TOGETHER to get there 8
Romans 12:15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Matthew 7:1-5 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. (msg)
Romans 12:17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge;I will pay them back,”says the Lord.
· Leave that to = make room for = get out of the way.
· Honest communication has power
Romans 12:20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
· Enemy =
· Conquer evil by doing Good =
Acts 10:38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Good works from a foundation of LOVE and is reflected in the fruit of The Spirit
· I approach relationships not from a reactionary stance
· When we invite others into our world who are broken..
· Boundaries are?
John 2:23 Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. 24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. 25 No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
Galatians 6:2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. 4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
· So often we want to be needed and to fix others.
· Sharing a burden means
· Sharing a burden means
WE CANNOT DO FOR OTHERS WHAT THEY WONT DO FOR THEMSELVES
· Expectations =
· Faith =
· We don’t conquer evil by helping others hurt and disappoint us.
Luke 4:28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
Words To Pharisees
Matthew 23:27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 5:38-42 “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. (msg)
· We do not live as victims
· Stop protesting, commit the relationship to prayer and responding to the Holy Spirits leading
TOGETHER TO GET THERE!
· Meet regularly, coffee groups, Discipleship life groups.
· To see change in your life you have to walk with others who can share the load.
· Giving each other access to our life not to take responsibility but to help us carry what Christ has for us.. and let go of the rest.
· When we walk together, we gain wisdom and learn from each other.