Fear and Neighboring

For the month of June I have been preaching on the art of neighboring. The second greatest commandment is, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” found in . And we discovered that in that particular context the Jewish people had very little issue with loving those like themselves, but the Samaritans were hated half breads who didn’t deserve the same respect because they abandoned what was considered the true faith and added to it with all kinds of beliefs from other religions. Yet Jesus made the point that loving someone as a neighbor means you treat all with grace, care and respect.

But in the States we have become so affinity based, that we form close relationships with those who like the same things we like and seemingly cut ourselves off from everyone else. In the States we seem to have forgotten about those who live closest to us, our literal neighbors.

The aim of thinking through what the Bible says about being a good neighbor is so that we can help build the kingdom of God here in our city. The kingdom of God simply put is the rule and reign of God. We, the church, need to be connected to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in such a way that we are different because of God’s presence in us.

Last week we dealt with the reality that many of us don’t have enough time to be the neighbors we should. If you missed that one or any of the sermons here, hop on the website and listen to the audio, watch the video on our facebook page, or subscribe on itunes.

Today we will be addressing the topic of fear. Fear is defined as: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. And in our culture today, fear and insecurity go hand in hand. Fear plays a major role in why we don’t reach out more.

These days it’s easy to be suspicious of people you don’t know:

Perhaps there’s a man who lives alone on your block. And for some reason, you’ve always had an uncomfortable feeling whenever you see him.

Maybe there are kids in your neighborhood who are about the same age as yours. But you know that their parents don’t have the same values as you do, and you feel a bit uneasy every time your kids ask to go over there and play.

How about that house on your block where nobody ever seems to be home? It’s not abandoned; it’s just that no one is ever there. You wonder what in the world is wrong with those people.

Is there a family on your block that always seems to have drama in their lives? You can tell that they have a ton of baggage, and maybe you’re just not sure if you want to enter into their chaos. It’s just easier to keep them at a healthy distance.

Or maybe it’s the idea of long-term commitment. You know that if you get to know a particular neighbor, you’re going to be in one another’s lives for years to come. Going down to the soup kitchen one night a year is one thing, but when you get to know your neighbors, they’re always there. There’s no getting away from them, nowhere to run and hide.

The truth is

What very few people want to hear is we need to be the agents of change we want to see in our community. God has not called us to sit on our hands and hope things work out. Rather he has appointed where we live and who live by. God is the one who through you wants to begin undoing the fear of sin, but empowering you to connect people together.

Pathak, Jay. The Art of Neighboring (pp. 61-63). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Acts 17:26 ESV

26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

The best example that comes to mind of this fear is the Movie Home Alone. How is it that McCalisters knew everyone on their block to call but they didn’t have the phone number of their next door neighbor? Why did kevin run in fear whenever he met the man. It took a church choir rehearsal to bring kevin and his older neighbor together and begin building a relationship.

1 Peter 3:8–18 ESV

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; 11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Neighborly Conduct:

Fearful of Others:

Fear has a way of distorting our perspective. When we are afraid of others, we think of ourselves as less important and less powerful.

Suffering for Doing Good:

following Jesus is not necessarily designed to be safe. Safety is a natural desire but it can keep us from being like Jesus in the midst of an unsafe world.

Identifying with Jesus: