach in your journey with Jesus. You can contact me at dstanton@nazarene.org