Plans To Prosper You Series

Scott Anderson grew up here at Edgewood and went to be with Jesus this past weekend at the age of 32. A number of people got up during the service and gave tributes about him. One of the most moving messages was from a pastor in Chicago who Scott interned with. The first thing Scott did was to move to 79th Street so he could be in the ‘heart of the hood.’ Here’s what this pastor said: “He honored his neighbors and submitted himself to the leadership of an African-American pastor. Scott would go where love was most needed.”

What about you? What about me? Will we go where love is most needed? I celebrate how so many of you are living on mission in your neighborhoods! In fact, some of you, like Bryce and Nealie Hill, have moved to a specific community (they now live in west Rock Island) because that’s where love is most needed.

Remember, your neighbor is anyone in need that you come across. And your neighbor also lives in your neighborhood and works in your workplace and studies on your campus. God has placed you where you are on purpose, for His purposes. If you want to learn more about how to saturate our society without compromising your convictions, read the Book of Daniel since he also lived in Babylon. I also recommend a very helpful resource on Right Now Media called, “Thriving in Babylon” by Larry Osborn.

This summer we’ve been challenged to follow the BLESS strategy with our neighbors.

Begin with prayer.

Listen. Take the time to listen to the people around you.

Eat. Look for ways to have a meal or dessert with your neighbors.

Serve. Observe their needs and then respond accordingly.

Story. When the time is right, share the story of how Jesus has changed your life.

3. Flee false promises. One of the biggest challenges Jeremiah had was dealing with the “prosperity prophets” who were promising peace and a short stay of only two years in Babylon. Look at verses 8-9: “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD.”

BTW, be careful about prosperity preachers today as well. Prophecies of peace and financial favor don’t necessarily mean that God wants everyone to be healthy and wealthy. Some pastors and authors misuse Jeremiah 29:11 to say that God never wants anything bad to happen in our lives. Simply naming it and claiming it doesn’t make it true. We’ll address how this type of teaching takes the biblical text out of context on the weekend of July 15-16.

Before Jeremiah 29:11, we have Jeremiah 21:10, which I’ve not yet seen imprinted on a coffee mug: “For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”

Before moving on from this point, if you don’t have a Bible reading plan, pick up a copy at Guest Services because the theme for June is the “Spiritual Mind.” We must avoid fake news and fake faith.