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Church Requel

A Neighbor's Love

A Neighbor's Love

Who is my neighbor, really? You don’t want to ask that question when Jesus is around! Today we talk about what it means to love God and love other people the way God intends. We are reminded that this is mission critical for us here at Church Requel.

Locations & Times

Church Requel

2 Marion Ave, Mansfield, OH 44903, USA

Sunday 11:00 AM

Free Gift For Our Guests

If you are visiting with us today, WELCOME! We’re glad you’re here. If you will stop by the piano on the north side of our sanctuary after this morning’s worship, and drop off your connection card, we have a FREE Christian book to share with you. We promise no one will show up at your door. But we will include you in our weekly Friday email newsletter and tell you about the good things happening at Church Requel. Thanks for being our guest!

Food Pantry

A big Thank You goes to Sheri for setting up our food pantry! We continue to need non-perishable foods. When you come to church Sunday mornings bring some food to share with others, who may be sitting in the pew next to you. The Food Pantry is downstairs and will be open for 15 minutes after each Sunday service. You are welcome to receive food if you have a need. We are looking for volunteers to work in the food pantry 15 minutes each Sunday. Please see Sheri if you are able to help.

Back To School Prayer

Tamira Barnes will lead our congregation in a prayer for our families with children returning to school. We don’t want the prayers to stop this morning. Tamira will give you instructions today for how you can be a “Prayer Godfather” or a “Prayer Godmother” to one of our children throughout this school year. Thank you in advance for praying faithfully for our children.

Back To School Supply Drive

Parents, your children should be receiving their school supplies in their classroom this morning. Thanks to all who helped us provide this help to our families. Also a special thank you goes out to the Reaching Out organization, who sponsored our last 8 children. Finally, thanks to Amy Watson and Cindy Thoman, who stuffed the bags this past week.

Next Week's Servants - August 28th

9:45
Prep / Cleanup: Mary Kay Pierce, Dave & Jen Repp
Tech Team: Chris Thoman & Tamara Engstrom

10:30
Greeting Team: Brian Betts
KidsMin: Tamira Barnes & Karen Jacob
Middle School: Cindy & Steve Thoman
Nursery/Preschool: Jen Carrick & Sara Scott
Snacks: DeeDee Logan
Counting Team: Stephanie Angel & Shelli Jackson

Neighborhood Meal - Sept. 10th

Our church family has the opportunity to serve a hot, free meal to all in our neighborhood who need it on Saturday evening, September 10th. Would you plan on being a servant that evening? We would appreciate volunteers being here to set up by 4pm. The meal is served at 5pm. Cleanup is usually done by 6:30pm. Thanks in advance for your faithful service.

Donate To Church Requel

Use the link below to make a one time donation to Church Requel using your debit or credit card. We want to make sure you know that we provide this as a convenience for those who use the debit or credit card responsibly in their financial lives. It is not our intent for you to go into or add to credit card debt to give to CR. We appreciate your ongoing financial support of our ministry!
https://churchrequel.ccbchurch.com/trx_submit.php?type=public_gift

YouTube Luke Sermon Series

Would you like to watch all the other sermons by Pastor Mark from the Gospel of Luke? Now you can! They can all be reached with this single link.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgfyMyAZe5spqhViMxLDGNxjkC_ihmlQw

How To Neighbor

How To Neighbor
A Neighbor’s Love / Luke 10:25-38 NIV

In Luke’s gospel, an attorney asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Rather than answering the question himself, Jesus asks the attorney what is written in the law. He asks, “How do you READ it.” (Very important legal language as we’ll see.) The expert attorney’s answer…

How do we inherit eternal life?
Love _________ and love ___________.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.” “You have answered correctly, “ Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” v.27-28

What is our answer? Give your life to Jesus. Ask forgiveness of your sins. Repent and turn from evil to good. Serve Jesus. Make Him the Master of your life. Do what He says. Follow His commands. Right? Isn’t that what we say? So why is Jesus’ answer not the same as our answer? Do we have the wrong answer?

A. Why the answer is different now. The question was given at a different time and place. Before the crucifixion. This is what the Old Testament teaches. This is what we’re supposed to do. But we fail miserably at it. No one can do it!

“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.“ Romans 8:3 NLT

B. Why the answer is the same now. We now have the ability to do what the Old Testament teaches! Because of Jesus. We have the power to love God and to love people! In fact, that is the very mission of Church Requel!

- When it comes to loving God, there are no ____________ .

Not just about 4 different parts of us - heart, soul, strength and mind. The key word is none of those. The key word is repeated 4 times. Did you miss it? “ALL.”

ὅλος (holos) -

I love God with all of me.

- When it comes to loving people, there are no _____________ .

“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” v.29

That sounds like a lawyer type of question, doesn’t it? What are the exceptions? Who IS my neighbor? Who can I NOT love?

When Jesus used the Samaritan as the example, that word alone spoke volumes to the faithful Hebrews in Jerusalem and surrounding country. They and the Samaritans hated each other.

Ultimately Jesus is telling us that when we love the way God intends, that His idea of love IS radical itself. That God’s radical love through us TRUMPS every other political, national, racial, religious division of how we see other people!

How do we love other people the way God intends?

#1. Real love begins with _________ turns into _________.

“A Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.” v.33

Despite their differences, the good Samaritan took pity on the injured man. He went beyond feeling sorry for him (like we hope the priest and Levite did) and considered how he would feel if he were in the same spot. That’s what we mean by sympathy turning to empathy. It’s one thing to feel sorry for someone else. It’s another level of love to say, “What if that were me? What would I want done for me?”

Golden rule:
"Do for others what you want them to do for you: this is the meaning of the Law of Moses and of the teachings of the prophets.” Matthew 7:12 GNT

Do for others… with no loopholes! This love is bigger than your love. Your love and my love is not big enough to love this way. That’s why we can only fulfill this with God’s Holy Spirit inside us, which only happens when we give our lives to Christ.

#2. Real love continues when I ____________ .

“He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper.” v.34-35a

In our culture we think of love as a feeling. If we think of love only in this way, it will cripple our ability to love in the radical way Jesus is talking about here. Because love the way God intends it to be for us is MUCH more than a feeling. Love is an action.

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” 1 John 3:18 NLT

There is love that talks and then there is love that walks. Radical love for others does more than talk a good game. It demonstrates itself by the actions taken. The Samaritan bandaged up the man. Put him on his donkey. Took him to a hospitalized Holiday Inn and prepaid the man’s medical expenses.

That should do it, right? What more could radical love expect of us?

#3. Real love flourishes when I ____________ .

“‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’”v.35b

The key words here are “when I return.” Real radical love invades our schedules and our busyness. We think of the Good Samaritan as doing “a good deed.” We say that we did our Good Samaritan act today. The truth is that this kind of godly, radical, real love never stops. It sees problems through to the end. It plans on stopping back. Checking in. It plans on paying “extra expenses.”

“Love keeps going to the end. Love never fails.” 1 Cor. 13:7b - 8a MSG/NIV

Is this the kind of love you want to show to other people? The kind of love that never ends. Are you so overwhelmed with God’s love in your life for you, that you want to take His love and pour it out to other people. Love that empathizes. Love that takes action. Love that follows up.

Church Requel's Website

Here is your online link to everything Church Requel on the Internet. Here you will find all of our sermons, in video and audio. Each week our pastor writes in his online blog and publishes an audio podcast. You'll find all of our pictures, our Facebook page and our Twitter feed. You can even connect with other Church Requel folks in our online community!
http://www.ChurchRequel.org/