Sunday, October 25, 2015

Neighborliness (Pt. 1)

Neighborliness [near*dweller] (What issue are trying to address with this series? #Disconnect)

Neighborliness 
•Table ( prop)
•What blessings have we forgone?
•Hagin conference in Iowa & eating alone
  • Ms. Louise Dunlap
•Kevin D. Rose & 8th grade party (he waited for me to get ready)


Hospitality: The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.

Dictionary.com
The quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.


“When Christ relinquished Himself from ALL godly power, prestige and accompanying benefits ~ what did he do to  to assert influence in the world he’d created?”


Philippi was a city in Eastern Macedonia (Modern Greece); was a prosperous town and the first church on European soil. An interstate highway from the east to Rome crossed through Philippi; had been a mining town for gold and silver; Thus a city that was rich in political and historical background.


Phil 2.1-11 (Words/phrases/Concepts that jump out):
  • Whatever ever you’ve received ~ you should offer
  • Imitate Christ’s attitude (didn’t use position of power for just himself)
  • Downward mobility (The Father exalted Christ after doing so)
  • Humble yourself: Not thinking you’re better than you really are

This is our way of doing what Christ did in his incarnation (Phil 2)


*Essentially, then, the Mosaic laws demand both compassion and justice to be guaranteed for the foreigner because God loves the sojourner ( Deut 10:18 )

Who is my neighbor?

The one who's hurting!
The one who'll inconvenience you!
The one who currently cannot do for themselves!

We/society says... We have too many problems! I say: we don't have enough good neighbors! 

God told King Saul: When you were small in our own eyes...

►Neighborliness is a dangerous concept: It suggests that we're tethered to someone near us~ and it's not someone we'd normally pick to be tethered to. 

►Neighborliness doesn't merely suggest that our success is linked to our response to someone's need~ oh no! Scripture suggest they its liked to our love for God!


►Neighborliness IS evangelism if we believe the one plants, one waters, but God gives the increase. We shouldn’t evangelize stranger ~ make the neighbors first!

►We’ve shared…and forced… our faith for eons. Let’s share our Love and Faith!


Next Steps ~

  • Acknowledge that you’re chosen and come take a seat at the Lord’s Table
  • If you don’t feel you know enough about Jesus to sit at his table ~ please talk with someone in back of the room
  • Pray to be more neighborly
  • Don’t leave until you visit the Next Steps Table in our Lobby and act out your neighborliness with a Life Group. Sign up!
  • Follow the fast guidelines and readings this week
  • Please fill out a communications card


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