Friday, August 04, 2006

My new neighbor

Sometimes God's providence is so obvious. I have a new neighbor as of today, but I've known him for over a year from work. We have had a little conversation before about the gospel; I see no way to consider him a believer. Living beside him will be a test to see how much I'm willing to die to self in order to love my neighbors and the gospel.

I've been listening to an edgy conference series on being missional in the context where God has you. Their basic message updates the 80s' church growth mantra "every member is a minister" [where the focus is church-inward] and declares that "every member is a missionary" [focus is church-outward].

An outgoing friend of ours from Ohio had a neighbor two-doors down move away that they had never met; she was surprised to learn that they were going to the mission field. This seemed out-of-place--why go to the effort of moving to a mission field if you don't even bother to meet your neighbors where you are?

My new neighbor is radically different than me. He has very different interests, and I'll have to decide which ones are legitimate for me to be involved with in order to reach him. It must have took an amazing love for the Apostle Paul to be all things to all men so that some might be saved; that's what I need.

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