People: Neighbors

Place: Home

Prompt: Engage with those who live near you by meeting them for the first time or connecting with them throughout the week.

– Make a list of neighbors you want to connect with or meet. 

– Pray before, as you go, and afterwards.

– Learn something about them that you can’t simply observe!

Heart Check

This fall as we focus on loving our neighbor, we want to make sure that our motives flow from the right source. Any motivation that finds it’s root in the desire to be seen as righteous by others (Mt. 6:1) is a motivation that we should identify and seek to put to death. Instead, our motivations ought to flow from a genuine love for Christ, and thus a desire to obey his commandments (John 14:15).

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36–40.

Resources

“Know Your Neighbors” Card

– Whether you moved in 3 months ago or 3 years ago, it’s never too late to introduce yourself. Remember that a small gesture goes a long way and that it is your goal to share the love of Christ.

– Feeling awkward? Here are some suggestions:

1. Acknowledge the elephant in the room! If this is your first time meeting them, acknowledge that you haven’t met yet even though you may have been neighbors for a while.

2. Bring a treat or baked good.

3. Give them your phone number and let them know that you hope to build an ongoing friendship.

Reflection Questions

How did engaging with your neighbors cause you to enjoy God more?

How did it bring you joy?

People: Neighbors

Place: Those outside your neighborhood

Prompt: Engage in a spiritual conversation with those within your spheres of recreation.

– Where do you play or spend your leisure time?

– Gym, walks, reading in coffee shops, kids’ sports practices, pickleball, etc.

– Pray before, as you go, and afterwards.

– Learn something about them that you can’t simply observe!

Heart Check

As we seek to engage our neighbors in spiritual conversations this week, we must keep in mind that in the Christian life, our joy is rooted in obedience, not perceived faithfulness. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), and it is by faith that God is glorified in our efforts to engage our neighbors in spiritual conversations. We know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), so we go forth, planting and watering seeds (1 Corinthians 3:6), with confidence that God will give growth as He sees fit.

Conversation Starters

– Do you have a church home?

– Do you have a faith?

– How can I be praying for you this week?

– What are the highs and lows of the week? Follow up in prayer/encouragement for the lows.

– What are things you’ve been learning in the Word (if you know they are a believer)?

Reflection Questions

– How did engaging with your neighbors cause you to enjoy God more?

-How did it bring you joy?

People: Neighbors

Place: The Path

The path in your life includes all the places you may stop at along the way: grocery stores, drive-thru restaurants, people on the side of the road, gas stations, etc…

Prompt: Purposefully instill margin in your schedule to have eyes to see and engage with people along your path throughout the week.

– Introduce yourself

– Pray

– Thank and engage with those serving you

Heart Check

As we turn our attention towards loving our neighbor along the paths we travel, being crunched for time may be a roadblock to us meeting the needs of those around us. Whenever we are constantly 5 minutes late, the thought of stopping to help someone in need, or engage your drive-thru server in an intentional conversation may seem simply impossible. Let us remind ourselves that “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness therein” (1 Cor 10:26) including our time. We are to be good stewards of the time God has given us, that he might be made much of in our lives.

Resources

– Aim to give yourself an additional 10 minutes on your route to and from places.

– Refer to Week 2 for conversation starters.

– Make pre-made baggies to engage with homeless that may come across your path. Things you could consider including: Water, non-perishable snacks, $5 gift cards.

– Consider keeping tools/supplies in your car to help those stopped on the side of the road.

Questions

– How did this cause you to enjoy God more?

– How did it bring you joy?

– Does engaging with people spark a sense of fear or loss of control?

– If you did not engage with someone this week, what kept you from doing so? (Fear, Pride, Laziness, Lack of Compassion, etc…)

People: Co-workers, Classmates, & Teachers

Place: Work & School

Prompt: Take interest & engage your co-workers, classmates, and/or your children’s teachers in a meaningful way. 

– Introduce yourself

– Pray

– Thank and engage with those serving you

Heart Check

Whenever we are purposefully going out of our way to engage our neighbor in a meaningful way, there may be a certain fear that holds many of us back. We can feel anxious about breaking the status quo, even if it is with a positive or loving act. It can be helpful to remind ourselves that God purposefully chooses what is foolish in the eyes of the world to shame the wise and display His power most clearly (1 Cor 1:22). His power is made perfect in our weakness, so we should willingly, with confidence, become fools in the eyes of the world because we have the promise that God will use our “foolishness” to magnify the name of Christ (1 Cor 3:18-19).

Resources

– Take a note of what they say to help you remember how you can pray and follow up with them.

– Write an encouraging note.

– Be intentional to know their favorites.

– Keep track of their birthday and get them a few of their favorite treats along with specific encouragement.

-Take a co-worker out to lunch.

– Know and thank your child’s teacher.

– Stock the fridge in the staff lounge.

Questions

– How did this cause you to enjoy God more?

– How did it bring you joy?

– If you haven’t engaged with anyone yet, why?

– How can you invite the Lord into that part of your heart?

– How do you respond when things don’t go smoothly?

People: Fellow church members

Place: Church

Prompt: Find a way to connect with someone in this body of believers that you don’t already know well.

– Introduce yourself

– Pray

– Thank and engage with those serving you

Heart Check

This week, we turn our attention to loving our neighbors in this local body of believers. It is helpful to remember that we are not only called to love one another for unity’s sake, but we are actually told in scripture that our love for one another is one of the church’s primary tools for evangelism: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:35). Christians have been adopted into the family of God and given a common love for God through regeneration. This common love for our Savior is most clearly seen by the world when we love each other well! “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 Jn 4:7–11)

Resources

– If you have lunch plans, find someone you don’t know well and invite them to join you.

– Meet up with someone at a park for your kids to play together.

– Plan something with another community group.

– Host a game night.

– Meet a need: help someone move, sponsor a student for fall retreat, etc

– Find a member in your neighborhood for you to get to know.

– Check out the Echo Prayer App to help with stay dedicated to prayer.

Questions

– How did this cause you to enjoy God more?

– How did it bring you joy?

– Did anything keep you from engaging with someone?

– Are you serving the body?

– What is your heart’s posture in serving? Do you think more about what you can get from the church or how you can serve the church?

People: Neighbors

Place: All spheres

Prompt: Leverage unique opportunities like holidays to love your neighbor.

Heart Check

The idea of making room to love our neighbors around the holidays can be scary to us because naturally, we value our holidays and tend to think of them as protected family time. This is understandable, but this is where we need the gospel to shape our thinking. By God’s sovereign grace, we have been adopted into a new, spiritual family (Rom 8:12-17) that transcends our earthly family. This reality ought to shape the way we leverage our holidays to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as how we aim to bring the gospel to those who currently do not share in the blessing of being child of God.

Resources

– Create an environment that moves conversation from 5 seconds to 5 minutes.

– Ask what their plans are for the upcoming holiday and invite them to join you.

– Halloween is the one night that people come to us. Rather than turning off our lights or putting candy on the porch, we can use this unique opportunity to engage with people as they come by.

– Partner with your neighbors or a group of people: cook food and have some yard games.

– If you live in an apartment, work with your complex to plan an event.

– Invite people to join you for a Thanksgiving Dinner: Friendsgiving or a Thanksgiving Left-Overs meal

– Bake treats and take to those that work holidays. Medical workers, policemen, firefighters, etc…

Questions

– How can you make it a regular rhythm in your life to move convos from 5 second to 5 minutes?

– How did this help you enjoy God more?

– How have you seen God work as you take steps of faith?

– Has this been easier or more difficult than you thought it would be?

People: Neighbors

Place: Home

Prompt: Love those you live with my serving, reconciling with, and encouraging them.  

Heart Check

As we strive to fulfill the command to love our neighbors as ourselves, we may unintentionally overlook the importance of loving those neighbors who are closest to us. Whether it’s our spouse, roommate, or family member, we can sometimes take these relationships for granted. While we may be intentional about loving others well, we can often find ourselves giving the worst of us to those we love the most. It’s important to remind ourselves that every good and perfect gift comes from above, and some of God’s most precious gifts are our friends and family. These gifts should inspire gratitude, kindness, and gentleness in our hearts. 

Resources

– Resolve unreconciled tension. Start the conversation you have been putting off.

– Pick up a chore someone else might usually do.

– Plan a time for you to intentionally invest time with those you live with. Play a game, eat a meal together, go for a walk or pray together. 

Questions

– How did this help you enjoy God more?

– If you haven’t prioritized those in your household, why?

People: Neighbors

Place: All spheres

Prompt: Seek reconciliation with those you have a broken relationship with.

Heart Check

In 2nd Corinthians 5, Paul tells us that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation because Christ was crucified to reconcile us to God. In him, we also ought to be ministers of reconciliation. He who is forgiven much, loves much, and we as Christians recognize that we have been forgiven a debt that we could never have paid. Being unwilling to forgive those who have wronged us is contrary to our profession of faith. This week, let us remind ourselves of how great a debt we have been forgiven and let that be the fuel that drives our ministry of reconciliation. “Beloved if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another” – 1 John 4:11

Resources

– Take inventory of those in your life who you need reconcile with due to loss of relationship surrounding unresolved conflict.

– What is your part to own with your conflict?

– If you have a hurt, habit, or hang up that is prohibiting you from seeking reconciliation, consider attending Regeneration on Monday nights.

– Conflict Resolution Roadmap PDF.

Questions

– How did this help you enjoy God more?

– What fears, if any, are holding you back from starting a reconciliation conversation?

People: Strangers & Family

Place: All spheres

Prompt: As you are traveling for vacations & holidays, make the most of these unique opportunities to love strangers and family members.

Heart Check

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus gives his disciples (and us by extension) the great commission. We are told to go and make disciples of all nations. Interestingly, in the Greek, the word translated as “go” is a passive verb and could be more literally translated to “as you go, make disciples of all nations.” This is helpful for us because it frames evangelism and discipleship as a commission that we are to engage in, as we go about our lives. As you prepare to travel over the holidays, remember that the great commission to evangelize the world directly applies to your travel, even if you are not traveling for the express purpose of evangelism.

Resources

– Purposefully pray for opportunities. “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” – Colossians 4:2-6

– Humbly turn conversations to spiritual things. Ask open-ended questions and be genuine in your interest to their response.

– Set the tone of the conversation. Aim for depth of conversation surrounding deeper and more meaningful things in life. Pray God uses it. This will often help ease the transition into a spiritual conversation.

– Own the initial conversation and the follow-up conversation. If the conversation or interaction is tense or awkward, follow up with relational connection. Don’t leave the moment if the conversation doesn’t go well. Continue to communicate love and relational commitment.

Questions

– How did this help you enjoy God more?

– Was initiating a spiritual conversation harder or easier than you anticipated?