ACTION

My dear family in Christ,
for some time now i have been sharing what i consider a simple message: Know Thy Neighbor. However, as tragedies and unspeakable events continue to unfold, I feel an even greater need than ever before to share this simple message again. I am challenged by Christ’s own words to love my neighbor as myself. How can I truly say i love my neighbors if i don’t know them? How will I stand before Christ and claim to have loved my neighbor if I truly never even speak to them, know them even the least tiny bit, or make a true effort. It has become painfully obvious that this simple message could be one of the biggest problems facing the church today. And what affects the church effects our neighbors, or communities, and ultimately our nation. I don’t wish to sound like an alarmist. Indeed, my purpose is anything but. I want to truly encourage the full body of Christ to help me in sharing this simple – but I believe – very important and timeless message of love, sharing, understanding, and (also important) the knowledge of our neighbors. When I was younger, much younger, visiting folks was the norm – even folks we never visited before. We got to know our neighbors, stayed in touch, and became neighbors in deed – not just in word. There are many excuses for not following this small and simple premise of Christ’s love, but there are no true reasons that I can think of. If you agree, please help me to spread the simple message of knowing thy neighbor – not as a cliche’, or catchy saying, but in spirit and in truth as members of the body of Christ, ministers of the gospel, and the kind of neighbor Christ envisioned.