“LOVING OUR NEIGBOR”CW All-Church Retreat 2014

• Session 1 What Will the Neighbors Say?

—Getting off the Performance Track

• Session 2 The Crazy Neighbor —When People Try Your

Patience

• Session 3 Jumping the Neighbor’s Fence

—Getting to People Where They Live

• Session 4: Oh That Neighbor!

—Meeting the Hurting with an Open Heart

Jumping the Neighbor’s Fence—Getting to People Where They

LiveIsaiah 55:11

Pastor Frank Riley

Session 3 [Saturday Evening]All-Church Retreat 2014

The Fence Next Door

Before You Jump the Fence

—Let God Guide You.

Before You Jump the Fence

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares

the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the

earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

—Remember It’s God’s Word Not Your Own.

Before You Jump the Fence

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it

without watering the earth and making it bud and

flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and

bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from

my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve

the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

—Remember the Goal.

Before You Jump the Fence

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains

and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will

clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

—You Must Get to People Where They Live.

To Get to People Where They Live

—You Must Get to People Where YOU Live.

To Get to People Where They Live

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may

be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16

Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray

for each other so that you can live together

whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something

powerful to be reckoned with.James 5:16 MSG

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

1. What are the fence lines in your world that separate you from people? Neighborhood, Community, Work?

2. The speaker made mention of three things to think about before you jump a fence line to engage people: Let God Guide You; It’s God’s Word Not Your Own; Remember the Goal. Which of these three is the largest struggle for you and why?

3. How would it change a church if the more mature in Christ were the ones confessing their sins, weaknesses and failures? Why is this often not really allowed?