Neighborhood Ministries

Go the Second Mile-Jesus said, “And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two.” The Romans had a law that a soldier could compel a bystander to carry a burden for him, but he was limited because he could only compel you to go a mile. Anyone would have go the mile or risk being arrested, so it is nothing beyond what is expected, but to go the second mile would be an act of kindness. By doing an act of kindness (going the second mile) you are showing God’s love for them and when they ask why you do it, you have the opportunity to tell them about how God loves them and died for them. In our increasingly secular society, it is becoming a matter of every man for himself. Those who look out for others with no thought of return are rare.

 What will you give-Matt 13:44-46-When the merchant found the pearl, he sold all that he had and purchased it. Christ, through His death and resurrection has given us eternal life but He has also given us far more, He has come to give us life and that more abundantly. He knows how we need to live to get the most out of life. If we walk with Him in this life, we can enjoy life far better than anything we can find on our own. Is that life worth giving up all our earthly pleasures to obtain? Our earthly pleasures will give us pleasure for a short while, but they soon fade, but life with Christ will never fade. In addition, it promises eternal life with Christ. During Lent, we think of giving up momentary pleasures, but Christ asks us to turn away from all temporary pleasures to gain that which will last a lifetime and beyond.

You Can’t Serve Two Masters. Jesus said, you can’t serve two masters. You must love one and hate the other. (Matt. 6:24) That is especially true of God and Satan. They are exact opposites. You must choose between them or be torn apart. Lent is a time to focus on who we are serving and make sure we are following God and not Satan. Liberal philosophy is so deceiving because they use words, we understand but with a different meaning. No Christian would be against two people loving each other but love to them means sex solely for selfish pleasure, not true love and concern for each other. True love can be really satisfying for two people, but the love the world promotes is very destructive. We have to know what they mean by what they say or we will end up supporting things which go against God. Satan goes around like a roaring lion seeking who he can devour. He seeks to deceive even the people of God. Therefore it important to study the Word of God so you will not be deceived. Choose one of the four Gospels and read a chapter a day between now and Easter and see what Jesus says about living a life pleasing to God.  If we truly love God, we will want to obey Him. We can please Him by doing what He wants us to do (obeying His Commandments). God set down His commandments as guidelines to show us how to live a life that is pleasing to Him and that would bring us peace and fulfillment. He knows what is best for us and did not give us the Commandments to spoil our fun but to help us avoid that which creates strife and dissension among us. When we ignore His commandments, we throw away that peace and fulfillment and stray into things that create strife and dissension.

Don’t do to be seen by men-Matt 6:1-8. Jesus tells us that we should not parade our piety before men but do it in secret before God.  Some people like to give alms and pray in front of everyone so everyone will be impressed with how pious we are. When we do that, it is to find favor with men and we will be rewarded by men, but God will not be impressed. The Pharisees used to stand on the street corners and pray so people would be impressed and look up to them as pious people and Jesus often chastised them for it because they loved the praise of men more than they loved God. He wants us to do it to please Him, not to please men. If we do it in secret, God will reward us openly.

Temptation-Matt.4:1-11. Once we become Christians, we often feel like we are in a spiritual wilderness and are tempted to give in to peer pressure or choose the easy way out. Jesus hadn’t eaten for forty days so that He might spend the time in prayer, seeking direction for His ministry. He could easily have made bread from the stones, but He did not. He knew that finding direction for His work was more important than satisfying His appetite. We should be just as deliberate in seeking His will for our lives. It is often helpful to find a spiritual adviser, someone who is mature in the faith to guide you, however these days it is difficult because there are few who seek the Lord. The ones looked up to in the church are those with financial and business abilities.