Message Series: For Our Neighbors
Week 2 | Unreasonable Neighboring
Scripture: Mark 2:1-12
Group Check in:
How is it with your soul?
Prayer Request? Praises?
How has God shown up in your life this week?
Overview:
What’s this message about? What if we stopped pursuing reasonable acts of faith and began experimenting with unreasonable acts of neighboring? Just as the friends of the paralytic went to absurd lengths to get their friends in front of Jesus, it’s time for us to be unreasonable and borderline absurd in our pursuit of living Jesus’s Greatest Commandment.
The healing of the paralytic in Mark 2 unfolds in Capernaum, which was Jesus' home base for much of His ministry.
The friends of this paralyzed man were undeterred by the importance of the meeting or the size of the crowd. Together, they solved the access problem and figured out how to get their friend in front of Jesus. That’s when Jesus took it to a whole new level. He saw the sin problem that no one else could see, and he solved it for all of us.
Even small things can lead to such big things. Acts of simple kindness tend to lead to deeper relationships that pull us together.
Unreasonable neighboring leads to opened doors that are all too often closed and locked. We can’t go on with the disconnect between what we say and what we do.
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever had a friend or group of friends who went out of their way to help you? How did that make you feel?
Have you ever gone out of your way for your neighbor? If so, how did it strengthen your relationship?
The men in this story faced obstacles to get their friend to see Jesus. While difficult, they never gave up. What does this teach us about unreasonable neighboring?
What does unreasonable neighboring have to do with sharing the hope of the Gospel to others?
How should our faith motivate us in bringing others to Christ?
Share with your Groups:
Save the Date: GROUPS BLOCK PARTY
Rediscover Together. If you're curious about the groups we offer adults come and join us on August 27TH after the 11AM service for the Groups Block Party! While you can't do life with everyone, groups provide a space where you can do life with someone. Come celebrate and enjoy lunch with us! There will be fun for all, so invite your family and neighbors. This is a great opportunity for you to meet group members and their leaders. You can even register while you're there. Come rediscover together with us!
REGISTRATION FOR ALL GROUPS OPENS AUG 20TH - SEPT 3RD
