A Culture of Compassion
One of the core values we desire to shape the culture at CBC is compassion. By compassion, we mean more than simply feeling sympathy for the sufferings of others. While this is where compassion starts, if it ends here it is much like the faith that James describes when he says, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” Much like faith without works, compassion without action is meaningless. True compassion will motivate action.
We see this in Scripture in the example of Jesus. Mark 6:34 tells us, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” Jesus saw the needs of others and acted to remedy those needs.
For us to follow in Jesus’s example requires two things. First, we must be exposed to and aware of the struggles of others. When we live our lives in a bubble and close our eyes to the problems of the world around us, we are unable to follow in Jesus’s footsteps.
Sometimes we can be so distracted by our own plans that we are unable to see the needs of those around us. Compassion demands an outward focus and a willingness to lay aside our own comfort in order to aid others. John puts it this way in 1 John 3:17, “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” Compassion empowers us to fulfill the second greatest command of loving our neighbor.
Second, a compassionate heart acts to see brokenness restored. Some examples from Scripture may be caring for widows and orphans as described in James 1:27, or caring for the hungry, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick, and those in prison (Matthew 25:35–36). As Christians, we believe mankind’s greatest need is restoration of relationship with God. Compassion requires us to faithfully preach the gospel to a lost and dying world. It drives us to care for both the physical and the spiritual needs of those around us. Compassion is a key component of loving both God and neighbor and should be one of the things that we are known for at CBC.
Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/hi7bFEc0prE
We see this in Scripture in the example of Jesus. Mark 6:34 tells us, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” Jesus saw the needs of others and acted to remedy those needs.
For us to follow in Jesus’s example requires two things. First, we must be exposed to and aware of the struggles of others. When we live our lives in a bubble and close our eyes to the problems of the world around us, we are unable to follow in Jesus’s footsteps.
Sometimes we can be so distracted by our own plans that we are unable to see the needs of those around us. Compassion demands an outward focus and a willingness to lay aside our own comfort in order to aid others. John puts it this way in 1 John 3:17, “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” Compassion empowers us to fulfill the second greatest command of loving our neighbor.
Second, a compassionate heart acts to see brokenness restored. Some examples from Scripture may be caring for widows and orphans as described in James 1:27, or caring for the hungry, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick, and those in prison (Matthew 25:35–36). As Christians, we believe mankind’s greatest need is restoration of relationship with God. Compassion requires us to faithfully preach the gospel to a lost and dying world. It drives us to care for both the physical and the spiritual needs of those around us. Compassion is a key component of loving both God and neighbor and should be one of the things that we are known for at CBC.
Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/hi7bFEc0prE
Posted in 2026 Mission/Vision/Values/Goals
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