Love Your Neighbor: A Movement

Yesterday, in the House of Prayer, we were praying for local and global missionaries. I believed it was the right direction but I could not lift my eyes off of Long Island/NYC and her needs. We prayed for the Church to see herself as a missionary to the region. Suddenly, The Lord dropped an idea in our hearts and it dominated our thoughts in prayer. The idea? Love your neighbor.

The needs of our region are so overwhelming that they can be paralyzing. The result is that although our hearts are moved with compassion, we often withdraw from volunteering or affecting change in our communities because we feel like we can barely keep our own heads above water. Thoughts of mobilizing large projects are often immobilizing. Often, instead of focusing on the mission field right in front of us, we look elsewhere. Don't misunderstand me... There are people that the Lord has called to other nations and regions and we truly believe in their mission and support it financially and in prayer. However, there is a whole "Church" (big C = big Body) that has been planted right here on LI/NYC, a mission field that has the potential to reach the nations naturally, and we ARE missionaries!!!! We represent a King and His Kingdom! We are ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven here on LI/NYC.

So... on to the idea that dropped... what if all of the leaders in the Christian Community prayed a release of the first and second commandment (in its right order) and we started a simple movement. "Sons and Daughters, Love the Lord Your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength. Then, love your neighbor as yourself." What if we all just loved ONE neighbor with God's help? Not the whole neighborhood, (at least not right now)... just one neighbor.

Long Island used to brim over with neighborhood identities, block parties, mutual support, adopting a watchful eye over your neighborhood kids, etc. What if we just went back to the simplicity of loving ONE neighbor and I mean NEIGHBOR. Not your friends, not your co-workers (they are your neighbors too but this is different)  just one neighbor. What could/would happen to LI/NYC? Can you see the possibilities for the Church as missionaries??? God is so smart!

Well, anyway, that's how we're praying. In the meantime, entirely without foreknowledge I ran across this video this morning and thought, "Wow, can God confirm a word or what?"