The Art of Neighboring Part 1: Getting Over Yourself

The Art of Neighboring Part 1: Getting Over Yourself

Realization from 10 years ago: 

  • Used to see the christian life as a series of todos, even with the understanding of justification by faith.
  • God commands more than we are capable of
  • Need a heart correction not “how to” for the “to do”

Confession: – I am really bad at evangelism. Which is a crummy thing for a pastor to be bad at. In fact, I’m going to say that my shortcomings in this area are a problem for the entire church. I’m setting a bad example for you all in this area. And it is bad for the church. Apart from the saving Grace of God in providing a variety of gifts, such that there are other men and women in this church that eat, sleep, and breath evangelism, if all you did in this area was to follow me, our church would die!

So here we are, in the middle of a series about evangelism, with a pastor who is not very good at it. So why on earth should you be listening to this sermon?

Well there’s a few reasons.

  • The Christian life — walking in the Gospel — includes more things that just evangelism. Each individual member has their own strengths.
  • The sort of evangelism the Bible commands the church to do is a group activity. Each of us have our role in it.
    We all ARE supposed to be about the work of evangelism. It is the mission of the entire church, with each individual playing some role.
  • Today I am talking about the most brilliant and helpful system I’ve seen that actually will make a difference in our lives, all of us, in this area. “The art of neighboring” is the first step in evangelism for almost everyone, for most of life.

The Principle:

Here’s the basic principle of The Art of Neighboring: The Great Commandment.

The Premise:

My major premise for you today is that Jesus was actually serious when He said that the second great command, which is like the first, is to Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.  He meant that. He wants us to do it.

The Problem:

And I want to say that the greatest PROBLEM, the biggest thing standing in the WAY of loving our neighbors as ourselves, is ourselves.

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT:

Luke 10:25–37 (ESV)

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?

  • Jesus’s reply to his question “what must I do to inherit eternal life is essentially: Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.
  • Internal: what do you do with your solitude?
  • External: love your neighbor the way you love yourself.
  • The lawyer saw the trap right away and wanted to make this doable!

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

Jesus’s brilliant way of answering: If you were in an extremely desperate situation, how would you want to be treated? (The Golden Rule in extreme circumstances.)

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

GO AND DO LIKEWISE

  • Understand the context.
  • We get this parable upside down. Jesus isn’t telling us to be the “good samaritan”
  • Samaritan would have carried with it the same force as Muslim would to us.
  • Problem with our “everyone is your neighbor” understanding – if everyone is your neighbor, no one is.
  • Radical idea: how about your actual neighbor?

THE GRID & THE ABCs

[Explain art of neighboring grid, ABC’s, ideal vs. real.]

Keeping the grid helps keep me on track, motivated, and is a memory tool.

WHAT GETS IN OUR WAY? OURSELVES.

PACE OF LIFE

Does your pace of life allow you to be available to your neighbors?

FEAR FACTOR

You have something to offer. God put you there to give it. (Acts 17)

UNCERTAINTY

  • What to say: If you are a Christian, you know what to say
  • Where to start: with acquaintance.
  • Baby Steps: We’re not going for a presentation of the Gospel on first handshake.

MOTIVE

THIS IS NOT AN EVANGELISM STRATEGY

  • The Great Command is an end in itself it carries no qualifiers.
  • Your goal is to cultivate relationships and foster a thriving neighborhood.

RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS

Ask them to join you in the project of cultivating the neighborhood.

A PERSON OF PEACE

SEEK A PERSON OF PEACE

  • You will be ignored, rejected.
  • Don’t preemptively reject yourself for them!
  • Persevere when ignored. Love and serve when rejected.
  • Your neighbors will notice when you are taking an active interest.

BE A PERSON OF PEACE

  • Give up your preferences in favor of theirs.
  • Take care of your lawn. Keep your animals quiet and contained.
  • Don’t stir up political division. Have your opinions but demonstrate your care for them as an individual.
  • Cultivating peace and connection. Proactively seeking to make the neighborhood the kind of place you and other families would like it to be!
  • Be present (physically.) Make yourself available.

CONCLUSION:

I think many of us are overwhelmed with the thought of sharing the gospel with our neighbors because we know intuitively that there is a first step to be taken: saying hello first. Getting to know their lives a little second, letting them in on yours. Taking an active interest and actually loving them, rather than treating them as targets or projects.

God has commanded us, Jesus confirms that is is the greatest of the commandments, to love our neighbors. We must do this, as we have been loved: when we didn’t deserve it, even (as Romans 5 says) when we were God’s enemies, he loved us, served, us died for us, and pursued us.

So make room in your life and in your schedule to walk down the ABC’s for everyone on the grid:

A – learn their name.

B – shake their hand and speak to them.

C – let them in to your life and make yourself available to get into theirs.

As Jesus taught in the parable of the good samaritan: Be to them what you would hope someone would be to you in your moment of need.