Day 30 of 50

READING GUIDE:

• Read today's devotion below and Matthew 9.
• During days 29-35 (at your own pace) read chapters 17 and 18 from Joining Jesus on His Mission.
• After days 29-35, meet with your small group and follow the back-of-the-book discussion guide for SESSION 5.

9 "As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' 12 But when he heard it, he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.'” (Matthew 9:9-13 ESV)

Finke shares in chapter 17, "...if we are going to learn how to join Jesus on his mission, our neighborhood is a logical place to start...How do we start? How do we join what Jesus is doing in our neighbors' lives if we don't even know their names? The Finke's conclusion? 

Have a...

Some people refer to the above Jesus account as a Matthew Party. Those in attendance at a Matthew party are a mix of Jesus followers and those who do not yet know Him. It is an opportunity for people to let their hair down (for those who have hair...I only have memories), be themselves and enjoy the company of others. It is an opportunity to burst the "Christian bubble" for Jesus followers who only know other believers. It is an opportunity for those who do not yet follow Jesus to see that Christians can enjoy a good time too.

I don't have much experience in throwing large-scale parties with the neighbors, but when living in Lake Zurich, IL, my wife, Amy, and I did intentionally invite our next door neighbors plus some friends from our church for a BBQ at our home. One story that sticks out involved Ralph from across the street. Somehow Ralph mentioned being invited to our house to his next door neighbors. His neighbors thought it sounded cool, so he invited them to join us...perfectly fine by us! After the party Ralph shared that we should do these more often which we unfortunately didn't do. But that one BBQ did help build a better conversational relationship with Ralph. And from that point on, we were getting freshly picked vegetables from his garden throughout the subsequent summers.

Whether it is having many neighbors over or a few who live on either side of your home or apartment, what will be your next step to break the ice and maybe even...PARTY!!!?