Wiregrass Church
“Those” people are the worst. In most cases, we believe we can keep “those” people over there, and when they are over there, we can avoid dealing with them and relating to them. But what if being over there doesn’t actually keep them out of our relationships? And what if what’s “over there” is hurting us?
Love God, love your neighbor as yourself. / Golden Rule.
John 13:34-35 NIV
The disciples had no idea how far-reaching this new command was actually going to be.
Even if it was before the cross, loving everyone as Jesus has loved them. That's hard enough, right? After the cross, it almost feels impossible.
“A new command I give you: Love one another as they are lovable, so you should love one another."
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Gavin 13:34-35
THOSE PEOPLE
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The group of people who are nearly impossible to love.
THOSE PEOPLE
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They see the world differently.
THOSE PEOPLE
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They see the world wrongly.
The quality of our lives is only as good as the quality of our relationships.
You don't have a relationship with those people, you have a relationship with a person.
New Covenant Loophole
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You only have to “love one another” if you are around one another.
What if even the word relationship is broader than we've thought before?
We actually have a relationship with anything we relate to.
All relationships matter and all relationships affect us.
We all have a relationship with “those” people in our life.
The quality of our lives is only as good as the quality of our relationships.
If anybody is a subject-matter expert, it's Paul.
Romans 12:15-18 NIV
… as far as it depends on you…
Do what you can do as far as it depends on you.
What Depends On Us?
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Our own ego, pride, desires, and prejudices should never get in the way of living peaceably with others.
We can't control how they receive the humility, but we can control our pride, at least as far as it depends on us.
If we don't recognize that we have a version of prejudice, we don't know that we should be working to rid ourselves of it.
Sympathy and empathy are different. Sympathy is kind of feeling for somebody, but empathy is feeling with somebody.
What Depends On Us?
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Empathy evolves our ego, proves our pride, discloses our desires, and professes our prejudices.
Empathy is always curious, not critical.
Instead of assuming that they're wrong, empathy wonders if you were actually right. But it does it in the relationship through curiosity.
Three questions:
1. What is it like to be you?
2. What do you think it's like to be me?
3. What is it like on the other side of me?
Romans 12:15-18 NIV
