In this series on being great neighbours, that ends this week, we’ve looked at 6 shifts:

Stranger -> Neighbour -> Acquaintance -> Partner -> Friend -> Family

We’ve encouraged you to learn neighbours’ names, stories, work together, become friends, and now your challenge is to find people of peace in your life.  Start sharing Redeem the Commute with them.  Perhaps you could do the Marriage course with your spouse and some other couples.  Or you could do the parenting courses with other parents.  Then take Christianity 101 together, and then the daily challenges.  Make a habit of eating together whenever you can, and talking about things that matter.

This is our vision, to be a network of small groups who are being the church.  We don’t want to be a church you go to, but a church on the go.  We don’t want you to just go to church, but to be the church every day.  We’ll be the church when we are scattered around the GTA at work, and scattered around our various neighbourhoods, but also when we gather for community events.  We started this with our outdoor movie night, and next we have a trivia night.

After that, we’ll have a Christmas event. We want it to be welcoming for local residents and families, generous for those in need, and introduces the story of the original Christmas party. We’re about to start planning, so let Ryan know if you would like to help!

In the next series, Becoming Like Family, we’ll look at what it means for you, and perhaps your own immediate family to be part of God’s family, called the church.  See you there!

Challenge: Ask your person of peace for help with the party you’re planning.  Then invite them to follow challenges, or another course, with you.

Ryan Sim - April 18, 2013

Thursday - Act On It - Perfection

Will we ever make ourselves sinless and perfect? Not in this life. Our hunger and thirst for righteousness is meant to be ongoing But this really is God's plan for us. He wants to make us perfect by his Holy Spirit. We were made for perfection, but gave it up. Like a rebellious child who needs to learn from their own mistakes. But we were in such trouble, we can’t help ourselves out. God intends for us to enjoy his care, kingdom again. Made it possible by coming to earth as Jesus, the perfect man and perfect God, and destroying the power of sin and death to separate us from him. He's working on perfecting us, to be ready for his return. He will make us perfect. Open ourselves to him...ask him to...allow him to. To do the impossible. To love our enemies. To do everything else in the Sermon on the Mount so far! The underlying truth behind everything he's said is that he intends for us to be perfect. Become perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect. Become acceptable to him, to live in his kingdom of heaven. Back to Day 1: How do you react when you fall short of that standard? One way is to look for help. Jesus says he is the help we need: “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me”. If you’re finding perfection, fixing yourself, trying to make yourself holy far too challenging, impossible….Jesus says, "Try me!, I’m the way!" He is the way, and the destination. He will help shape your life move in this direction as well…as long as you are willing to follow him. Challenge: Go through the last few weeks worth of examples. Anger, Lust, Lying, Retaliation, Loving Enemies. Rate out of 5. Which lowest? Recognize imperfect, and ask God to begin perfecting that area of your life.

Related Topics: Disappointment, God, Perfection | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

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