Blessing Your Neighborhood

 Imagine Jesus visiting your neighborhood through you, just as He used to visit Mary of Bethany! God has placed you right there, so that He can bless your neighborhood through your love and prayers. So prepare your home to welcome the presence of Jesus where you live. 

Remember the Good Samaritan? He not only helped the wounded stranger, but showed continual concern towards him. Jesus longs to heal our hurting neighbors through us.

If you are moving house, choose a house prayerfully. Take a prayer walk in your neighborhood. Pray that God would bless the people in each house; that God would place Christian neighbors  in some houses on each street, and that God would bring persons of His choice in the vacant houses.

To neglect reaching out to our neighbors with prayer, acts of kindness, and sharing the Gospel is to disobey God and miss His blessing which He wants to share with us and through us.

Here is the acronym NEIGHBOR elaborated according to Mary Lance: nourishing the heavenly vision evaluating your neighborhood Interceding for your neighborhood gathering others to pray  having compassion for your neighbors building relationships opening your heart and home rejoicing with God Love your neighbor as yourself very well.

Let us see our neighborhood as God sees it. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). God longs to fill your neighborhood with the peace of His presence in response to your fervent prayer.

Take a walk around your house in your immediate neighborhood. Make a (mental) note of the people living in each house: the children, women, elderly, or persons in special need. There may be shops or a park. Begin to pray for each household. Take prayer walks each day. You can make a map of your street or neighborhood to help you pray. Begin to pray for not more than ten families.

Get to know at least one or two friends who would like to join you and pray for your neighbors. You may be able to form a prayer triplet. Agree in prayer together each week for the same nine persons for the next six months.

Pray diligently. Develop relationships. Invite them for an informal discussion or prayer or Bible study or to church. Do acts of kindness according to Godgiven wisdom. Continue your prayer walks. You may quietly sing praises as you walk.

It is possible that you may be able to form a Neighborhood Area  To neglect reaching out to our neighbors with prayer…and sharing the Gospel is to disobey God and miss His blessing which He wants to share with us and through us 

Prayer Group. Your local church or a parachurch ministry may get involved in reaching out to your neighbors because you are there.

Your neighbors could be those who are desperately struggling with bitterness, hurt or anger. Some may be lonely, ill, single parent, in debt, addicted, and so on. Some may be carrying heavy burdens and may be in need of  love, caring and prayer. Who will communicate the love of Jesus to them if you don’t? You are the aroma of Christ in your neighborhood. The seeds of you righteous living, acts and prayers will result in a great harvest. It is the Lord’s doing. (Gal. 6:9-10)

It is necessary to build relationships before we can share the Gospel with our neighbors. Purposefully set apart time in your daily or weekly schedule to build relationships.

Earn the right to share the Good News by loving your neighbors in an appropriate, sincere and creative manner.

As you faithfully love and pray for your neighbors, God will bless your efforts. They may be ready for an invitation for a small informal Bible study or discussion. You may call them for Tea or a party, or just to watch Jesus film, or for an activity like knitting, or something like that.

In Luke 10:17, the disciples returned after blessing, fellowshipping, praying for and sharing the Gospel with the neighbors as Jesus had commanded them. Notice how they returned to Him with great joy!

People turning to God provide a great occasion for joy in heaven and on the earth. (Luke 15:7; 10; 22-24).

You may or may not lead a person to Christ, but God allows you to be a link in the process. This is wonderfully generous of God. You are appointed to GO.

The conclusion of the matter is to love your neighbor well. God may lead you to some special people in your place, for whom He cares: the migrants or the poor or the rich or the sick and ousebound or those on the playground.

 Prepared and modified for India by Juliet Thomas. Based on Blessing Your Neighborhood Through Love and Prayer by Mary Lance V. Sisk, USA. Used with permission