Sermon Summary
God has uniquely placed you in position with your family, other believers and your community to influence and impact those around you for Christ. Even with over seven billion people on earth, “it’s a small world”! We moved to Holly Springs from the Atlanta area. When my son got home from his first day in a new school, he said, “Guess what. There is a girl in my class that was in my class last year.” We were like, “What? From Atlanta?” He was like, “yup! It’s a small world! So what do we do with this strange phenomenon of living on a large planet but in a small world? We “BE the church”; we realize that God has uniquely placed people around us to impact them for Christ. So, what do we do with our new found ability to connect with so many more people than ever before? What does it take for us to really love others? Who is in our Sphere of influence?
So, how can we BE the church? The Good Samaritan shows us how (Luke 10:25-37). Ministry is messy, so first of all, we have to be willing to get messy. Walking through life with others gets messy. The Good Samaritan was willing to get messy; he didn’t just call others to help out. He not only got involved, he personally invested in this man. There was sacrifice involved. The willingness to get messy starts with compassion. So, who do you shy away from helping because they have so many problems to work through?
We need to learn to be available. The Good Samaritan was available; he could have easily used the excuse that he was too busy, but instead he took the extra time that most likely was already scheduled for something else. So, how can you manage your time so that you’ll have time to love others? Is there something you need to give up so that you’ll be available to love others?
We need to learn to be intentional. The Good Samaritan shows us that in order to be a good neighbor, we must take action. We must not only see the needs of others, we must act on those needs. The Good Samaritan made sure that the injured man’s medical needs were cared for. But he also made sure the man had time to heal, and that he didn’t have to worry about paying for the room at the inn. Remember, he’d just been robbed and didn’t have money to care for himself. Who do you know who has needs? How can you be more intentional in encouraging them this week?
And don’t forget to BE the church to your own family. Teach your family how to love others and do it together (Deut. 11:19). And, of course, BE the church to other Christians (John 13:34-35). This week’s Talking Points for the daily challenges has a list of the “One Another” commands found in the Bible. I want to challenge each of us to hang up these “one another” commands on our refrigerator or on our wall where we will see them regularly to remind us of how we should live. Finally, BE the church to your community. What are you doing for those in your neighborhood, your workplace, so that they’ll get to know God? It’s part of your mission field (Matt. 28:19-20).
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE
- Ask God to show you how to make the most of every opportunity with the people he’s put in your life.
- Wisely use the moments you have with your family to teach them about God and how they can follow him. Intentionally invest in others, even when it is hard.
- Sign-up for “Neighborhoodz” and start working with other believers to make your life count for Christ.