Starts Here Week 5
Sharable notes for the July 2, 2023 message. You can post these notes on your social platform!
Scriptures used: Mark 10:46-52; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Matthew 10:16
Passages referenced: Isaiah 9:2; 35:5; Luke 7:22
To be like Christ is to open our lives to those who are despised because of their positions, and welcome those who are shunned because of their social status.
We're often looking for status while Jesus is looking for servants.
We must learn from what Jesus did all through his earthly ministry - reset boundaries, restore dignity and bring value to those who are marginalized.
Jesus paused what was going on in his world for the need of what was going on in someone else’s world.
There is always a need that we can stop for. We need to have our ears open to sense when the Holy Spirit wants to use us in specific situations.
Greatness in the Kingdom of God is stopping for the needs of others.
We have opportunities around us to respond in a way that acknowledges each person’s value and their need for God.
Reflect or meet with someone to discuss:
Has anyone ever stopped what was happening in their life for you? How did that make you feel?
How do you typically determine whether or not to stop for someone's need?
How does the thought of not letting our measuring stick for whether or not we stop for someone be how we see them - a taker or a contributor - challenge you?
How does knowing that God loves, values and accepts everyone - no matter how messy - change the way you view people who are different from you?
Click the image to start a new 7 day devotion in YouVersion:
A blind beggar crying out desperately by the side of the road, an immoral woman despised as dirty by polite society, a corrupt government employee hated by all – how could any of these people from society’s fringes hope to connect with a holy God? Based on insights from the book of Luke in the Africa Study Bible, follow Jesus as he bridges the gap between God and the marginalized.