Step Five

Mixer

What is one thing you are looking forward to doing after quarantine?

Discuss/Reflect

In this week’s episode of As Normal As Weird Can Be, Pastor Jared & Mike Foster talked about spouses being mirrors of ourselves and that sometimes there is an underlying thing going on when we are upset with someone.

1.     Was there a time this week you were upset about something and placed blame on your spouse, child, friend, or coworker? What was the thing behind the thing?

2.     Reflecting on your relationships and friendships, what is one thing not working well right now?

3.     What is something you can do this week to bring you joy?

Sermon Questions

1.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”  We often equate getting “under someone’s skin” as the ability to annoy them or push their buttons.  However, in this week’s message, we learned that in order to extend mercy, we must be willing to get inside the other person’s skin.  What do you think it means to get inside a person’s skin?
2.   In Genesis 1:27, we learn that we were created in God’s own image.  God showed incredible mercy when He literally got into our skin by taking on our humanity.  Is there someone in your life that you have been struggling to show mercy to?  Whose skin do you need to get in and how would you go about it?
3.   Everyone has a story to uncover.  We even sometimes refer to it as “walking in their shoes.”  Jesus did exactly this for us as affirmed in Hebrews 2:18, “Because He himself suffered, when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”  Sometimes, we’re the ones who need mercy extended towards us.  Take a moment to self-reflect.  What story would you want someone to know about you, so they understood you, and why you need a dose of mercy in a specific area?

Go Deeper

This week I was confronted with a difficult person. I did nothing wrong; I was kind, I was patient, but still this person was not nice towards me. I found myself apologizing for absolutely nothing. And when my conversation with this person was over, I spent the rest of the afternoon thinking of all the things I wanted to say to this person but should not. It was not until dinner when God gently whispered, “Love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew. 22:36).

The difficult person was quite literally my neighbor. 2 Timothy 2:23-26 tells us to stray away from foolish controversies as nothing good comes from them, but instead position ourselves with kindness and a heart to gently teach. After more thought on the interaction, I postured my heart with grace. God reminds us several times throughout The Bible to show grace and mercy as He has shown us (Luke 6:36).

In this week’s sermon, Pastor Jared encouraged us to get into the skin of someone else. I do not know my neighbors story, but I do know that I have gone through my own trials in life.  Trials that people can’t possibly understand, nor to the degree that they have shaped me into who I am today. With this knowledge, I can only offer my neighbor mercy. She is human. I am human. She deserves to be treated just as I would like to be on my roughest of days.

We have all dealt with difficult people and will continue to do so throughout our lives. How we posture our hearts right now is important. Every single person is going through this quarantine, but we need to remember that how it impacts each of us is going to be very different. As Christians, we want to be examples in Christ. So instead of seeing only the sin of others, and judging their wrongdoing, we must position our hearts to extend mercy, just as Christ has done for us.

(Jaden Duncan)

Suggestions to Serve

Good Neighbor Drop-N-Drive | The Church at RB | Thursday 10AM-2PM

Feed SD | Food Distribution | Contact donna@thechurchrb.org

Feed SD | Make Sack Lunches | Contact donna@thechurchrb.org

Feed SD | Build Homeless Care Kits | Contact donna@thechurchrb.org

Prayer

Pray in order of your Zoom screen.

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