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READY: PART 2

“And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.”-- 1 Thessalonians 3:12

As you become more ready each day to show your faith and share the Gospel, the Holy Spirit will create in you another aspect of the Christian walk—a desire to serve others, which is a vital way to express God’s love to those closest to you and to those that might be outside of your comfort zone.

Comfort Zone

As the early Christians continued to grow in number, they also received opportunities to share the Gospel and minister to people outside of their traditional spaces.

Peter, who had emerged as one of the Church’s leaders, was familiar with the concept of serving others. For three years, he had observed the way Jesus approached people in areas of society that have been deemed out of bounds.

Jesus ministered to culturally unacceptable people groups (John 4:3-42), feared military leaders (Luke 7:1-10, untouchable outcasts (Luke 17:11-19), shunned beggars (Luke 18:35-43), and despised tax collectors (Luke 19:1-10), just to name a few.

Even still, it wasn’t easy for Peter when he was invited to share the Gospel with a Gentile (non-Jew) named Cornelius. The entire story can be found in Acts 10. It involved visions, angelic visitations and one of the most important historical moments for the Christian faith.

“Peter began to speak: “Not I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him. He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all.”– Acts 10:35-36

Because of Peter’s obedience and his willingness to serve outside his comfort zone, the Church expanded into the Gentile world. Now everyone, you and I included, has access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only way to salvation and eternal life.

Go Serve

When you serve others, you are showing God’s love for them and opening the door to sharing the Gospel. The easiest place to start with those closest to you: your teammates, your friends, your classmates and your family members.

It shouldn’t stop there. In fact, some of the greatest opportunities to serve are with people who are outside of your comfort zone. Stretching beyond convenient serving looks different for each individual.

The other side of your serve might be a classmate whose into academics more than athletics, a teammate whose family is struggling to get by financially, a reclusive neighbor who rarely leaves his or her house, or a classmate speaks a different language than you.

As the apostle Paul later wrote, reiterating Peter’s revelation: “For there is no favoritism with God.”– Romans 2:11

• Why do you think it can sometimes be difficult to serve people outside of your traditional spaces?
• What attitudes do you need to change in order to be more available to serve everyone as the Holy Spirit guides and directs?

Sharing God’s love with others is a vital part of your new purpose in Christ. Here is a reminder of what you can do for those closest to you and those outside of your comfort zone.

• Go Serve: Meet a need. Give what you can. Share your time and your treasure with everyone that the Holy Spirit places in your path.– 1 Peter 4:10

Take some time to ask the Holy Spirit for both simple and creative ways you can serve others. Make a list of those you can serve closest to you. Then, make a list of those you can start serving who aren’t in your traditional spaces.