Ministering in the Community of Neighbors

From an early age, my parents instilled in me the importance of being a good neighbor.  Always be willing to help, offer to mow your neighbor's lawn if they're out of town, and return borrowed tools in better condition than when you got them. And all of that was nice, but Jesus calls us to do more. He calls us to LOVE our neighbors.

Mark 12:30-31 says, "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."

Jesus put loving your neighbor right up there with loving God. It's THAT important. So how do we move beyond just being a "good" neighbor and into being a Christ-like neighbor? How do we live out our faith in our neighborhoods… especially if we've been living in the area for a long time and NOBODY even knows we're a Christ-follower?

Some time ago, Martha and I moved into a neighborhood of 30 townhomes. It was an incredible area, filled with people from all over the world. One of the first things we did after moving in was simply to pay attention. We worked to learn everyone's names and cars. Then, when there was an opportunity to help them out, we rushed in, and in October of 2004, we had just the opportunity. Four major hurricanes hit Florida that year, and three of them affected our neighborhood. The wind ripped the siding off and shredded the roofs in places, and to make it worse, we all had HUGE deductibles for wind damage. So, I got together a group of guys to help the neighbors fix roofing and siding. It was the perfect opportunity to serve and get to know so many people living around us. After that, we made an intentional effort to invite people over for a meal, and every New Year's Eve, we planned a get-together for our neighbors. And last but not least, our neighborhood was haunted by a power-hungry association that fostered a culture of division and frustration. So, when the opportunity came to elect a new association president, Martha agreed to it. She served in this role for ten years and had an enormous cultural influence on our area.

These small but intentional steps gave us countless opportunities to love and pray with our neighbors. The day we moved away to be closer to Martha's folks, we wept all the way to our new house. It was a bittersweet ending to an amazing 18 years, and everyone in the neighborhood knew they could count on us to help, to host, and to pray.

What about you? Do you have a plan for impacting your neighbors with your faith? We wrote iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Faith and Work to help people just like you live out their faith in EVERY area of life - whether it’s their office, job site, or community. God's purpose and God's will for your life are being carried out right where you are through loving your neighbors. For more ideas on how to minister in your sphere of influence, pick up a copy of iWork4Him. Oh, and did I mention that you can download the first chapter for FREE?! Just CLICK HERE.

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

It's Just Where I Live - Part 2 of 2

Mission Field Neighborhood - week 2

The practicality of living out your faith in your work is something we talk about on iWork4Him all the time. Living out your faith where you LIVE, now that is a whole different conversation. Last week, we talked about the tool Bless Every Home as a way to impact your neighborhood by praying and getting to know your neighbors. Back recently, we interviewed Kathy Branzell from Love2020 and discussed practical ways to get connected in relationship with our neighbors. We need to be intentional because most of us suffer from Summer Faith Drought Syndrome, and seem to “check out” from faith while we are on vacation.

In case you can’t listen to the podcast of the show, here are some of the things we suggested in connecting with our neighbors over the summer:

* Host a potluck

* Invite neighbors over to dinner

* If you are going on a day trip, invite some neighbors to come along

* Go for walks and be relaxed so you have time to meet and talk with people

Really, it just starts with the intentionality that your neighbors need to meet Jesus too and they can meet Jesus through you. Don’t turn off your faith this summer, turn it on in your neighborhood. God planted you there on purpose!

Who is up for a potluck? I am!!!

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

It's Just Where I Live - Part 1 of 2

Mission Field Neighborhood - week 1

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a group of "chronologically superior" friends in Arizona. We have had several opportunities over the years to speak to this group in their Sunday morning small group. We took some time to talk about our neighborhood mission field. Have you ever thought about it that way? We started with the question of "How many of you know the four neighbors who live in front, behind, and on both sides of you?" So many couldn't name all 4, even though they had lived in their home for 10+ years. So, how do we shift our paradigm and recognize our home as a place planted in a mission field?

It takes intentionality.

Most of us think of our home as a place for us to rest and relax and launch us into our Sunday or Workday ministry/mission field. But what about the neighborhood that God placed us in? Have you ever thought about that fact that you live where you live on PURPOSE. God placed you there and surrounded you with people who need to meet the Jesus you know and love.

How do you start? Here's an idea:

Spend time outside. It is impossible to meet people in your neighborhood if you remain behind closed doors all the time. You need to know their names too. “Bless Every Home” can help you with that.

Today, try this ONE THING. The next time you pull your car into the driveway - STOP before you rush inside, LOOK to see if any of your neighbors are outside. If they are, walk over and introduce yourself and apologize for never doing it before. It's a start. Next week we will get specific on how to be prepared for your neighborhood mission field.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Living Bible (TLB)

11 So encourage each other to build each other up, just as you are already doing.

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!