Pentecost is about so much more than performative images of flames. It's about commitment that leads to purpose. Christians are great are latching onto the performative, but when it comes to connecting with purpose which drives us to action, we are more guarded. We like the idea of shouting and celebrating our faith, but when it comes to the meaningful life the Holy Spirit moves us towards, suddenly we want to stop the conversation. Could it be that one reason we don't talk about the Holy Spirit is because we're intimidated by what it may ask us to do or be?

In this short message, we will take a look at some common trends across Christ's acts of compassion. What can we learn about the nature of Christ's compassion and how it should drive us to compassionate acts?

It's easy to focus on the things we don't have and completely neglect that things we do have. When we recognize that we are entitled to nothing, suddenly we are able to more easily identify God's abundant blessings which surround us every day.

God didn't give us life just so we could imitate the dead. Our relationship with Christ pulls us to do things we might not normally do. Regardless of what you are called to, you are called to do SOMETHING. There are no passive participants in following Christ. Instead, He calls us all to work while we still have the opportunity to so that we can experience the fullness of life through participating in His glory.

Life is full of trials. When those trials occur, we're often left asking "why God?" The dirty little secret is that seldom do people actually want the answer. They just want to pray for a specific outcome. When we dedicate our lives to Christ, we have to shift our perspective on all things in life, including our trials. That moves us to approach hardship with a very different tone; one which prioritizes how God may be strengthening and preparing for His glory.

When you look at the physical exercise of our faith, there aren't many things in the Bible we see explicitly taught, but baptism is one of them. The fact that we see baptism appear in the Bible should drive us to try to understand the meaning of the act and why it is more than just a cultural trapping or membership ritual. It is blessing that comes from what God has done, not what we decided.

A lot of people look at the Bible as a self-help book. There are pastors who have made very successful careers telling their congregations how God wants them to overcome their weaknesses for their betterment, crossing into motivational speaking. What they lose sight of is that the Bible isn't about you being able to overcome your weaknesses... it's about your inability to overcome and God's mercy to overcome it on your behalf.

Sharing your testimony can be intimidating, especially when it's frames as salesmanship and we're bombarded with images of testimony which look performative. Testimony should be audience-focused to help listeners to see how God's glory surrounds us and may manifest itself in their own lives.

The idea that "we should care for the poor" is really trivialized in our world. Why is caring for those who are poor, rejected, and despised such a big deal to Christ? What we find out is that caring for those who were rejected is a key part of our participation in God's divinely purposeful plan.

You are imbibed with the divine breath of God. That should have life changing, and life GIVING, implications on every facet of your life...