In Matthew 22:34 a Pharisee who happened to also be a lawyer asked Jesus a question to test Him. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” Did you get that? The Prophets depend on the Law of Love. The word love in this context means agape. Agape is a divine love not a natural love. Agape love is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional, the highest form of love. This love comes from God and is perfect and pure. It is important to note that this is not just an emotional feeling of love but it goes much deeper than that.
From agape love flows compassion. Compassion is a genuine sensitivity and concern for the sufferings and afflictions of others. Time and time again when Jesus came upon the crowds of people He was moved with compassion. He saw that the people were lost sheep without a shepherd and He longed to show them His love and compassion. (Matthew 9:36) The fascinating thing about it is that compassion is directly related to virtue and power flowing from Jesus. When Christ was moved with compassion, He healed the sick, multiplied food, restored the sight to the blind, raised the dead, and cast out demons from the oppressed. All of these miracles were preluded with our Lord being moved with compassion. Compassion reflects itself in mercy, tolerance, kindness and an overall love for mankind. Jesus had empathy and felt pity for the needy people. This was the agape love flowing through Him, the divine love of the Father and, as a side note, we are all needy people.
Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother and she was a widow, and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her He felt compassion for her. “Do not weep.” And He came up and touched the coffin, and said, “Young man I say to you, arise.” The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. (Luke 7:12-15)
While they were going away, a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Jesus. And when Jesus drove the demon out the mute man spoke. (Matthew 9:32)
Love Over Revelation
Since God is love and His sole motivation for a relationship with us rests on love, it is of upmost importance that we speak the truth in love. If we speak in tongues and have deep revelation and even move prophetically, it means nothing unless we have love. (1 Corinthians 13) This tells me that in order to genuinely operate in the power and virtue of Christ we must first love and build relationships. Again, this is not a manufactured man-made kind of love this is a divine love that operates through a heart surrendered to Jesus. As our Lord was moved with compassion and performed great miracles, we also should naturally follow His lead and be moved by compassion. Out of compassion, we will also perform great miracles and deliver those who are afflicted and oppressed by the enemy.
Lack of Love
The Pharisees were described by Jesus as whitewashed tombs. They were pious and religious having on the outside an appearance of godliness but they lacked power because they lacked compassion within their hearts. “Woe to you, (self-righteous) scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27) Amplified.
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3)
So you cannot fake it with God. If you are just putting on a godly image, but lack love you will have no power and it will show. This is the perfect example of a “religious spirit.” Unfortunately, too many so called “Christians” are operating in a “religious spirit” and not the Spirit of God which is identified by compassion, agape love, and all the fruits of the Spirit. The Word says you shall know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20)
The marks of love are joy, long suffering, patience and acceptance. Acceptance does not mean approval. You can genuinely love and accept a fellow human being and not approve of everything they do. The Bible says by His loving kindness and goodness many will repent. It won’t be by finger pointing and judging others. (Romans 2:4) Since God is love, then those who love Him and love others will operate in true signs and wonders. They will not lack power.
Those who are genuinely walking with the Lord and reflecting His nature of compassion will operate in virtue and power just as He did. Being born-again simply means being born a second time, not out of our mother’s womb physically, but out of the Father God’s heart of compassion. He creates in us a new spirit, a spirit full of His agape love, power and compassion. We are born-again into the Kingdom of God and His purposes, which are eternal and eternity my friends means forever. Everything else we do in life is temporary and will pass away but His loving kindness and compassion will never fade away. The Law of Love is the greatest commandment and true Prophets will operate within this law. Anyone who operates outside of love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7)
Deliverance is a ministry of compassion. Healing the sick is a ministry of compassion. Miracles, signs and wonders are all the result of our Lord’s compassion. I perceive the greatest revival we have ever seen unfolding right now and its very foundation will be marked by believers moved by genuine compassion for others. Then and only then will the power flow from Jesus into us and out into a hurting humanity. Believers moved by the compassion of Christ; These will change the world.