In order to take the Great Commandment seriously, we must be willing to love those who God has placed around us. It’s not always going to be pretty, but it is going to be significant.
Review the Block Map and the Art of Neighboring Strategy.
Encourage everyone to host or be part of a neighborhood gathering within the next 3 months.
Connection Groups could have a party at someone’s house and they could invite their neighbors.
Folks can go to our website to learn more and find resources for how to do a block party at fbcportales.org/the-art-of-neighboring.
In many ways, neighboring is scarier than going on a global mission trip, because your neighbors are always going to be there. But Jesus has called us to engage in the messiness of relationships; and that can be scary. No doubt, fear is something we must overcome if we are going to reach out to others, especially our neighbors.
Here’s a quick quiz question: What is the opposite of “fear”?
You might answer, “courage.” That sounds right, but according to Scripture the opposite of fear is faith. When the disciples were afraid in a storm, Jesus didn’t question their courage, but their faith.
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” - Mark 4:40 (NIV)
In fact, when you think about it, courage is really faith on display; just like worry and anxiety is fear on display. When a soldier is courageous on the battlefield, for example, it is because of their faith in their cause, faith in their fellow soldiers, faith in themselves, faith in their training, or yes, faith in God. But they are courageous because of faith.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie “Gods and Generals” is where Stonewall Jackson is asked by his aides how it was that he could be so courageous on the battlefield, with bullets whizzing passed his head and the sound of cannon fire echoing in his ear. His answer was his faith in God. He trusted God with his life and the timing of his death. And believed God would see him through when that time came.
To be faith-full is to be fearless!
But as Stonewall Jackson testified, the greatest faith is faith in God. Faith in your friends, yourself, your training, etc. can bring courage, but it is possible that faith in my friends, myself, my training, will go unrewarded, because they can all let me down. But there is only one faith that will not go unrewarded, and that’s faith in God! You, your friends, your training, can all let you down, but God never will!
“Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.” - Romans 10:11 (Easy to Read)
So let’s think about how we can overcome the fear factor through faith and trust in God. I want us to look to the example of Matthew to see how faith in God can overcome our fears. (READ TEXT)
1. Matthew’s faith was displayed by the courage to identify with Jesus publicly - v. 27
Jesus called Matthew to identify with Him publicly. And He still calls people who place their faith in Him to put it on public display. How?
A. Through baptism.
Everyone who claims to have faith in Christ as Savior should be baptized because Christ commanded it.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” - Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)
Scripture indicates that my willingness to be baptized demonstrates that I really am a believer.
“. . . many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.” - Acts 18:8 (NIV)
“We know that we have come to know Him, if we obey His commands.” - 1 John 2:3 (NIV)
Baptism doesn’t make you a believer; but it does show that you already believe. Baptism doesn’t “save” you, only your faith in Christ does that. But baptism is like a wedding ring - it’s the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart. Baptism is an outward expression of an inner reality. And if, through faith in Christ is an inner reality for you, your faith in Christ will give you the courage to publicly identify with Him through baptism.
B. Through fellowship.
Just as Matthew in publicly identifying with Jesus identified with His followers, we too, should publicly identify ourselves as Christ-followers by faithfully associating with God’s people.
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” - Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
“These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.” - 1 John 2:19 (NLT)
An elderly lady faithfully continued to attend services, even though she could clearly no longer hear what was going on. When asked why, she replied, “I think it’s important that everyone know whose side I’m on!”
2. Matthew’s faith was displayed by the courage to follow Jesus completely - v. 28
Matthew’s determination to follow Jesus was complete in that he willingly left everything associated with his old life to embrace everything associated with his new life. And though he didn’t always follow Jesus in perfection; he was definitely committed to walking in that direction; even with all the changes and challenges involved!
Likewise, if we have faith in Christ, it will result in our having the courage to embrace whatever changes or challenges might be required in following Him!
This desire to live for Christ and please Him is planted within the heart of every true child of God.
“The one persisting in sin belongs to the diabolical one, who has been all about sin from the beginning. That is why the Son of God came into our world: to destroy the plague of destruction inflicted on the world by the diabolical one. Everyone who has been born into God’s family avoids sin as a lifestyle because the genes of God’s children come from God Himself. Therefore, a child of God can’t live a life of persistent sin.” - 1 John 3:8-9 (The Voice)
If we truly know the Lord, we may not always get it right, but, like Matthew, even though we don’t always follow Jesus in perfection, we will definitely committed to walking in that direction.
If our relationship to Christ is making no discernible difference in how we live, then we are just kidding ourselves if we think we are following Jesus; and may be kidding ourselves if we think we know Jesus!
3. Matthew’s faith was displayed by the courage to share Jesus intentionally - v. 29
Matthew made himself, his home, and his possessions available to Christ so that other might be introduced to Him. And if we are trusting Christ and relying on Him, our faith will be revealed by our willingness to do the same.
Share about the sheet-rock worker who helped us with our house. He saved us $700; and then later on, did a job he bid $800 to do for only $600. Donna and I have told everyone we know about him, even those who don’t need anything done to their house!
When you appreciate what someone’s done for you, you can’t help but tell everyone you know. The same should surely be true of our desire to tell others about Jesus! We need to intentionally seek to tell others about Christ. This is what Matthew did. How?
Matthew threw a party where his friends could meet Jesus.
Conclusion:
Continue to seek to connect with your neighbors. Then host or be part of a neighborhood gathering sometime in the next 3 months.
We can follow Matthew’s example by following these 7 steps:
1. Persist in connecting with your neighbors (Block Map).
2. Pray for God’s guidance and for your neighbors.
3. Plan for the party.
4. Partner with your Christian neighbors or Christian friends.
5. Promote the party in your neighborhood.
6. Party with your neighbors!
7. Present Christ as God opens doors and gives you opportunity.
Repeat these steps all over again!
