There Are No Ordinary People

In one paragraph

Brad continued the series on the church's mission statement, "loving God and loving others," by turning to the second half of the great commandment. Working through the parable of the Good Samaritan and a survey of the "one another" passages in scripture, he made the case that loving our neighbor is not passive well-wishing but a costly, active commitment to the good of everyone we encounter. He...

Read together

1. Psalm 16:11 opening word to lead congregation into worship
2. Revelation 1 Jesus loves us and freed us from sins by his blood
3. Ephesians 2:8-10 grace through faith, God's workmanship created for good works
4. Luke 10 (Good Samaritan) key text on who our neighbor is and the nature of sacrificial love
5. Luke 6-7 four examples on loving enemies, doing good, lending expecting nothing in return
6. James 4:14 life is a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes
7. Luke 16 (parable of the shrewd manager) using material resources to win people for the kingdom
8. Proverbs 14:4 where there are no oxen the manger is clean but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox
9. 2 Corinthians 12 my grace is sufficient for you, power made perfect in weakness
10. Romans 8:28 God works all things together for good for those who love him
11. Matthew 16:24 whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross
12. 1 John 4 (implied) since God has so loved us let us love one another, no one has seen God but if we love one another his love is made complete in us

Talk about it

1. Brad described a friend who prays every morning, 'God, help me to love the people that you have put in my path today.' What would it look like practically for you to pray that prayer before you leave the house, and what might change about your day if you did?
2. Brad said that agape love has to cost you something or it isn't really love, and that this applies to money, service, and time. Where in your life right now is love actually costing you something, and where might it not be costing you enough?
3. The CS Lewis quote from The Weight of Glory says there are no ordinary people, that everyone you meet is either heading toward everlasting splendor or horror. How does that change the way you think about a specific person in your life who is hard to love?
4. Brad drew a contrast between using people to get things and using things to get people. When you look honestly at how you spend your time and money, which side of that line do you tend to fall on, and what does that tell you?
5. Brad shared that dealing with physical weakness has drawn him closer to God and to the church through the one anothers of scripture, and that he has experienced a depth of relationship he could only have previously dreamed of. Have you ever been in a season of weakness or need where you had to let others in? What happened, and what kept you from it or drew you toward it?