Good morning and happy Saturday. The trees are changing colors. The weather is supposed to be nice. Go outside and enjoy it while it lasts.
In case you aren’t aware, Robin sends out an email on Thursdays that has updates on our prayer list and some calendar items. If you want to be added to the list to receive that, emailrobin@communityimpactchurch.com and she will add you.
At various times over the last few months we have had some issues with our Facebook pages. Therefore, Ashton has created a new page to try to help things work better. The link can be found at https://m.facebook.com/CICShawnee17. She has also posted the link a couple of times on the old Facebook pages.
On Wednesday evening, Edwin and I got in the van to go run the route to pick up kids for discipleship. As we started to leave the parking lot, we noticed someone with car trouble. That part was evident since they had the hood open and were standing there looking at it. We pulled over and asked if they needed help. The man informed us that he had left his lights on and his battery was now dead. So we maneuvered the van closer to their truck and got some jumper cables. We tried for a while to get it started, but the battery was really dead. Fortunately, when it was time for us to go, his friend arrived to continue the process. So far, this sounds like just another story of us trying to help someone in the community. But here are the details I left out: the truck that wouldn’t start was the one for the brewery next door. The man in need was one of the owners. What would have made a good picture was when our van with Community Impact Church emblazoned on the side of it was parked in front of the brewery with the hood up, battery cables running from it to the white truck, that has the name of the brewery plastered (pun intended) on the side of it. Obviously, there are limits to what we can do. For instance, if we discover that their craft beer sales are down for the month, we will not have an event to increase their sales. We will not advertise for them on our van to increase traffic. We will not put a coupon for them in our bulletin. However, we do simple acts of kindness for a person in need.
Fortunately, most people in our church would want to help someone in need. Some might even be thinking, “why are you wasting my time with this story?” I get that a lot. However, I think it does bring up some legitimate questions. For instance, who is it that we are supposed to help? Do we demonstrate the love of Christ to only those that go to our church and/or believe the exact same things that we do? What does it mean to, “love your neighbor?” “Who is my neighbor?” How can we impact a community if we aren’t involved in the community?
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied.“How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Love God. Love others. Impact our community. Change the world.
Pastor Larry
0 Comments