2020-09-12 - Summit Webinar Training
Luke 10:25-37 - Good Samaritan
- Jesus is focusing on getting beyond the minimum
- Not "who is my neighbor?" but "how am I being a neighbor?"
- Not interested in the minimum
- Jesus describes neighboring as showing mercy
- Micah 6:8
- Tim Keller - not three things, but one thing, doing justice with a heart of mercy
- See Bible Project Video on Justice
- Justice is retributive, but it's not only that, it's more about restorative
- Making sure people have what they need to thrive
- Old Testament Picture: Gleaning - Don't harvest the whole field, leave the margins
- We are not talking about Justice because we think it's popular
- Justice was a Biblical concept prior to social justice concept
- Should be God's people delivering justice
- All societies have failed to live justly, God has always expected His people
- Justice is retributive, but it's not only that, it's more about restorative
- Micah 6:8
- Not a works based gospel
- Not "do these things to be saved"
- But "these things flow out of being saved"
- James 1:22-26
- "Bridling tongue" - Godly Speech
- "Keeping unstained from the world"
- "Caring for widows and orphans"
- Personal Piety and socaial concern
- Any marginalized group of people, outcasts of society
- OT Justice and Righteousness
- Not just personal piety doing right relationship with God
- But right relationships with neighbors
- Treat the poor and marginalized as God intended
- Many people go through a crisis of faith in realizing we've missed it
- Relationship with God being right is not just about
- "Now that all power has been given to me"
- That's why we should go
- Not because we're clever, or organized
- Baptize
- Teach them to obey all that Jesus has commanded them
- Summarized into "Love God, Love Neighbors"
- Great Commission is not separate from Jesus' life and teachings
- God's introductions to himself
- Psalm 146
- Creator of everything
- Defender of widows
- Father to the Fatherless
- Psalm 98
- Jeremiah 9:23-24
- Boast in knowing Him
- Knowing that he loves, justice and mercy
- Psalm 146
- Love the whole person
- Not just the easy things
- We often compartmentalize people - only caring about soul OR body
- Body, Soul, Community, the things that impact them
- Great Commission
- Call to word and deed
- Care for community is not only gospel proclamation
- That's not how Jesus lived
- Not a bait and switch
- Here let me help you, only so that I can tell you the gospel
- There's value to God when we demonstrate the Gospel
- It's never a failure when the neighbor doesn't receive Christ
- Jesus healed many, preached to the multitudes, and they didn't all come to salvation
- Validates what we're saying when we act and show mercy
- Titus 2, 3
- 2:7 Set a model of good works
- 2:13-14 Following Jesus example
- Matthew 5:16
- Let neighbors see good works and glorify God
- Holy Spirit use me and teach me in these things
- So much to learn through ministry
- When we ask which word or deed is more important
- It's a pragmatic question
- American trying to minister effeciently
- So that we can focus on the things we want to do
- We truncate the mission so that we can fit it into our lives
- Might need to radically reorient our lives around His mission
- Gospel is to be proclaimed in Word and in Deed
- It's the natural progression of the Gospel in your own life to move on to sharing it
- It's never too late, God is always working and giving us this opportunity
- Move into confession, repentance, and mission
- What we do should flow from who we are
- Doing Justice ought to cause us to rearrange our lives
- Am I willing to do the hard work to deconstruct or rearrange what I'm doing?
- Doing justice isn't going to be the same thing for all of us
- Priorities for Neighboring
- Jeremiah 29:4-7
- In your exile
- I've sent you to this city
- Seek the good of the city where you are sent
- Pray for their good and their welfare
- Plant gardens, build houses, marry, have children
- "In their welfare, you'll find your wellfare"
- Prayer
- For the people God has put us around
- For poor, marginalized, hurting, broken
- God's kingdom and will on Earth as in Heaven
- God's wanting to reflect his Kingdom and values through His people
- Pray we're being His people, reflecting his values
- Sacrifice
- Luke 3:10-14
- John calls people to repentance
- If you have extra, give it away v11
- Don't take more than you're supposed to v13
- Don't abuse your power v14
- Don't complain about what you have v14
- Tax Collectors representing systems, Roman soldiers representing power
- Your life needs to reflect repentance
- Matthew 25:31-46
- Sheep and Goats distinguished by care for neighbors
- Relationships
- Proximity
- Samaratin was on road where he encountered someone robbed and beaten
- Are the places we go places that we encounter marginalized people?
- Reroute our lives to be in proximity
- Inconvenience
- He stopped, addressed the issue, paid the necessary
- Cost him time, money, cleanliness, status
- Indicates he'll be back for follow up
- Whoever had need - neighbor is whoever has resources to help that need
- Proximity
- Jeremiah 29:4-7
- Starting
- Through Prayer
- Looking around at who might be in need of something you have
- Meaningfully engage in the community
- We might tend to approach these from charity mindset
- Look at the little bit of extra to give away
- That's not bad, but that's also not sacrifice
- Switch from Charity to a Justice mindset
- Not just giving excess, but reorienting values
- Easy to go give to people you don't know, won't see again
- Paying the cost of building relationships
- Jesus left his Godhood to come be here with us
- Selfishness
- Easy to focus on my time, my money
- Recognizing it's all from the Lord, make it a stewardship issue
- Align to His priorities
- What does it mean? What should I change?
- Continue to be questioning
- Part of a confession, a personal revelation
- Matthew 23:23
- Don't neglect, but focus on the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, faithfulness
- Confess convenience, materialism, selfishness
- Commit to these things, work them out together as the body of Christ
- serverdu.com - sending resources
- Tim Keller's "Quartet of Vulnerable
- Poor, Orphan, Window, Foreigner
- Eight areas of ServeRDU ministry
- those experiencing homelessness
- those experiencing incarceration
- international neighbors
- foster and adoptive care
- disconnected youth
- women in crisis
- healthcare crisis
- financial crisis
- Utilize partnerships with those in the community
- Recognize we're not experts, come along side and partner with those who have been working a long time on these issues
- Pandemic-affected opportunities
- Requires us to be more creative as the call to be a neighbor is not lifted for the pandemic
- Praying and asking God how to show mercy to the people already around you
- Toll on
- people who are isolated
- people who are by themselves
- health care workers
- teachers
- restaurant owners
- hospitality
- Communicate
- You acknowledge, you hear, you serve
- Helping with school and kids, technology proficiency
- Having kids learning in your home, because you're available
- Take initiative, think creatively, be sacrificial
- What about care for believers?
- There are brothers and sisters in Christ who are marginalized in various ways, we have a love and duty to get involved with them as well
- It's a both-and for serving those inside and outside the body
- There are brothers and sisters in Christ who are marginalized in various ways, we have a love and duty to get involved with them as well
- How do we use finances?
- It's about sacrifices - like gleaning sacrifice by business owners
- Separate from the tithe
- Reframe resources as God's resources, God's time
- When God blesses you, can you raise your standard of living, or standard of giving?
- Our level of comfort is such wealth compared to much of the world
- Widow's offering - what are my finances and time oriented around?
- Let me do my needs and then give from excess
- Or let me serve God first and trust His provision