Pastor HobbinsCategory Archives

While I don’t think that anyone that likes to confront others, but we can all understand that there are times that confrontation is absolutely necessary. While confrontation may be necessary, confrontation that is coupled with compassion is vital. This causes us to consider, “What constitutes compassion-driven confrontation?” Last month I gave three more elements of compassion-driven confrontation for our consideration. The three we looked at last month were…

4. Compassion-driven confrontation keeps the proper priority during the confrontation.

5. Compassion-driven confrontation stays close to the Lord’s leading throughout the confrontation (1 Samuel 8:19-22).

6. Compassion-driven confrontation should only come from the right person and should not be avoided when you are the right person (1 Samuel 3:12-13; 2 Samuel 12:1).

Now let’s consider a few more elements of compassionate confrontation.

Hebrews 5:1 “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.”

In Hebrews 5:1-2, we see that one of the criteria of the Jews choosing an earthly high priest was that he had to be taken from among men. God wanted to emphasize that He chose him from among men so he would be able to identify (understand) with sinners.  His ability to identify with sinners enables the high priest to have compassion on them. He also was compassed about with infirmities. We see the connection between identifying with someone (putting ourselves in their place) and having compassion on them.

Last time we looked at 4 reasons why we lose the compassion that comes from identifying with people. By way of review, we observed that…

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