For the next 31 days we’ll focus on missional living in two spheres:
your neighborhood and your city. This first week we’ll spend some time focusing
on missional living in your neighborhood. I encourage you to pray for every
step taken toward missional living. Prayer is the best way to plan for success.
Throughout this month we’ll spend some days focused on prayer alone.
So let me ask you, how many of your neighbors do you know? Ten?
Five? Three? One? Zero? What are their childrens/pets names? Where do they
work? What are their passions? Do they go to church? If not, why? What do they
think your neighborhood is missing? The truth is it is impossible to see your
neighborhood changed to the glory of God if you don’t know your neighbors.
One of my favorite resources for Missional Living is Hugh Halter and Matt Smay’s The Tangible Kingdom Primer. It’s a great tool for
developing a missional community. One of the earliest assignments in the primer
is to cross the barrier of your fence. While this may not be easy for you
initially, it is simple and something you can do today. Talk to a neighbor you haven’t
talked to before or don’t have a relationship with. That’s it. Do it today.
We have Muslim neighbors from India. Us and the Haitians next door are the only ones who talk with them. We are building a friendship, one meal at a time, but I want to take the next step of significant time with them to get to know them more deeply.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your neighborhood is quite a melting pot and you're on the right track. What has prevented you so far from getting to know them on a deeper level?
DeleteHi Joy! I found your blog through the 31 Days link up. My husband and I are church planters in inner-city Houston, which is not part of the typical Bible belt. :)
ReplyDeleteOur neighbors are from Ghana, Greece, Croatia, Vietnam, and China. We have so loved getting to know them and more about their cultures. Several of them have attended church with us, but only 2 families go to church (at another church) regularly. We pray for them often. Thank for a great post- I am surprised at the # of people who don't know their neighbors.
Kelli, thanks for stopping by. I'd love to hear more of you and your husband's church planting story...
ReplyDelete