Unleashing Worship: PART 5

NEIGHBOR
July 30, 2006

Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Mark 12:29-31 Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: `Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

Who is my neighbor?
l Personal Aspect: Your Community
l Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-37

Loving your community is an act of worship.
v Romans 12:9-19
v Genuinely love your community ~ “Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
v Work hard at loving your community ~ Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
v Love your community even when it’s hard ~ Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.

Challenge
l RELEASE all emotions to Him…
l REVOLUTIONIZE all your thoughts for Him…
l RENOVATE the way you move for Him…
l REVEAL yourself to Him…
l RADICALLY love people in His name.

We concluded the service by challenging our people to get RIDICULOUS and RUN to REACH out and RESCUE those we know that need Jesus and/or need to be in a more serious relationship with Him. We asked the group to write down their names... when the morning was over, there were 121 names on little post-it-notes on our table/altar in the front. SO CHURCH, we expect that myself and you will be working HARD to Rescue our friends. We should grow as a community not because we want a crowd here on earth, but because we want a crowd around the throne in heaven!