“When the Spirit-empowered community witnesses and acts compassionately, it testifies to the life-changing gospel of the risen Lord.“

One of the most celebrated Pentecostal missiologists of the twentieth century was Melvin Hodges. His years of service in the middle of poverty and civil strife in Central America caused him to reflect deeply on issues of compassion. He said, “Christians, by their very nature, love righteousness and hate iniquity. They will, therefore, be championing every just cause and endeavoring to show good will to all men.” Hodges often commented, “People are not just souls with ears.”

Participating in ministries of compassion requires first and foremost a personal, transforming encounter with Jesus Christ that places us under the rule of God. This radical overthrow of our lives thrusts us into a needy world. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to minister responsibly and compassionately to those in need. The social context we find ourselves in does not define the needs to be addressed. It is simply the doorway through which we witness the needs of humanity. When the Spirit-empowered community witnesses and acts compassionately, it testifies to the life-changing gospel of the risen Lord. This dynamic process, which includes proclamation and deeds of compassion and miraculous signs, provides the “light” that draws people to Christ (Matthew 5:16).

President Byron D. Klaus