Episode 4: Mission Neighborhood
"Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!" 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
1. See the big picture.
"Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change." 2 Peter 3:8-9
2. Don't count out anybody.
"Then he told his servants, ‘We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren’t up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.’ The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on— very place filled." Matthew 22:8-10
3. Look for divine appointments.
"So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants." Ephesians 5:15-17
4. Show love by serving.
"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." John 13:34-35
Episode 3: What's A Neighbor To Be?
"Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12
1. Be real not fake.
"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." Matthew 5:3
"God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8
2. Be sympathetic not self-centered.
"God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4
"Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep." Romans 12:15
3. Be humble not prideful.
"God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth." Matthew 5:5
"Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." Proverbs 16:18
4. Be heroic not apathetic.
"God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied." Matthew 5:6
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." Proverbs 31:8-9
5. Be merciful not vengeful.
"God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7
"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9
6. Be faithful not a quitter.
"God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." Matthew 5:10
"You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:14-16
Episode 2: Watch Your Mouth
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14
"Do to others as you would like them to do to you…A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart." Luke 6:31, 45
How To Make Friends And Make A Difference With My Mouth:
1. Shut my mouth and listen.
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19
2. Stop criticizing and judging others.
"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned." Luke 6:37
3. Get rid of gossip.
"A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends." Proverbs 16:28
4. Smile.
"A glad heart makes a happy face…" Proverbs 15:13
"And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God." Ephesians 6:7
5. Speak truth in love.
"Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Colossians 4:6
"Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church." Ephesians 4:15
6. Speak words of life not death.
"Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose." Proverbs 18:21
Episode 1: Who Is My Neighbor?
"One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: 'Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?' Jesus replied, 'What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?' The man answered, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 'Right!' Jesus told him. 'Do this and you will live!' The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'" Luke 10:25-29
My Neighbors I Must Love:
1. Those near me.
2. Those in need.
3. Those difficult or inconvenient to love.
4. Those that need Jesus.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8