Called On Mission @home
Jesus said loving our neighbors is just as important as loving Him. Being on mission @home is all about loving your physical neighbors because Jesus commanded us to love them.
When you engage on mission to BLESS, you love them best. BLESS is a rhythm of living on Jesus’ mission. It’s how we are loving our neighbors and, when they respond, discipling them to trust in and follow Jesus.
Begin with Prayer
Loving your neighbor begins with praying, “God, in whose life are you working and how can I join you there?”
By praying, you are listening to God, learning His heart, and submitting to His direction. By praying for your neighbors, you are beginning to BLESS them.
Sign up for blesseveryhome.com to begin praying for your neighborhood.
Blesseveryhome.com is free and confidential. You'll receive a map and list of your closest neighbors, along with emails at the frequency of your choice to pray for your next five neighbors that day.
When you get a chance, walk or drive by those homes as you pray for them. To learn more about this opportunity visit the following link and watch the 2 minute video by Stephen Kendrick. When you are ready to get started, click the sign up button on the page.
Listen to BLESS
Once we are listening to God in prayer we can begin to listen to others.
When we listen we learn people’s name and their interests and about their pain and their story. Begin to BLESS your neighbors by listening to them while continuing to pray for them.
Write down what you are learning about them to help you remember.
Listening to a neighbor could be the first taste of Jesus’ good news that they are accepted because you showed them acceptance by listening.
“Listening to a neighbor could be the first taste of Jesus’ good news”
Eat Together
Sharing a meal or a drink with a neighbor is a meaningful way to share the gospel of Jesus with others. This kingdom act communicates acceptance and value. It naturally creates an opportunity to listen. This act of hospitality was the method Jesus used and taught his disciples to use when He sent them to preach the kingdom of God.
Eating together is a demonstration of God’s kingdom and His good news. So invite someone to your home for a meal or invite a neighbor over to your driveway to share a drink. Invite them to your backyard for a bbq or throw a block party for the kids with hotdogs and see how God can use this to deepen your relationship with your neighbors.
Serve
As you build relationships with your neighbors, you will find ways to serve them and, in turn, they may offer to serve you.
Find simple ways to practically meet a need that you’ve heard about. It could be mowing their yard, fixing a meal when they are sick, or picking up the mail when they are gone.
As you serve them, you let them know that you are for them. When you let them serve you, you let them know that you are for them. This is how trust is built.
Share Jesus’ Story
We always begin with prayer. Listen, eat, and serve don’t have to be sequential in setting up the opportunity to share Jesus’ story.
Listening, eating, and serving build the relationship and may lead to a conversation where you can share your story of how you came to trust in and follow Jesus.
Your story of following Jesus contains Jesus’ story of how He loved you and died to save you. Your story is how you have responded to Jesus’ love for you by following Him and His teachings.
What could God do if followers of Jesus went across the street to BLESS? What could happen if we invited our neighbors over for dinner or a drink? That could be the invitation of a lifetime!
Let us know that you want to join us and be on Jesus’ mission @home or let us know if you have questions about it below.
Join an 8-10 week study that will train you to engage in mission @home and BLESS your neighborhood. This will be an inspiring time designed to help you learn and practice the rhythms that will deepen your faith and build relationships with those in your neighborhood.
