Take advantage of this time by learning to reach out in relationship to those around you—your neighbors. Obviously, this requires creativity depending on your reality, but we still believe that this is an important part of our walk with Jesus. The Art of Neighboring is a 4-part teaching series available through RightNow Media, and we would encourage you to go through this on your own or with your family, or better yet, with your missional community group or a smaller group of people. If you are a member at EFC, RightNow Media is a free resource for you. E-mail: englishfellowshipchurch@gmail.com to request access to RNM.
What comes to mind when you think about your neighbors? Maybe you don’t know them very well or, if you’re honest, maybe you think the lady across the street is a bit weird. For many of us, it can be tempting to keep our distance and mind our own business in our neighborhood. But is that really how God wants us to live?
As followers of Jesus, we’ve been called to love both God and our neighbors. It’s easier said than done, but if we push past the fear, time barriers, and pride that can keep us from engaging with others, we can build deep connections with the people in our neighborhood and, most importantly, please God.
In this four-session series based on their book The Art of Neighboring, Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon help us focus on the people within our neighborhood and learn what it means to be a good neighbor. They discuss the importance of pushing through the uncomfortable feelings that come with communicating, investing in, and caring for the people who live near us. What would our communities look like if we took Jesus’s command to love our neighbors as ourselves seriously?
For additional free resources, including a 3-week sermon series, visit www.artofneighboring.com.