Active Kindness: Reflecting Christ's Love in Action

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. 1 Corinthians 13:4
2. Luke 8:40-56
3. Romans 2:4

#### Observation Questions
1. According to 1 Corinthians 13:4, what are the two characteristics of love mentioned? How do these characteristics relate to each other?
2. In Luke 8:40-56, how did Jesus demonstrate kindness to both Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood? What were the circumstances surrounding these interactions?
3. What does Romans 2:4 say about the purpose of God's kindness? How does this align with the sermon’s message about kindness leading to repentance?
4. The sermon mentioned that Jesus listened with love and understanding. How did Jesus' way of listening differ from merely hearing someone? [48:01]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it significant that Jesus showed kindness to both a well-respected synagogue leader and a destitute woman? What does this tell us about the nature of His love? [28:05]
2. How does the act of listening with love, as Jesus did, serve as a powerful expression of kindness? What impact can this have on our relationships? [48:01]
3. The sermon emphasized that acceptance does not equate to approval. How can we practice this in our daily interactions without compromising our values? [55:00]
4. Romans 2:4 states that God's kindness is intended to lead us to repentance. How can we apply this principle when interacting with those who do not yet know Christ?

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you were too busy to show kindness to someone. How can you be more flexible with your time to prioritize personal interactions, as Jesus did? [39:04]
2. Think of a person in your life who often shares their struggles with you. How can you practice listening with love and understanding, rather than just hearing them out? [48:01]
3. Jesus showed kindness even when it was inconvenient. Identify a situation where you can go out of your way to show kindness this week, even if it disrupts your plans. [28:05]
4. How can you demonstrate acceptance without approval in your interactions with non-believers? Share a specific example where you can apply this principle. [55:00]
5. The sermon mentioned that personal interaction is essential for demonstrating kindness. In an age of technology, what are some practical ways you can ensure you are engaging with people face-to-face? [42:00]
6. Reflect on the last disagreement you had. How did you handle it? What steps can you take to ensure that you disagree without being disagreeable in the future? [55:00]
7. Romans 2:4 highlights that God's kindness leads to repentance. How can you incorporate this understanding into your approach to evangelism and witnessing to others?

Day 1: Active Kindness Reflects Divine Love
Kindness is not merely a passive feeling but an intentional action that mirrors the love of God. It is a deliberate choice to prioritize the well-being of others, even when it is inconvenient or requires personal sacrifice. This active kindness is exemplified in the life of Jesus, who consistently put aside His own agenda to attend to the needs of individuals. He demonstrated that true love is not bound by schedules or convenience but is a steadfast commitment to act for the good of others. This form of love is powerful and transformative, capable of reaching hearts in a way that mere words cannot. It is a love that acts, a love that serves, and a love that sacrifices. [38:11]

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:9-10 ESV)

Reflection: Consider a recent situation where you chose convenience over showing kindness. What is one way you can prioritize kindness in your daily interactions moving forward?

Day 2: Listening with Love Validates Others
Listening is a profound way to express kindness and love. It involves giving someone your undivided attention and seeking to understand their perspective, even if you are already familiar with their story. This type of listening goes beyond hearing words—it is about connecting with the heart behind the words. When we listen with love, we validate the experiences and feelings of others, showing them that they are seen and valued. This attentive and compassionate listening is a reflection of Christ's love for us, as He always listens to our prayers with a loving heart. By truly listening, we can demonstrate the love of Christ in a tangible way that comforts and uplifts those around us. [48:17]

"To answer before listening—that is folly and shame." (Proverbs 18:13 ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to be truly heard? How can you make an effort to listen more deeply to this person today?

Day 3: Acceptance Without Approval
Accepting others as they are is a hallmark of Jesus' ministry, but it does not imply approval of their actions. We can love and accept people without endorsing their behavior, following Christ's example of unconditional love. This approach allows us to maintain kindness and compassion in our relationships, even when we disagree. It is possible to stand firm in our beliefs while still extending the grace and love that Jesus showed. By doing so, we can foster relationships that are built on respect and understanding, and we can be a witness to the transformative power of Christ's love. [55:10]

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." (Galatians 6:1 ESV)

Reflection: How can you show love and acceptance to someone whose actions you do not approve of, without compromising your own values?

Day 4: The Impact of Personal Interaction
In a world where technology often replaces face-to-face interaction, the personal touch of Jesus' ministry reminds us of the importance of being physically present with others. Jesus' willingness to engage personally with those in need, even when it was inconvenient, underscores the value of direct interaction. Personal engagement allows us to connect on a deeper level, to share in each other's joys and struggles, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a tangible way. This personal touch can have a profound impact on others, conveying kindness and love in a way that words alone cannot. [44:37]

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2 ESV)

Reflection: What is one step you can take this week to engage with someone in your community or church in a more personal and meaningful way?

Day 5: God's Kindness Leads to Repentance
The kindness of God is a powerful force that can lead people to repentance and transformation. It is through experiencing God's love and kindness that hearts are softened and drawn to Him. As followers of Christ, we are called to embody this divine kindness in our interactions with others. By doing so, we can be instruments of God's love, helping to guide others toward a relationship with Him. This is not accomplished through argument or hostility, but through the gentle and loving witness of our lives. When we live out the love and kindness of Jesus, we become a beacon of hope and a catalyst for change in the world. [01:03:56]

"Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4 ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you demonstrate God's kindness to someone who may be far from Him, and how might this act of kindness open a door for their heart to be changed?

Good morning again, everyone. We're so glad that you're here with us today. Welcome, welcome, Smyrna campus. We love you guys. So glad that you're connected there. And everybody that's connecting with us online, we're so happy to have that connection with you.

This past week I was down at West Point, Georgia for a board meeting at Point University. I serve on the board there, and I also get to see one of our grandchildren. Our granddaughter, Claire, is a student athlete there. So I always like to combine those trips and get to see her too.

But I'm checking out of the hotel that I was staying in, and I got in the elevator. I was on the fifth floor, so I hit the lobby button. On the way down, it stopped, and I started to get out, and it had only gone down one floor. You know, it's just automatic when the door opens, just starting to go out, right? But another couple got in. It was a man and his daughter. I noticed they were really looking at me. I mean, you know how you feel a little awkward sometimes when people are just really looking at you? I'm looking at myself, thinking, "Is my pants zipped up? Is everything good?" Trying to make sure everything's okay.

I just said hello to them, and they said hello. Then the daughter says, "Do we know you?" I said, "I don't know." They said, "Have you ever been to..." I forget what town it was. I said, "No, I don't think I have." The guy was saying, "Have you ever worked in this area?" I said, "No, I'm the pastor at Lake Shore Christian Church in Nashville, Tennessee." The daughter goes, "That's where I know you! We watch you online sometimes." So hello! Glad we connected in the elevator in West Point, Georgia.

So I signed autographs and moved on. No, I'm just kidding. It was just great to know other people are connected. They said they have a good home church back in their hometown, so we're glad of that. But it's always good to be able to know people are connecting with us all over the place.

Well, last week we started a new message series called Love Notes. This is the month of Valentine's Day and all that. We've got picture stations at both campuses. We hope you'll enjoy taking some pictures today and having some fun with that.

But this series goes along with that idea of love and what the scripture says about love. It's centered in, of course, that passage in 1 Corinthians 13, which is often called the love chapter. In that chapter, he gives us a description of what love is all about. Last week we saw that love is patient, and today we're going to see that love is kind.

Look in 1 Corinthians 13, verse 4: "Love is patient. Love is kind." We talked about the patience last week because I couldn't wait to do that one. So now we're going to talk about how love is kind.

There was an American who played golf regularly. He was a scratch golfer, and he was able to make a trip to Scotland for the first time, you know, like the home of golf. He was able to get a tee time at one of the links courses there, and they supplied a caddy for him. It was a local Scottish guy that was going to caddy for him.

He was having the worst day of golf in his life. I mean, he's hitting everything the wrong way, and he loses his temper. He starts cussing and swearing and throwing his clubs. He's just being ridiculous out there, not showing any patience with himself or with the game of golf, and just really doing really bad. Near the end of the round that day, he looks at the caddy and says to the caddy, "You're the worst caddy in the world. You've got to be. I've never played this bad before in my life."

The caddy responded, "I do not think so, Lally. Lally, that would be too much of a coincidence." You have to think about that one for a minute. The caddy was trying to be kind. He was trying to kindly tell the guy, "There's no way I've got the worst golfer and the worst caddy paired up today, right? It just couldn't happen. The coincidence would be too much."

Most of us, generally speaking, are pretty kind people, and that's a good thing. But to really express kindness consistently means that we're kind even in circumstances and situations where the normal fleshly reaction would not be to be so kind, right? We can only do this by the power of God, by the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the teachings of God's Word, and being in that relationship with God that we need to be in. It helps us be able to be more kind as Christ followers.

Now, we're going to look at an example. When you think about an example of kindness, of course, the greatest example of all would be Jesus. In all of these attributes of love, Jesus would be the greatest example of all of these. Patience and kindness were certainly something Jesus lived out regularly.

So we're going to look at a great example of how to live out kindness, even in pressure moments, even in situations where it might be hard and your natural fleshly reaction would not be to be so kind. So let's look at an example here, Luke chapter 8. If you want to be turning with me there, Luke chapter 8.

Jesus has already been very actively, publicly leading out in his ministry, and he's already been sending out others in his name, in his behalf. In the previous part of this chapter, we see that he's already encouraging others to live out that teaching and that example that he's leading. Even after this chapter, he's going to send out a large group to go from town to town representing him and doing great things in his name.

So he's got a lot going on. He's got large crowds now that are following him. You know what it's like, probably. You've seen it, even if you haven't experienced it yourself. Let's say a celebrity goes somewhere, and the crowd finds out about it. The paparazzi finds out about it. What do they do? Well, they get there ahead of time. They try to get a glimpse. They try to get a little time with that person, try to see them, and maybe speak to them, maybe get an audience, all of that stuff.

Many celebrities have expressed how that begins to wear on you over time. It begins to really cause you not to even want to be out there sometimes in public where you're being pressed by the crowds like that. Well, Jesus was not trying to be a celebrity in any way, but his reputation had already gotten out there. So every time a town or an area found out Jesus was coming, what would they do? They'd all get out there and wait for him and try to get some time with him, try to get to see him, touch him, and talk with him.

It would be easy, having to deal with that day in and day out, for that to cause you sometimes not to be so kind to the crowd and to the people in the crowd. You've seen celebrities snap sometimes, right? They don't respond very well to their picture being taken or somebody touching them or rubbing up, that kind of thing. They overreact in a negative way. But you've got to cut them a little slack. That can really be hard to have to deal with all the time.

Jesus interacts with two completely different people on this occasion that we're going to look at in Luke 8, beginning with verse 40. One was very well-to-do, and the other was the opposite, just pretty much destitute. Jesus interacts with both of them, and I want you to see the kindness of Jesus in those interactions even while he's being pressed by the crowd, okay?

Let's look at it together. Luke chapter 8, let's pick up with verse 40.

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. So what had happened already? Word got out, Jesus is headed that way. So a crowd is already gathering to welcome him. That's a kind way of saying, you know, "Give me some Jesus time here. We want to see Jesus. We want to talk to Jesus. We want to be able to have some interaction with Jesus because we've heard so many great things about Jesus."

It says, "Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about 12, was dying."

All right, so this is the more well-to-do person. This is a synagogue leader. They would be thought of very highly, very well respected. If he had told people that were in the welcoming crowd that he needed to see Jesus, they probably would have made sure he got up front and had the opportunity to see Jesus. It kind of comes with the territory of being a synagogue leader. You have a little bit more respect and a little bit more accommodations made for you because of your position and how well-known you would be in that area as a synagogue leader.

He had a situation where he wanted to see Jesus because of his daughter, about 12 years old, that was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds, listen to this, almost crushed him. That's how intense this was. That's how pressure-packed this moment was. He's being almost crushed by the crowd.

Now, he's not traveling by himself. He's got his closest entourage with him. But it sounds like even that close entourage was not able to keep the crowd back. You've probably seen that happen before, too, right? Where even though a celebrity, maybe they're on stage and they've got people for security, and somebody still makes it on stage, right, and charges the celebrity on stage. You've seen things like that.

That's what's happening to Jesus. Only it's the whole crowd that's pressing in on him, almost crushing him in the crowd. Believe it or not, there have been occasions, it's happened regularly, where in a crowd, in the rush of a crowd, people have died being crushed by the crowd. It's happened more than once here in America and in other parts of the world.

So Jesus actually is going to be feeling pretty threatened when he's being crushed by the crowd. How do you respond in a pressure situation like that? Where you actually may even have fear for your own life if things aren't taken care of like they need to be very quickly. You see, that's a real test of kindness, of having the kind of love that would allow you to respond with kindness even in those high-pressure circumstances, even when you feel maybe threatened in those circumstances. Are you still a kind person in those circumstances?

Well, Jesus gives us a great example here. It says in verse 43, "A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped."

"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you." But Jesus said, "Someone touched me. I know that power has gone out from me."

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."

So this woman would have been on the other end of the spectrum from the synagogue ruler. She had had this health problem for years. Nobody had been able to help her. None of the doctors, none of the people there that were the normal people who would treat this thing had been able to help her in any way. She's probably, according to the description we have here, probably destitute, financially has nothing left. She's tried everything to get better, and nothing has helped her until she touched the hem of Jesus' garment.

The crowd would not have intentionally said, "Oh, let's be sure this lady gets up front and gets to see Jesus." Not this lady. She would have been an outcast, not well respected or thought of.

Well, let's go on here. After that happens, and immediately in response to that, it says in verse 49, "While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. 'Your daughter is dead,' he said. 'Don't bother the teacher anymore.'"

So, man, think about that. He's finally made his way to see Jesus. Jesus has come to his town. He gets up to see Jesus. Jesus, it seems to him, gets distracted by this woman when he's trying to get Jesus to help him. So he's probably pretty upset that he gets the news that his daughter has already died.

This was his only chance, in his mind, to save his daughter. That maybe Jesus could do this for him when nobody else could. Because they'd heard the stories, they'd heard about the miracles already that Jesus has performed. This is the one, he thought. He probably did everything he could to get there that day and get up front in the crowd and get as close to Jesus as he could so he could talk to him.

Now, in the eyes of the world, he's too late. His daughter has already died. His friend says, "You don't even need to bother the master anymore with this. It's too late." I mean, she's died, right? When someone dies, it's too late, isn't it? It always had been too late. When somebody died, for that person to get any help.

Jesus has done some amazing things, but it seems like even with Jesus, we're too late to get the help that we came here to get. That must have been the most disappointing time in Jairus' life when he heard that report.

Well, with Jesus, it didn't stop there. He overheard what was being said. Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid, just believe, and she will be healed."

When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, and James. They were the closest three to Jesus, and the child's father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her.

"Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She's not dead, but asleep."

Now, what would you think? They already pronounced her dead. They've already checked her to make sure she's dead. And Jesus said, "No, she's just asleep. Stop your wailing." They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up." Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

It's an amazing encounter that Jesus had under great pressure, and the way he responds is so kind.

So let's review this story with three gifts of kindness that Jesus gave these people with the interactions he had with them that day.

The first gift he gave them of kindness was the gift of attention, personal attention from him. There are so many times when we're busy and we're pressed and we have so much on our plate, like Jesus did, that we have people that want to give us some time of their lives, and they want to talk to us, and they want to interact and be with us, and we're so busy that we don't give them any attention.

You see it with parents and kids, right? We see that all the time. Parents, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, but parenting is hard, and you get so busy, and your child, you've heard them say, "Mommy," a hundred times already today, and they want to show you something, right? It's hard to stop again and give attention to that child. It really is.

Or it could be at work. You know, you've got that one coworker that just likes to talk, and you've got a desk piled up with stuff, right? And they just stroll by like they don't have anything to do except talk to you that day. It's really hard to give them that attention, isn't it? To stop everything else.

Jesus, when you think about it, had a three-year ministry to do everything God sent him here to do. It is packed full of decisions and activities and actions that he had to take. It would be easy to think, "Well, I'll be more effective with the crowds than I would be by stopping everything and giving attention to some individuals within the crowd."

But there's some things about this attention that I want you to get. First of all, he was very flexible in the middle of that pressure-packed situation. A crowd had gathered to see and hear him, but he was flexible enough to allow for interruptions in his day. He changed his plans. That wasn't his plan.

Now, he probably had the knowledge. He's Jesus, right? He knew these situations would be there that day. But still, the plan was to go into that town and speak to the crowds. The plan wasn't to stop in the middle of all that and talk to the individuals that approached him that day in the crowd. But he was flexible enough to change his plans.

You know what causes you to be that flexible? Kindness rooted in love. That's what allows you to be flexible with your schedule, with your time, with your attention that someone wants you to give them at that time.

Now, how many hours in a day? 24, that's a good crowd, all right. Didn't know you were going to have to do math? That's all right. 24 hours in a day. How many hours in a day does this person have? How many for that person? For this person? All right. We all have the same 24 hours every day. That's 168 hours a week.

And here's the deal. We all choose how we're going to use them. You say, "No, we don't. Some of it's just forced on us." No, it's not. You still get to choose, right? "Well, no, I got to go to work." Well, yeah, you do to support your family, but you could choose not to go one day if you wanted to. You might pay consequences for it, but you're still in control of that, right?

You get to choose what you're going to do with the hours of your day. Every one of us is choosing every hour of what we're going to do that hour of our lives. So Jesus was flexible enough with that limited amount of time. He knew his time on this earth in the flesh was very limited, and he had so much to do, and still he was flexible with the time that his father gave him to be here.

Flexible enough to give some individuals some attention. Most people would have thought, "Well, yeah, I understand Jairus is a synagogue leader. Of course, he would give him some time, but what about the woman with the bleeding?" He gave her the same attention and time that he was giving to Jairus in the middle of that pressure-packed situation.

See, sometimes we act like we're being kind, but the person we're stopping and being flexible for is influential, and Mike could do something for us in return. It's easier to be flexible with that person, isn't it? Because we know that relationship could pay off for us. This woman had nothing now for Jesus, and he still stops for her. He's still flexible with his schedule for her to help take care of her need, give her the time and the attention that she was looking for from him.

So in this gift of attention, he had to be flexible to do that, and he was very personal in how he did this. It might have been expected, like I said, that he would try to help a synagogue ruler, but not this woman.

It's easier than ever today with all that we have with technology and all to avoid personal interaction with anybody. You can do almost everything you need to do without very much personal interaction, thanks to the Internet, thanks to being able to do things online.

We used to have to go to a bank and go inside the bank to do financial transactions. Then they came up with the outdoor ATMs, right? So then you could do it out there. But now you don't even have to drive to an ATM. What do you do? You can sit in your home, pull it up online, and do your banking. You don't ever have to talk to a banker. You don't even have to talk to a loan officer. You just apply online if you need a loan. You don't ever have to interact with anybody in person to do most of the...

Get groceries? Well, yeah, I still go to the grocery store sometimes, but I don't have to do it. What can you do for groceries? They'll deliver them right to your door. You don't have to interact a lot with the person at the door. You can just say, "Ring the doorbell and leave it and go." You don't have to speak to the person because you can tip them online, too. You don't even have to tip them in person, right? You don't have to have any personal interaction if you don't choose to.

That's true now. It's getting to be... They're advancing now this bill to allow more medical things to be done online, right? Where you can have medical appointments online. You're on the screen with your doctor or physician's assistant, and you're telling them your symptoms, and they're telling you what to check and do and all that. So you don't even have to go in person to see the doctor. You can do that online now.

And it goes on and on and on. You don't have to attend church online. You don't have to interact with anybody else at church. You can just do it online. Is it the same? No, but is it possible? Yes, if you choose not to have personal interaction with anybody.

But Jesus tells us to love with these characteristics. And yes, you can express kindness online, but it's not the same as personal interaction and showing kindness to somebody in person. Now, you know when that happens with you how much more it means when it happens in person that somebody has been kind to you in person.

And Jesus understands that because He created us. So He's willing to be inconvenienced. He's willing to have personal interaction with these people. He's willing to be paying some cost of time out of His schedule to give them some personal interaction that day.

When Sidney Simon wrote a book several years back called Caring, Feeling, and Touching, he says this: "There is a skin hunger we are born with. There's much confusion in our culture because so many never get appropriate loving touches. Many try to find it in all the wrong ways."

We're made to have personal interaction with other people. We're designed by God for that. But it's inconvenient a lot of times, isn't it? Sometimes I have to remind myself, I know I don't have to go in a store and buy this, but I need to be out there interacting with people even when it's more comfortable to stay home in the PJs and just do it online. God designed us to do that.

Now, one of the reasons we're designed to do that is the benefit it gives us, but the other reason is the benefit it gives them. The impact we can have, the influence we can have, the love and the kindness we can show to other people in the name of Jesus. That's why it's a big deal for Christ followers to have those personal interactions with other people because we are more influential that way for the cause of Christ.

All right, so that's the first thing. He gave them the gift of attention. The second gift he gave them was the gift of affirmation, and these are all connected to each other. He affirmed them by what he did and by what he said. First, he listened to them.

Now, in the middle of a crowd like that, the apostles could have said, in fact, on some occasions they did say this, "Don't bother the teacher, he's busy right now." Remember when they tried to bring children to Jesus one time, and the apostles tried to stop the parents from bringing their kids to Jesus, and Jesus said, "No, let the little children come. I want to spend time with them. I want to talk to them."

He had the kind of love that caused him to be kind and listen to the people that were trying so desperately to let them know what was going on in their lives. He heard the desperation of Jairus' plea for his daughter. He chose to hear what this woman had to say. He already knew both stories. But what did he still do? He still listened to them. He still heard them. He was willing to let them tell their story.

It's essential if we're going to communicate love in a marriage, in a parent-child relationship, and a friendship. Listening is one of the key critical things for any relationship like that. Because listening is really one of the kindest things you can do for a person, is to let them tell you what they're trying to tell you. What an act of kindness.

Even when you already know, even when you've heard the story a hundred times, even when you've already told them the answer that they're trying to get, and they don't remember that, you still listen. You're giving them a part of who you are, a part of your life when you do that. That's an act of kindness rooted in love when you're really willing to listen.

Now here's the problem with listening. Jesus listened with love, and there's a difference in listening with love and listening without love. Most people have said, and I've heard it said again recently, a study that was done, I don't remember the person who said this quote, but this quote was, "The problem with us today is we don't listen to understand; we listen to reply."

Jesus listened to understand. He felt the hurt, the pain, the loss that the person was expressing as they came to him. With the help of God and the work of His Spirit, we can learn to listen with that kind of kindness and compassion to the people God puts in our path, where we're really listening to understand who they are, where they're coming from, and not just trying to think of a reply the whole time they're talking to us.

We're really trying to hear the need in their heart and their language and their voice. The needs of this poor sick woman, no doubt, were now being ignored by most of the crowd. She probably had nobody she could go to anymore. She's tried everybody she already knew. Nobody's been able to help her. They all know the story already. She's shared it with everybody, and nobody has been able to do anything.

I'll bet when they saw her coming and they knew what she was going to say again, what would they do? They would kind of ignore her, act like they didn't see her. And when Jairus' daughter was sick, he knew this was a deathly illness. Jesus could hear the desperation in his plea. "Please help my daughter. There's nowhere else to go." Like any parent who loves a child, when you know it's critical, it breaks your heart, and Jesus listened to their hearts that day.

What a gift to give someone. What a kindness to show someone. I've been preaching for over 40 years now, and I figured it up, even the Sundays I've taken off and stuff like that. I've preached over 2,000 sermons during that time, and during that time, I started a file many years ago, not right at first, but a little late into my ministry as you get to running into problems and things like that. I started what I call an attaboy file.

You know what an attaboy file is? It's when somebody sends you a note or something of kindness or encouragement, and I put that in a file. Now, back when I started, believe it or not, it was the Dark Ages; there was no internet, and I would put them in an actual folder on paper that was written on paper and handed to me, and I would put them in that folder.

Now, sometimes I get an attaboy online, an email or a text or something like that. I get an attaboy like that, and I always try to save those. I have a file folder that's electronic, and I put it in that file folder when I get an attaboy. You know why? Because it takes 10 attaboys to make up for one gotcha.

Well, if that's true for me, who else is it true for? Everybody else, too. You see, that kindness of telling somebody, "I appreciate you. What you did meant so much," that note, that thank you note. I love, my mother-in-law is so good at sending out cards, right? And she's so kind about it, and when she hears about somebody that's sick or going through a hard time, she wants to send them a card, and that's a ministry for her.

You know what? That's a kindness that impacts people's lives big time, especially when you get, in this day and age, a handwritten note or something like that. You know, still the emails mean a lot, and the texts mean a lot, but boy, when they took the time to write a handwritten note and send that to you, isn't that a big deal to you, that somebody was that kind to you?

Well, that's the kind of love Jesus is showing here, and that's the kind of love He wants us to show, where we're kind to people like that. We are the source of their attaboys, their thank yous, their encouragement that they needed to get through what they're going through. Everyone needs to be and loves to be elevated and encouraged. Everybody needs that, and God can use all of us to be some of those people that are providing that encouragement to other people around us that God put in our path.

So He gave them the gift that day of kindness, of attention. He gave them the gift of affirmation. He listened to them. He elevated the 12-year-old girl to a higher priority than the crowd. He made the needs of this poor, sick woman, who no doubt had been excluded from society, a higher priority than his busy schedule.

The third gift that He gave them was the gift of acceptance. The gift of acceptance is something that's been taken in our culture and twisted around to mean something that it didn't mean for Jesus. Acceptance doesn't mean that you agree with everything going on in their lives, the way Jesus practiced acceptance. He disagreed, Jesus did, without being disagreeable.

He disagreed without being disagreeable. Now, friends, I don't care what labels you use or what side of the aisle people put you on or say that you claim to be on. We are in a culture today where people have lost the art of disagreeing without being disagreeable. That art has been destroyed in our culture. It's no longer practiced by either side very well, no matter what side of the aisle you say that you're on.

I see more mean-spirited yelling and screaming and arguments than I've ever seen in the United States of America today on a regular basis just because people disagree on something. There's no kindness. There's no real care or concern for the person on the other side. And I can understand that from someone that's not a Christ follower a lot more than I can understand it from someone who claims to follow Jesus because Jesus wasn't like that.

He was around people that disagreed with Him all the time and people that were plotting to undermine Him all the time and people that wanted to stop Him and what He was doing all the time and people that were even plotting to kill Him for much of His three-year ministry. And He was still kind to people, consistently kind to them, even when He knew they disagreed with Him and He disagreed with them.

The crowd would not have thought that He should give this woman His attention. The crowd at the home of Jairus, when He said, "She's not dead, she's just sleeping," what did that crowd do to Jesus? They laughed at Him. But Jesus was still kind to them even when they laughed at Him. Even when they scoffed at Him helping that woman, most likely many of them did. He was still kind and compassionate even when He disagreed and they knew He disagreed, they disagreed with Him.

Sometimes it's not what you say either; it's how you say it, right? Especially as Christians, if we're going to represent Christ well, the way we respond, the way we say things even in disagreement needs to be tempered with love and kindness as we're talking to people. And that's not the normal fleshly response that we would give, but that's what we need to try to learn to do with the help of the Holy Spirit.

There was a 6'8 Texan that walked up to the counter at McDonald's in a Texas town there, and he ordered a Big Mac, but he said to the girl at the counter, "I only want half a Big Mac." The girl at the counter said, "Well, we don't normally do that. Hold on just a moment," and she went back to talk to her manager about it. She didn't realize it, but that big 6'8 Texan followed her back. She didn't realize he was standing there, and she says to her manager, "There's some guy that looks like an ox. He's dumber than a rock, and he wants half a Big Mac."

Then she saw the large man had followed her, and she said, "And this gentleman wants the other half." Sometimes it's not what you say; it's how you say it, right? With the way you spoke to that person, would that person say you were kind to them?

The last interaction you had of disagreement with somebody. Think about it for a minute. The very last time you had a disagreement with someone, and they were saying things you didn't agree with and doing things you didn't agree with, and you tried to express how you felt about it, would they say you were kind in how you did that? Not that they agreed with what you said, would they just say you were at least kind in the way you said it?

You see, if we're going to represent Christ well and His love in our hearts, then we've got to work at being kinder to the people who disagree with us. It's not condoning what they believe; it's not approving of what they believe if it contradicts Scripture just to be kind to them. You can still be kind and disagree with what they believe, what they practice, and what they teach. You don't have to be mean-spirited about any of it.

And so He accepted without approving, and that's something we can learn to do with people. There's a big difference between acceptance and approval. And Jesus set a great example of how to be kind to others who had not yet surrendered their lives to Him. He never condoned their sin. Not one time does Jesus ever condone anybody's sin, not ever. But He did understand that many of those people in those sins did not yet know Him or know His teaching or had not surrendered their lives to Him.

He couldn't expect them to be there yet, to be where they needed to be yet, until they made that decision and came under His authority and His teaching. They couldn't live that different lifestyle. And so as Christ followers in the world today, we need to understand that those people out there in the world that may even be attacking Christianity or attacking the church, for us to expect them to act like Christians is pretty well ridiculous because they're not Christians.

Why would they act like Christians when they're not Christians? Our job is to help them find Jesus and learn to know and follow Jesus. Only then can their lives be transformed by Jesus. Until then, they're going to live like the world until they're transformed by the power of Jesus. We shouldn't expect anything different.

Now, I understand that the church in America was foiled for a long time when even people that weren't necessarily Christians just accepted and went along with Christianity and the church and all of that and kind of supported it. That was nice. It was a good period in our country. But we're not there anymore. The majority of people in America today do not identify as Christians anymore. They do not.

We're in a different place now. And because we're in a different place that's not a majority Christian place, we've got to stop expecting the majority of non-Christians to act like we want them to act, speak like we want them to speak, do what we expect them to do as Christians. They can't even do it without Christ. We can't do it without Christ ourselves. We can't expect them to.

So that would help us be kinder and more patient with them. We can accept where they are without approving of where they are. Now here's why that's a big deal. It's because that's exactly what God's done for us. That's exactly what Jesus has done for us. Personally, every one of us, that's what He's done for us.

A couple of passages in Romans I want to close with. Listen to these. It'll help get us the right perspective, right? Romans 5, verses 6 through 8: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still what?" What does it mean by powerless? We couldn't fix this ourselves. Nobody out there in the world can fix their sin themselves. That's where they are right now. They can't fix it themselves, okay?

Listen, "At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for what group? The ungodly." Guess what group we were in? The ungodly. That's where we were, okay? "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own, what's that word? Love for us in this." This is how you express the love He's talking about. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Did you get it? We were His enemies when He died for us. We were in opposition to Him when He died for us. How did He treat us when we weren't where we were supposed to be? What kindness. What love. That He would do that for us.

Romans 2, verse 4, it says this: "Or do you show contempt for the riches of His, what's that word? Kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to what?"

If we want the world to change, we need to go to them with the love and the kindness of Jesus. Because that's what God uses to bring people to what? You know what repentance is? That's when they'll turn from their sins and to turn to what is right.

We're going to win the world by the love and kindness, not by the arguing and the mean spirit that attacks. And it's hard. And it's only when we bring our flesh under the control of His Spirit that we can live that kind of kind, loving lifestyle.

Maybe there are people today hearing this message that are ready to take that step. You see the conflict in the world. You see how people are treating each other so unkind. And you want to be a part of what it's going to take to change that. The only way you can do that in the flesh is to crucify the flesh and rise up to walk by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Father, we thank You in Jesus. We can see that transformation from being controlled by the flesh and its desires to walking by the Spirit that produces that kind of love and that kind of kindness that we see Jesus living out in this example that we looked at today.

As we interact with people day in and day out in our lives, may we so be representative of Jesus that they see Jesus in us. They see us lifting Him up so that they have the opportunity to be drawn to Him, to know Him, to follow Him. May we show the kindness to others that Jesus has shown to us.

Father, I pray that if someone here today is ready to take that step of transformation in their lives, that even today they would come to Your call, into Your kindness, into Your love, into Your forgiveness. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

So we stand and sing today. If you have a decision you need to make, just come right up front while we're singing.

My grandmother in California is battling congestive heart failure and dementia. Amen, let's pray together.

Father, we just lift up this family, this lady that's so special to her family. We're so thankful she knows You and loves You, and You're going to be right there to welcome her into the eternal kingdom You've prepared for us.

Father, be with the family. Give them comfort and strength, wisdom and discernment as they walk through these days and the weeks ahead. Help them to know and feel Your presence, Your power, and Your provision through it all. And may You be glorified. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

At this time, Dr. Ed is going to come and lead us in a time of communion around the Lord's table. If you want to continue your worship through the giving of offerings, we have an offering box available in the back of the auditorium. One in the hallway is your exit there, and you can drop your offering in the top slot of that box.

You can give online at lakeshorechristian.com. Just click on the give tab there. You can also scan the QR code that's in your bulletin cover there. We want you to know you can mail it in as well. If you have the opportunity to do that and can't be here and bring it in person, you can mail it in that way.

The way you do it is an act of worship, and it provides the funding for the ministries of the church. And we thank you for doing that in a faithful, consistent way.

We're glad that you're here today. I'm going to ask Jeremy to come up now. He's going to close us out with a few announcements and pray us out today. Thanks, Jeremy.

- "Jesus listened with love, and there's a difference in listening with love and listening without love. Most people...listen to reply. Jesus listened to understand." [48:55](Download | Download)

- "Jesus...was flexible enough with that limited amount of time...Flexible enough to give some individuals some attention." [40:26](Download | Download)

- "Jesus...had to be flexible to do that, and he was very personal in how he did this." [41:11](Download | Download)

- "Jesus...gave them the gift of attention, personal attention from him...He made the needs of this poor, sick woman, a higher priority than his busy schedule." [38:11](Download | Download)

- "Acceptance doesn't mean that you agree with everything going on in their lives...He disagreed, Jesus did, without being disagreeable." [54:11](Download | Download)

- "We're going to win the world by the love and kindness, not by the arguing and the mean spirit that attacks." [01:03:56](Download | Download)

- "We can accept where they are without approving of where they are...that's exactly what God's done for us." [01:01:43](Download | Download)

- "God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance. If we want the world to change, we need to go to them with the love and the kindness of Jesus." [01:03:56](Download | Download)

- "The only way you can do that in the flesh is to crucify the flesh and rise up to walk by the Spirit of Jesus Christ." [01:04:49](Download | Download)

- "Jesus...was still kind to them even when they laughed at Him. Even when they scoffed at Him helping that woman, most likely many of them did." [56:20](Download | Download)