Luke 10:25-37

"Be the Neighbor" challenges the traditional question of "Who is my neighbor?" posed by a religious expert to Jesus. Instead of giving a definition, Jesus flips the question by telling the story of the Good Samaritan, instructing us to be the neighbor. This isn't just about being a good person, but about putting our faith into action. Being a neighbor means meeting a need, and it requires three things: energy, time, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Energy: The Good Samaritan didn't just feel bad; he acted, going so far as to give up his donkey and walk so the injured man could ride. The idiom "go the extra mile" reminds us that serving others often requires emotional and mental effort when we're tired.
• Time: The Samaritan intentionally took a detour from his plans to care for the injured man. This highlights the importance of "redeeming the time," which means living in the present and making the most of every opportunity God gives us to serve others "right here... right now".
• More Than You've Got: The Samaritan went beyond what was expected, paying for the man's care and promising to return for any additional expenses. Living out our faith requires more than we have on our own, which is precisely the point. It's only with the power of the Holy Spirit working in us that we can express our faith outwardly and fulfill God's purposes.

The big idea is: "Miracles happen when a need meets people who will do something".

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Jesus calls us to “go and do the same” (Luke 10:37). What does that look like in your daily life on campus, at work, or with friends?
2. A “Second Mile Christian” is someone who goes beyond what’s expected. In what areas of your life do you feel challenged to “go the extra mile” for someone?
3. How do you balance your own goals and plans with the unexpected needs of others?
4. The Samaritan gave “more than he had.” This is only possible with the Holy Spirit’s help. How have you seen the Holy Spirit give you what you needed to help someone else?
5. What need is God calling you to meet this week?

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THE POWER OF YOUR STORY

Jesus knew the power of a story. When a religious expert tried to trap Him with the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus didn’t just give him a simple answer - he told a story. IN the same way, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit not just to debate or preach, but to share our own stories and bear witness to God’s goodness and faithfulness.

Remember, every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to Jesus. Your story is significant.

THE CALL OF GOD

Sometimes, the Call of God can feel like a singular, narrow, and difficult to find path. But it’s often much wider than we think. A great way to discover your calling is to figure out these two things: What are you good at? And what do you like to do? The Call of God is likely found somewhere in the middle of those two things.

Don’t be discouraged if you have to go through a season of learning and growing first, or if your current job doesn’t seem to fit your calling. Sometimes what we see as a setback, God sees as a set up.

A NEW CHAPTER

Just as Pastor Jamie is stepping into a new season, God is also working in your life. It’s like a “jacket” that feels way too big, but it’s trusting God to help grow into it.

God isn’t done with you yet. As Philippians 1:6 says, “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ returns.”

Your story is still being written. The steps of a righteous person are ordered by the Lord.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How can we use our own personal stories and testimonies to witness to others in our daily lives, and what are some challenges we might face in doing so?
2. God’s calling is often found at the intersection of “what you are good at” and “what you like to do.” What are some things you are good at and enjoy doing? How might these things be part of God’s wider calling for your life?
3. Sometimes what we see as setbacks, God sees as a setup. Can you share a time in your life when something that seemed like a setback turned out to be a setup for a new opportunity or a lesson from God?
4. Is there a calling or a new season in your life right now that feels too big for you? How can the promise in Philippians 1:6 encourage you in that season?

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📍 English Worship Jogja | A place to encounter God, grow in community, and walk in purpose.

🔗 Website: ewjogja.com
📸 Instagram: @ewjogja

A religious leader comes to Jesus with a question. But it’s not really a question because he already knows the answer. The problem is not that he doesn’t know. The problem is that he doesn’t do it. Yes, the way to eternal life is loving God and loving our neighbor. We know that. But do we do it? If we’re honest, most of us would have to say “no.”

The story of the good samaritan starts with two people who had excuses to not get involved in someone else’s pain. They twisted God’s word to justify themselves and if we’re not careful we can do that too. We can pick and choose the promises that make us feel happy while leaving the teachings that require sacrifice and effort behind. The command of God is clear: we are to love others. But instead of doing that, we isolate our lives from people who are in pain and only give love to those who can give it back to us.

Our list of excuses to stay away is a meter long, but the way to eternal life remains the same. So what do we do?

The only way to become the kind of people that love others is by having a complete heart transformation. It’s not enough to know about God, we need to experience Him. We need His power and love to overhaul our selfish and sinful hearts. We need to come face to face with the love of God.

1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us

God’s law without God’s love is an excuse. God’s law with God’s love is fuel for God’s mission. We love others when we experience the power of God’s love for ourselves, and we are so transformed that it propels us to love the people around us.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do you easily open your life to others or is it difficult for you to get close to others? Why do you think that is?
2. When you think about loving your neighbor, what comes to your mind?
3. Do you do it? Why or why not?
4. Do you feel like God’s love has changed you? Why or why not?
5. What are some excuses you regularly use to distance yourself from others or not show them love? How can you lay those aside starting today?

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📍 English Worship Jogja | A place to encounter God, grow in community, and walk in purpose.

🔗 Website: ewjogja.com
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In Luke 10:25-29, before Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan, an expert in the law tests Him with a question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds by pointing back to the commandments to love God and love your neighbor. But when the man presses further - “Who is my neighbor?” - Jesus tells the story.

This “story before the story” show us three truths:

1. Every story has tough tests: Following Jesus means our faith will be tested, not to make us fail but to strengthen us (James 1:2-4).

2. Every story has unanswered questions: Life brings pain, grief, and mystery, but God is present with us even when we don’t have all the answers (Psalm 56:8).

3. Every story is deeply personal: Jesus meets people differently depending on their need, and His call to “be the neighbor” challenges us to show compassion and love beyond our comfort zones.

Ultimately, the Gospel reminds us that we were once outsiders, but Jesus calls us His neighbors and welcomes us into God’s family (Ephesians 2:13). The call is not just to “love our neighbor,” but to “be the neighbor” - reflecting Christ’s mercy to everyone around us.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. When have you experienced a “test” in your faith? How did it shape or strengthen your relationship with God?
2. Why do you think God sometimes leaves our questions unanswered? How do you personally deal with uncertainty or doubt?
3. Jesus’ response to people was always personal. How has He uniquely met you in your story?
4. Who in your life right now might God be asking you to “be the neighbor” to? What makes that difficult or challenging?
5. How does remembering “we were once outsiders” change the way we treat others who are different from us?

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📍 English Worship Jogja | A place to encounter God, grow in community, and walk in purpose.

🔗 Website: ewjogja.com
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There’s some people that just make us feel uncomfortable and trigger our insecurities. Why is that? It’s because we’re insecure. That’s why we compare and compete. We’re insecure in our identity, our value, and our calling, and so we look around to see what everyone else is doing. And we feel secure as long as we feel like we’re better/richer/smarter/prettier than the rest. When someone who has more shows up, we feel small and separate ourselves from them. It’s a fake kind of security that is easily lost.

But we don’t have to live that way! We are given security in our identity and relationship with God. We are valuable because He says we are, and nothing can change that. Our security is found in Him. Being secure then changes the way we live and the way we interact with others.

If we look at the parable found in Matthew 25:14-30, we see the difference that being secure makes. The man with 1 talent was insecure in his identity and relationship with the master so he failed to fulfill his purpose and missed out on the joy of the master. The men with 2 and 5 talents knew who they were and how good the master was, so they were able to faithfully fulfill their call and rejoice with the master.

Finding our security in God helps us not live in fear. Being secure in our identity in Christ comes from knowing that our failures don’t take away from our value or position. We won’t be afraid of disappointing people when we don’t need validation from them. We won’t be afraid of failing when we’re secure in our identity because we know that God catches us.

Finding our security in God stops our criticism of others. When we realize that our value and identity are ultimately found in who God says we are, we don’t need to put other people down to make ourselves feel better. And we don’t focus on other people’s success to make ourselves feel worse.

Finding our security in God opens the door for God to do greater things through us. When we’re secure, it opens the door for God to do greater things through us because we’re not putting a limit on what’s possible. We’re not playing life on defense or running scared from challenges. We’re not wasting our time comparing ourselves to others, instead we hold on to who God is and to who He says we are and we can do and be more than we ever expected.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What is something you’re insecure about?
2. What does God say in His Word about the thing you’re insecure about?
3. Do you struggle with comparison or competition? What does it look like for you?
4. How can growing more secure help you stop judging others?

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📍 English Worship Jogja | A place to encounter God, grow in community, and walk in purpose.

🔗 Website: ewjogja.com
📸 Instagram: @ewjogja

No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, everyone is welcome!

Our faith is more of a journey than a trip. While a trip is a planned event with a specific destination, a journey is an adventure focused on experience and transformation.

1. Everyone is called to the journey. Everyone is on a path of twists and turns, ups and downs. Social media often shows a “highlight reel”, making it seem like others have it all together, but the truth is everyone has their own struggles. Just as Jesus called a simple fisherman like Peter to follow him, He calls us all to journey with Him, providing purpose and meaning.

2. Everyone has challenges on the journey. Let’s face it… we all have struggles, issues, and moments of doubt, fear, and insecurity. We often feel pressure to hide our flaws, but Jesus came for the imperfect, welcoming sinners and outcasts. Everyone brings their past hurts and experiences into community. One of the biggest is relational challenges, like the misconception of finding “the one”that has confused so many young people. You are free to date and marry whomever you like, as long as you submit yourself to God’s Word and choose someone within Biblical boundaries.

3. Everyone can change on the journey. Change and transformation are possible and not just a myth, but a promise. The story of the Apostle Peter, who went from a fisherman to an Apostle shows that no one is beyond redemption and your past doesn’t define your future. This transformation is often a slow and steady process, not a dramatic, one-time event. The key is to ask, “Can you do it for a day?”

At English Worship Jogja, you are welcome with your messy, struggling, imperfect life, because this is a place where you can be changed.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. LIfe is described as a “journey” rather than a “trip.” What are the key differences between those two concepts for you spiritually?
2. Social media often shows a “highlight reel” of people’s lives. How does this “highlight reel” affect your view of your own spiritual journey and the spiritual journey of others?
3. Before the Apostle Peter became a leader in the early church, we see his failures, like his denial of Jesus. Can you share a time when you experienced a significant challenge or “failure” in your own faith journey? What did you learn from it?
4. The idea of “waiting for the one” can be confusing and hurtful, and a potentially harmful theological concept. How have popular ideas about dating and marriage influenced your own expectations, and what kind of biblical perspective should we have?
5. Transformation is described as a “daily” process, not a dramatic one-time event. What is one small, daily change you can commit to making this week to move forward on your spiritual journey?

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📍 English Worship Jogja | A place to encounter God, grow in community, and walk in purpose.

🔗 Website: ewjogja.com
📸 Instagram: @ewjogja

We are all searching for fulfillment in life. We want to pursue something bigger than ourselves. Whatever it takes as long as it is worth it.

Whether it is by accomplishing through our works, the things that we have, we start to realize that Jesus is inviting us to a deeper calling that goes beyond our comfort zones. We will look at an interaction a man had with Jesus and learn that to follow Jesus means leaving everything behind because He is worth it.

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📍 English Worship Jogja | A place to encounter God, grow in community, and walk in purpose.

🔗 Website: ewjogja.com
📸 Instagram: @ewjogja

Read Acts 1:4-14

It seems like people are always coming in and out of our lives. Dealing with these transitions can be difficult. Our issue isn’t the “welcome”, our challenge is the “goodbye.” How can we have healthy goodbyes?

1. Embrace the season, not just the stay. Many friendships are seasonal, and it’s important to appreciate people for the specific time they are in our lives. It’s okay to feel sad and grieve when a friend moves away, but it’s also important to stay connected to community, stay in touch with the person, and create new connections.

2. Recognize the purpose, not just the person. Instead of focusing on what a person can do for you, let’s shift our focus to what God is teaching you through that person. This perspective helps us see God’s purpose in all relationships and prevents bitterness when they end.

3. Identify with Christ, not just your connections. While connecting with others is important, your identity should be rooted in Christ. This provides a firm foundation so you can be confident you are never alone, even when people come and go from your life. Remember, friendships may be seasonal, our relationship with God is eternal.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. English Worship Jogja is a “river, not a lake.” Do you resonate with this description based on your own experience with this community? How does this perspective affect the way you approach new friendships?
2. Good goodbyes take time to grieve. What are some healthy ways you have processed sadness, loneliness, or anger when a close friend has moved away?
3. Can you think of a past relationship where you now see a specific purpose God had for it, even if the friendship was for a season?
4. There’s a concern that some people may get connected to community but not to Christ. How can we, as a community, make sure we are helping people find their identity in Christ rather than just in their social circle?
5. Jesus promised the disciples the presence of the Holy Spirit before He left. How does knowing that the Holy Spirit is with you help you feel secure and not alone when you experience relational changes and goodbyes?

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📍 English Worship Jogja | A place to encounter God, grow in community, and walk in purpose.

🔗 Website: ewjogja.com
📸 Instagram: @ewjogja