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"Don't Kill Me In Your Mind!"
Contributed by Kevin Smith on Jun 30, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: We as a people of God need to be careful how we treat and look at one another, because the one that you thought you spiritually thought you put to death, may be the same one that shows up knocking on your doorstep one day & says, "You thought I was dead!"
I. Introduction:
In this particular text, Peter, after miraculously escaping from prison, shows up at the doorstep of Mary, John’s mother, to tell them the good news of what had taken place. Many people in the house had already deemed Peter to be doomed, as he was locked up in jail awaiting death or trial, so when he showed up, he shocked these people as he was not expected to remain free, let alone alive.
How many people have "Showed up at our doorsteps", after we had condemned them or deemed them to spiritual death, only to say, "You thought I was dead, but look at me now?"
We need to learn how to treat eachother better and to take care of eachother... And how to stop condemning one another but uplifting & encouraging one another, to keep the "supposed dead" people in our lives from showing up at our doors!
So, how do we keep the "supposed dead" people away from our doorsteps?
II. Body: How to keep "supposed dead" people away?
A.) Watch how you treat eachother.
- Don’t condemn people or look down on them because of thier current status or situation.
- Life is full of seasons & seasons change, so that person that you look down upon now may be the same person whom you really need that is above you in years to come! (Elaborate.)
- You might be condemning the next president, doctor, preacher, deacon, etc... (Elaborate)
- Build people up.. "Am I my brother’s keeper? YES I AM!!)
- We need eachother, and eachother’s all we got!
B.) Be a TRUE friend and brother or sister in Christ.