Evidence of Compassion

In this session, Frampton Paul discusses the evidence of compassion in Acts chapter 2. The early disciples of the church were devoted to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, and prayers. They sold their possessions and shared with those in need. Their devotion and connection were fueled by the Holy Spirit. Devotion is not just surface level, but a deep commitment. The Spirit of the Lord led them to a higher level of devotion and compassion. Compassion follows our devotion and drives us to help others. The disciples' devotion was visible in their actions and interactions with each other. Being an evidence carrier means being devoted and committed to what God is doing. Praise the name of the Lord. Let me welcome you to this session, Speak the Word, I am Frampton Paul. Such a blessing to have you join us on today. As you can imagine, God has been good to us and I know he's been wonderful to you as well. For the past several weeks I've been sharing a teaching, Evidence Carries. So today we're going to continue that, but we are right in Acts chapter 2 and we're going to look at the evidence of compassion. The evidence of compassion. But before we do, I want us to pray. Let us pray together. For in the name that is above names, Jesus, the Christ, the Son of living God, I thank you for what you are about to do in this session. I thank you for the hearts that are going to be touched and the lives that are about to be transformed by the power of your word. It's your word that brings the change. It's the spirit work in the heart of men and women that creates lasting transformation. I thank you, Father, that we can rest on your word. We can rest on the instruction. We can rest upon the strength of the spirit doing his work in our lives. Today, open the eyes of your people, the minds and the hearts of every person listening. Let something powerful happen in their lives. I thank you for how you're doing it. And I praise you in the strong, the mighty name, Jesus, the Christ, amen and amen. So, such a blessing again to have every one of you. I want you to take this moment and invite someone to listen, like this session and share it. Someone needs to hear it. Glory to God. Today, I want to take you to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 2. We're going to focus on verse 42 unto 47. Let's hear what the word of the Lord would have to say to us as we read the scripture together. The Bible says, And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship and to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And all came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with gladness and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. I want us to focus on verse number 44 and 45. It says, And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as they had need. One of the things that I want us to see today is that as evidence carries, they didn't only devote themselves to the teaching of the apostles. They didn't only devote themselves to the fellowship of the believers and to prayers. But there was a unique, a very strong, a very strong sense of connection that the people experienced. The Holy Spirit was the bond. The power of the Spirit working in these people cemented them together, connected them together. He brought them together through the preaching and the teaching of the apostles. But it was the Spirit of the Lord that would keep them in fellowship. It was the Spirit of the Lord that brought them to the place where they were to devote or to give attention to what the apostles had been teaching and saying. What came out of this fellowship, what came out of this communion, what came out of this Christian community is a community that was really strong in compassion. In compassion. You can tell if the Spirit of the Lord is really at work in a community, in a faith community. And all you've got to do is to see how the people interact. The Holy Spirit, the evidence of the Holy Spirit in a group, in a church, in a ministry, is measured by how the people, it's how the people get along. It's not how much the people have individually. That's wonderful. But it's not how much we have individually, but how much of a community mindset that is developed. How much of an interaction, how much of a coming together, but also how much of a sharing together. Who is benefiting from that sort of connection? It was merged into an action. Compassion, as much as we want to talk about, is not compassion unless it is acted upon, unless it is an act of compassion that is carried out. Glory to God. One of the things about what God was doing with the disciples of the early church is recorded in Acts 2. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter is found preaching, and he preaches a very wonderful message. People call it a sermon, but he delivered the message. And when he delivered the message, the Bible tells us that God began to add to the church, to the group of people. God began to add to that faith community, the Christian community. And in that edition, the evidence of the Spirit was so powerful among them that the people devoted themselves to what was being taught. The people devoted themselves to fellowshipping with one another. The people devoted themselves in breaking of bread, and the people devoted themselves in prayers. It brings me to this realization that as evidence carries, there is a level of devotion that cannot be compromised. There's a level of devotion that cannot be undermined. There's a level of devotion that cannot be taken for granted. Because when we understand that we are evidence carriers, our devotion changes, our devotion shifts. Our devotion becomes not just one of the surface, but it takes on depth. Our devotion is now visible to others based on what we devote attention or time to. So, being an evidence carrier, your devotion and my devotion, my commitment and your commitment, the things that we are passionate about is visible. It is on display. And for these early disciples, their devotion was on display in the way that they handled what they heard from the apostles. Their devotion was on display in how they responded to others in that community, that immediate faith community. Their devotion was on display in the way that they went from house to house breaking bread. And their devotion was on display because they were now cemented in that whole connection of prayer. They prayed, they broke bread, they fellowshiped, and they continued without ceasing in what was taught to them by the apostles. You see, as evidence carriers, one of the things that we need to pay attention to is that the Spirit of the Lord will cause us, will invite us, will lead us into a higher level of devotion, a higher level of commitment. Because that's what devotion is really. When it says they devoted themselves, what that means is that they gave themselves fully. They gave themselves wholeheartedly. It was not haphazardly. It was not 50%. It was not 10%. It was 100%. They were given everything. They were given all of who they were. They were given all of themselves, all of their desires, all of their intentions, all of their hearts. Their goal was to ensure that what God had started, what the Spirit of the Lord was doing was fueled. What the Spirit of the Lord was doing was supported. What the Spirit of the Lord was doing was strong. What the Spirit of the Lord was doing was something that had not just height or breadth, but something that had foundation. And one of the ways that we can develop solid foundation of evidence carriers is what we are devoted to, where we spend our resources, where we spend our time, where we invest our talent. These are the things that are fundamental. These are things that are key. These are things that are very important as we observe and as we learn and as we pay attention to what the Spirit of the Lord is doing. It is the Spirit of the Lord that moved the people. It's the Spirit of the Lord that drew the people. It's the Spirit of the Lord that enabled the people now to commit themselves to what they heard. Commit themselves to the sharing of their food. Commit themselves to prayer. Commit themselves to a whole list of things that that the Bible does not suggest they were mandated to or commanded to. But out of their love, out of what was taking place in their lives, they responded. They responded through an act of devotion. That devotion, as you and I see, beloved friends, went further than just prayer. It went further than teaching, than the message, than the scripture, than what the apostles were instructing the people. That devotion was translated in compassion. You see, when we are really into what the Spirit of God is saying, when we are really glued, when we're really connected, when we're really in tune with what the Spirit of the Lord is saying, is that it will move us from our Bible studies. It will move us from our breaking of bread. It will move us from our prayers. The evidence of the Spirit is so wonderful that we can't stop in a prayer session. We cannot stop because the Bible study has ceased. As a matter of fact, these things are precursors. We pray because we understand it's through our prayer and our seeking of the Father that the Father will give us instructions and directions. The God that we serve will reveal to us the answers. He will tell us what to do. And in so doing, as we interact and as we communicate and as we touch with one another, as we grieve one another, as we begin to bear the burden of each other, we will understand what are the needs of others. And as we observe and pay attention to the teachings of the apostles, what comes out of this is that a compassion. Compassion always follows our devotion. Compassion always follows our devotion. People are compassionate because of what drives them, because of what leads them, because of what they're connected to, because of what is really touching the deep parts of their soul or even spirit. So now we have the disciples of the early church are moving from their prominence. They're living their Bible studies and they decided everyone in this group, everyone in this community, everyone in this neighborhood is not on the same level. We are not all sharing in common. Some seem to have more and some seem to have so little. And as evidence carriers, these are things that we have to look out for. These are things that we have to be very observant because we are carrying the evidence of the spirit which we must understand. When the spirit is evidenced in us, when we talk about the spirit, when we say we have the spirit, it's not talk, it's not superfluous experience actions, but it's real conversation, it's real action, it's action of mercy, it's actions of kindness, it's actions of care. It's these kinds of big things that we must pay attention to. So in Acts chapter 2, 44 and 45, the Bible says that they had all things in common. It's because the spirit would have impressed that responsibility upon them. The spirit of the Lord would impress the responsibility of compassion upon a people. It's the spirit of the Lord that would bring us to the place to realize I've got to do more than just shout. I've got to do more than just sing. I've got to do more than just listen to what is being taught. I've got to do much more than just pray. There must be something tangible or there must be something practical which comes out of my devotion. There must be, in other words, my devotion ought not only to be spiritual, but my devotion must now be physical. My devotion must now not only reach up to heaven, but my devotion must reach to the side and to the front and behind. In other words, my devotion must reach others. My devotion must get to others. I know this is a holiday season. Of course, it's Christmas time and many people are gearing up for that season. Many people are doing so many things. While there is a subset of people that wish they could do something. And if at all you're into all of these things that are going on throughout the month of December, it would be wonderful for your commitment or your love for the holidays or the Christmas translates beyond your home, translates beyond your own children. In particular, if you can do it. If you can do it. Or perhaps, let me just put it this way. It's not if you can do it. It's about doing it. It's about making that commitment. It's about being like the first disciples who didn't just say, well, you know, I hope they can figure this out. No. They helped them figure it out. They helped them figure it out. They helped them figure out their livelihood. They helped them. They helped them with the necessities of life. They began to sell their possessions. They began to pay attention to those who had needs. And as a result, they came and they embraced them. They came and they covered them. They came and they rallied around them. They came and they supported them because the evidence of the Spirit will bring us to the place where it's not about us. It's not about why God is doing wonderful work in our life, but it's what God is doing in the life of somebody else. Listen to this, beloved friends. As evidence carries, we must be so sensitive to the voice of the Spirit when it comes to being devoted in the compassion level. It's very easy for us to be vertical in our devotion. It's very easy for us to think and to pray and to respond directly to God. That's very easy. But there is something that is even equally important and that is how we dwell in fellowship. How we strengthen that fellowship. How we build that fellowship. Perhaps you are expecting from so many people this holiday season and while I know perhaps that is not you, but wouldn't it be wonderful that you too would begin to think of how you can be a blessing to others. You see, because the Spirit of the Living God never, never, never promotes selfishness. The Spirit of the Living God never promotes selfishness. I want us to get this. The Spirit of the Living God never promoted an agenda of individualism where, you know, it's just about you and you figure out your way. No. Instead, the Spirit of the Living God has always encouraged the believer and even today is encouraging the believer to find ways and to find the path how we can collectively journey together. It reminds me of the people of Israel. When they left Israel, they did not come out of Israel in clusters or in subsets. They came out as one. They came out together. Moses brought them out. Of course, they were organized. They were organized in particular tribes and groups, but they were organized wonderfully. It tells me that the Spirit of the Lord is always involved in doing a work personally, but he's also involved in doing a work collectively or corporately. And that is what we've got to pay attention to. Outside of everything that Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, outside of the response of the people, the climax of the evidence of the Spirit, it's how the people were glued together. It's how the people were meshed together. It's how the people were now being so sensitive to the needs of someone else, being so sensitive to what God was not only doing in them, but what God was doing in others. And that's what strengthened the church. That's what built the community. That's what emboldened the community. That's what gave the community the edge that it had. That's what gave the early believers that impetus and that strength and that drive that they had because there was something that it seemed like it was natural to them, and it was built out of their fellowship. It was built out of the observance and the recognition that if this is going to thrive, we're going to thrive together. If it's going to work, it's going to work together. If it's going to be strong, it's going to be strong together. If it's going to succeed, it's going to succeed together. If what the apostles are teaching is a blessing to us, it's going to be a blessing to everybody else. Hence, everyone was invested or everyone had the best interest of what God was doing in and amongst them. So much so, no one was left behind. And I'm stressing this in specifically that no one was left behind. Nobody ran ahead and forgot the rest of the group. No. Instead, everyone ensured, and this really blesses me, is that everyone ensured that everyone in that community, every one of them, hallelujah, had everything that they needed. As evidence carries, I want us to ask God, ask the Spirit of God for that sort of devotion, that sort of commitment, that now is translated from something that is spiritual to something that is practical. That we ask God for the devotion that does not only surround or revolve around the prayer and the praise and worship and preaching, but now it goes deeper than that. It goes into the fabric of what people actually need to make it in life. How are we going to address the human condition? How are we going to address the things that people deal with and struggle with every day? How are we going to address the social aspect of people's lives? How are we going to address the financial, the educational, the things that we all care about? How are these things going to be addressed? And that's what the Spirit of the Lord does to a people who comes together. That's what the Spirit of the Lord does to people. We are captivated by signs and wonders. These things are beautiful, they are powerful, they have their place. But at the same time, the coming together, the collective, the collective that Jesus had literally infused in the heart of Jerusalem by the Spirit of the Living God, that collective was now on a mission to demonstrate the evidence of the Spirit in how they responded to the needs of one another. I want us to think deeply about this. I want you to think that how God is moving in your own heart, how God is moving your own life. I want you to think about how God is touching you, how God is speaking to you now. I want you to think and see how your devotion to what God is doing this year, how is that going to be translated into something more tangible, something more practical, something more meaningful for others, for those around you. I want us to pray and I want us to believe God that the same Spirit, the evidence of compassion, that evidence of compassion which was with the disciples of the early church, that this evidence has realized that we can see it, that we can experience it, that we can measure it, that we can embrace it, that it becomes a blueprint of what we now call church. Oh hallelujah! Let us pray together. My Father, I thank you for the power of your Spirit, the way that you are revealing and the way that you're speaking to your people. It is so clear that when you rested the power upon the apostles, that power penetrated the hearts and the souls of people, moving them from a place of just devotion to a place of compassion, bringing them to a place where it's not about an individual, but it's about the collective, it's about the group, it's about the community. I pray in the name of Jesus that this would be a wake-up call for your church, this would be a wake-up call for your people, where we no longer do church for ourselves, we no longer pray for ourselves, we no longer worship for ourselves, we no longer take in scripture for ourselves, but rather we begin to think of how we can translate that, how can this be mirrored, how can it be enforced, how can it be demonstrated in real life situations, in real ways, how can we find our own possessions and and come to the place where with we can find those without possession, how can we be generous with what you're blessed us with. I pray in the name of the Lord that you would touch our hearts, that we would begin to think about being generous, because you have been generous to us Father, you've been so generous to us that you have given us the Spirit, you've been so generous to us that you've given us Jesus, you've been so generous to us that you've given us this wonderful body of believers, you've been so generous to us now that we are part of something that is life-giving, life-changing, and so powerful. So now I pray that out of this essence of generosity, we'll do likewise, we'll go and do likewise. So I thank you that the evidence of compassion becomes a norm in Christian churches, becomes a norm in homes, a norm in homes, it becomes glory to God, hallelujah, it becomes it becomes the standard, yes it becomes the standard, it becomes the standard, because Father I thank you that you've made me to understand that it's how the people cared for one another that strengthened their bond, and as a result the Spirit of the Lord was able to the Spirit of the Lord was able to do mighty work among them. So I praise you that we will begin to look in that direction, we'll begin to pay so much attention on how we can be evidence carriers through acts of compassion, through a life of compassion, through a life of generosity, in the strong and mighty, the powerful name Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, amen and amen. Well, beloved friends, that's all the time that I'm going to spend here with you. I pray that this blesses you. I want to invite you to catch me next Sunday, but before we go, I want to invite you to join me at midnight, at midnight for the weekly blessing right here on True Life Radio, and if you're not able to make it midnight as always, you can join me on Tuesday night at 11 45 for another segment of At Midnight, where great things happen, where we'll pray and then I share and I believe God for the people that will connect and that will listen, and God continues without fail to answer those of us who call upon him. Beloved friends, I must be going. I want you to be a blessing to this ministry, Potter's Vessel Ministries. We're a 501c3 tax-exempt local church in Brooklyn, New York. Will you consider partnering with us today and to give a gift to this wonderful ministry? To do so, I want you to pay attention to the information that will come up on the screen in just a moment from now. Until next time, perhaps at midnight for a weekly blessing on Tuesday night, and if that's not going to work, as always, I'm looking forward to seeing you right back here on Sunday at 8 a.m. for another session of Speak the Word. Feel free to reach out to us at 718-484-0928. That is 718-484-0928. If you want to be a part of what God is doing in Brooklyn, New York at Potter's Vessel Ministries, give us a call. We'd love to hear from you. Info at pottersvessel.org. Info at pottersvessel.org. So until next time, I want to bid you shalom and the presence of the Lord be with you. I'll see you soon. God bless you. That is my prayer for you.