How To NeighborSample

One Mission of Body and Soul

We tend to live our lives between doors. We go through a church door to worship, an office door to get stuff done, and then we walk into our homes to close it all out. Yesterday, we talked about the theology behind this. It’s our tendency to separate the physical and spiritual. But Jesus built a bridge. He said one is like the other. He prayed that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. So, how would it look to open the doors and let one mission—Jesus’ two greatest commandments—spill into every part of your life? How will you live out the first How to Neighbor principle? We go big on help for body and soul.

We’ve been asking the Holy Spirit to reveal our unique mission. Jesus knew His mission. He went from sweaty carpenter to Messiah with Luke 4:16-21. After His 40 days of captivity to hunger, oppression, and thirst in the desert, Jesus came to His boyhood town, walked to the front of the temple, and announced why He came from heaven to earth: to bring Good News to the poor, to proclaim captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.

Did you notice Jesus’ struggle in the desert is like His mission? Notice Jesus received power from the Holy Spirit? Notice His mission includes the spiritual and physical? Finally, notice He didn’t say, “I’ve come to get all this done.” It’s more like He said, “I’ve come to announce all this is going to happen.” How will it happen? When we tap into the same power of the Holy Spirit to carry out Jesus’ commands. Because it’s not just His mission. It’s our co-mission, the Great Commission. And, it’s not just spiritual. It’s physical too.

You’re about to hear from Pastor Craig and watch a short story about two super regular people who are going big on help for body and soul. As you watch, be prayerful about these questions: Who do I know or interact with who needs spiritual help? Do they have tangible or emotional needs I’m not seeing? Who do I know who needs physical help? Do they have spiritual needs I’m not seeing? How can the Holy Spirit use me in their life? How can I let body and soul work together in the way I follow and share Christ in the places I spend time? Have I overlooked or confused my own physical and spiritual thirst? Have I had a “time in the desert,” like Christ, which might point to my unique part of the Great Commission? Have I tapped into power from the Holy Spirit to actually be able to do all this?

Today’s step: Watch the video. Then, step out of your comfort zone today. If you’re always offering physical or emotional help, offer to pray with someone. If you’re always praying or witnessing, offer tangible help. But don’t just do it once. Start living like this.

Principle One: We go big on help for body and soul.
The Gospel—God’s good news—promises freedom for the entire person. We follow the model Jesus laid out: care for both the body and the soul. We unwaveringly preach the Gospel while restoring and developing the natural and social parts of our communities.