Local Impact Sunday


Daily Devotionals for February 28-March 4 

  

NOTE:  Next Sunday we will be taking a break from our studies in Ephesians in order to celebrate our annual Local Impact Sunday. Leading up to our worship together on that day, we invite you to prepare your heart by reading and inviting God to speak to you through these devotionals by Local Impact Pastor Chris McElwee.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28



Our mission as a church is to: love God, grow together, and reach the world. This week is about reaching the world locally. When you think about reaching your world locally, who do you think about first? Is there a requirement or obligation found in the Bible about this? Is there some guidance about who, why, and what we are supposed to do in reaching the world right where we live? That is what we will be thinking about this week.

Today we are reading from Luke 10:25-28:
 

25On 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?"

 

27He 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."


Who was this person who was asking Jesus these questions about eternal life? It was not just any believer in God. In fact, Luke describes this person as an expert in the law! Would you call yourself an "expert in the law"? Most of us would not. Yet this so called expert is asking an important question: Who is going to be with God in heaven for eternity?

If you had to answer that question today what would your answer be?

Before we get into more of this passage, it is important to think about this question. After all, some of us might actually have the same attitude of the expert. While we might think or hope we have eternal life, sometimes there is a question in the back of our minds. While we might act the "right" way and say the "right" things, the truth is it only appears we are following Jesus. In this passage Jesus is setting up a far different standard for who He would count as a disciple. This was radical teaching on many levels.

Take some time to consider your current walk with Jesus (like the expert did) and what Jesus might be actually calling you to do.

Jesus,
Thank you for the reminder that I should not take my salvation for granted. Allow me to be humble as I learn what You require of me.
Amen

TUESDAY, MARCH 1



This week we are preparing our hearts for what God will say to each of us as we come together for our annual Local Impact Sunday. Today we will return to Jesus' teaching in Luke, but first, let's read from Deuteronomy 6:4-9:

4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.


This is one of the most important passages of Scripture to Jews both modern and ancient. It would be very well known by any Jewish people (especially "experts in the law" like Jesus' questioner that we met in yesterday's reading from Luke 10). Jews past and present recite this prayer -- known as the Shema -- weekly, if not daily!

For us in the church today, the equivalent might be the Lord's Prayer, in terms of popular Bible prayers that we all know and could recite.

Note that Deuteronomy 6 affirms the unity of God in verse 4, and what is required of us in verse 5.

Now, let's read from Luke 10 again:

25On 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?

 

27He 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."


Notice anything similar to the Deuteronomy passage? When the "expert in the law" asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life, Jesus responds with His own question: What is written? The expert states what everyone knows: "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.".
 
"That is right!" Jesus says, and tells him that if he simply does that, he will live! It sounds simple!
It is simple -- simple, but not easy.

It is hard, and because it is hard, we immediately try to look for loopholes, don't we? That's what the expert does, and we do too if we're honest.

The real question we ask ourselves might be more accurately stated as, "What is the least I can do and still inherit eternal life"?
  • Can I just read my Bible and inherit eternal life?
  • Can I just go to church and inherit eternal life?
  • Can I just be good and inherit eternal life?
Those are the questions we ask -- just not out loud. Do you ever ask yourself those kinds of questions?

What does it mean to "love the Lord your God will ALL of your heart, soul, strength and mind"? The reality is that it is impossible on our own power. Our hearts and minds are too weak. We tend to love other things before God!  And when we depend on our own strength, we are sure to fail! This is why Jesus died for us -- because we can't do it ourselves!

Lord,
I do want to live for You with all of my heart, soul, strength and mind -- but I can do it on my own! Please forgive my lack of faith and my divided heart. Make me strong in You. Please help me today to live more for You and less for myself and the things of this world.
Amen

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2



This week we are preparing our hearts for what God will say to each of us on Sunday as we come together for our annual Local Impact Sunday. Today we'll ask the question: Who is my neighbor?

When you think of your neighbor, who is it that comes to mind? Take a minute and write down the names of as many people as you can think of that you would call your neighbor.

Did you think about it in terms of people who live on your street? Family members? People who sit near you at work or school?

Let's read Luke 10:25-29.
 

25On 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?"

 

27He 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."

 

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"


Jesus conversation with the "expert in the law" continues as the expert poses the question, "Who is my neighbor." He was trying to figure out which neighbors he needed to love in order to satisfy the requirements of the law. What do you think? Does the Scripture call us to love some or all of our neighbors? Is it just the neighbors we like? Is it just the ones whose problems are easily solved? Is it the neighbors of the same faith?
 
Being able to identify your neighbor is important. As we will see in the next section, your neighbor could be anyone you come across who is in need.

As a pastor who works with local service opportunities, I often have people ask me where they could go to serve those in need. But that might not be the right way to think about it. What if we started to look at those closest to us and worked out from there. For instance your "inner circle" might be your family members. Do you have any family members in crisis or need? That should be your first stop. The Bible actually says that anyone who does not take care of their own family is worse than an unbeliever!

The next circle might be your immediate neighbors -- those living on your street, those attending your child's school, those in your workplace. Can you think of anyone in that circle in need?

From there I might think about the church circle. Is there someone you know at church who is in  need? Someone you see during worship or in your Community Group or Adult Class?

From there you might just keep in mind those you encounter "randomly" during the day.
 
You might even come to be aware of more than one person in need within each circle! That is okay! The Lord will equip you to handle all of the needs He would have you respond to. The question is: Are you willing to obey God's commands to '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' -- the prayer of Old Testament believers that Jesus also affirms in Luke 12:27?

Father,
Open my eyes to the needs around me. Help me to see the needs and respond with love in the name of Jesus.
Amen

THURSDAY, MARCH 3


This week we are preparing our hearts for what God will say to each of us as we come together this week for our annual Local Impact Sunday. Today, let's examine how Jesus answers the question "Who is my Neighbor?"

We'll begin by reading from Luke 10, verses 29 to 37:

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 fell into the hands of 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, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins 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."


Who are the two people who passed by the wounded man? Does this detail catch you by surprise? If Jesus' listener was, as the text tells us, "an expert in the law," what point is Jesus trying to make with this story?

As I read these verses, I understand that Jesus is implying that those who claim to be righteous -- specifically those who carry a title like priest or Levite (the Levites were the priestly class in the Jewish culture) may not actually be righteous.

Another point Jesus is making is how backward the interpretation of the law had become in that day. The Pharisees, Levites -- or really any practicing Jew of that day -- would have believed that he or she would become "unclean" by touching the wounded man. And that "uncleanness" would have prevent them from being able to worship in the Temple until they became clean again, which required some effort.

You can see how this story would stop a serious Jewish believer in his tracks!

So who does finally stop and help? It is the Samaritan. Samaritans were the most despised of all people in Israel. They would be considered unclean and their beliefs about God would be described as heretical. Yet Jesus goes out of his way to show that the Samaritan in the story was the "hero"?

 What conclusions does Jesus want us to reach? Jesus is essentially saying, "Titles and appearances don't count in the new Kingdom I'm establishing. Just because you are priest, or even a Levite, you are not more righteous than even a "lowly" Samaritan who actually does what the law requires."

What lessons can we draw for our own lives? Take a few minutes to examine your own actions: In the past week, the past year, the past five years, have you helped someone in need? Or are you "crossing the road" in order to avoid people who need help the most?

When we help people we have an opportunity not only to show the same mercy given to us by Christ through His death on the Cross, but we also have an opportunity to share the story of Jesus as we spend time with people and meet their needs.

Jesus,
Open my eyes to see those who are in need. Forgive me for sometimes being the Pharisee. Help me to see my life in the shadow of the Cross, and help me to learn how to practice the same kind of sacrifice Jesus modeled for us when He laid down His life for us there.
Amen

FRIDAY, MARCH 4


This week we are preparing our hearts for what God will say to each of us as we come together this week for our annual Local Impact Sunday. Today, let's look at the rest of the story. This is such an important parable. As we have learned, this parable includes the declaration of faith in God that begins the Shema -- the prayer recited regularly by all Jewish people. In fact, it actually interprets the Shema, brings clarity to our understanding of what it means in practice -- and at the same time raises the bar to the standard of the new Kingdom Jesus is establishing! To a Jewish listener -- particularly this "expert in the law" -- this is a lot to take in.

Let's look at what the Samaritan actually did as we read Luke 10:25-37:

25On 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?"

 

27He 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."

 

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

 

30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins 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?"

 

37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."


Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Let's look at what the Samaritan actually did from verse 33 until 35.
 
First he notices a problem. Then he takes the time to help, even paying for an extended stay until the man is healed. This is important. He went above and beyond didn't he?

When we get busy and focused on ourselves and our own situations, it can be hard to see the problems that surround us in our world. And even when we do notice them, sometimes we see and quickly look away. Sometimes we justify why it would be better not to help -- not to get involved. And sometimes we just ignore the problem all together!
 
Have you ever seen someone in need and actually justified why you shouldn't help? Sometimes there might be a good reason not to help, but that would be the exception to the rule. The next time you hear of or see someone in crisis, take a moment to pray. Ask God what you might do. It might be something short term and immediate, or perhaps it is something that may require more time and effort.

We must remind ourselves to read this parable in light of the cross. What did Jesus do for us? When we see more clearly the sacrifice Jesus made for us the easier it becomes to sacrifice for others!

Which one of the three persons in the parable did the right thing? If you answered the Samaritan -- the one who had mercy on the fallen man -- you would be correct, just like the "expert in the law" responds in verse 37!

"Go and do likewise," Jesus tells him. "Be exactly like the Samaritan you despised!"

As followers of Christ our actions must be like those of Jesus, and in this parable the Samaritan. The Samaritan demonstrated one way in which we can "love God with all of our hearts, souls, mind and strength" -- by reaching out to meet the needs of those God puts in our path.

Lord,
Use the truth of Your Word to build into my life what it means to love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I may better reach the world -- especially those in my life that are hurting. Help me and help our church to grow in together in our understanding of how You have called us to serve those in need.
Amen