Pastor Aaron Perdue

Today, I’m going to share how loving your neighbor here in Colorado Springs can be fun as you follow some practical ways to share Christ with them. My family moved to Colorado Springs when I was in the 9th grade. After attending college and graduate school, I moved back to the Springs about nine years ago, and I’ve seen the city expand and grow. There are many great features in our town that you can use as a platform to share Christ with others.

Most people here live in neighborhoods with lots of neighbors—some you might know by name, and some you may not. You are probably familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), but did you know that Jesus taught this parable in response to a conversation with a lawyer? This lawyer wanted to know what to do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus asked him what the Law of Moses said. This lawyer answered, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus commended him for his answer, but then gave him the impossible task of doing it. You see, eternal life isn’t based on what we do; it is based on what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross to pay the debt we owe for our sins. The lawyer sought justification for his actions, so he asked, “Who is my neighbor?” He was aware that he hadn’t loved everyone as he loved himself, and he wanted justification to love only the people he wanted to love. We don’t get to pick our neighbors in our neighborhood, but we can remember that all 500,000 of the people in Colorado Springs are made in God’s image, deeply loved by Him, and need to hear about Jesus and salvation. So, let’s find some practical ways to love them and share Christ with them!

Our city is blessed with numerous wonderful walking and hiking trails, where individuals, couples, and families can spend quality time together. Invite some of your neighbors for a local hike. Being out in nature seems to open people up to conversations about the beauty of creation, allowing you to share insights about the Creator.

If you are like me and enjoy working in your yard, you can say “hello” to the neighbors who walk or drive by. Get to know their names, as well as their dog’s name. You can develop a prayer list and pray for them by name. Many people feel loved when you remember their name and take time to ask them about how they’re doing. You can ask if there is anything you could pray for them about, and then pray right then. So often, when people are going through a tough situation, they are open to allowing someone to pray for them. This opens the door later for conversations where you can share your testimony about how you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Another way to love your neighbor is to seek opportunities to serve them. If you notice a neighbor hasn’t shoveled their sidewalk, you can take the extra few minutes and shovel it for them. When a neighbor moves in, take over a meal and welcome them. In Colorado Springs, there is a ministry called COS I Love You that turns love into action, helping our city. They have two City Serve dates where you can sign up to volunteer at various locations around town. You could gather some neighbors and spend an afternoon cleaning and helping with a project at a local school or with an elderly neighbor.

I know our church hosts several barbecues a year that are open to the public, especially reaching out to the people in the townhomes and apartments on our street. Food seems to bring down barriers and allow people to see us in a different light as we gather on the patio, enjoy the food, and watch our kids have a blast together in a bouncy house.

Colorado Springs has many people who were hurt by religion and others who never heard about Jesus Christ, taking their sins and sicknesses to offer them eternal life. Let’s try to love our Colorado Springs neighbors by putting God’s love into action as we build relationships and share the most important message of all: Jesus is Lord, and He wants you to be part of His family!

If you are in Colorado Springs and are looking for a church, we invite you to visit Charis Christian Center. We are a non-denominational church that meets on Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., or on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. We offer an outstanding program for children on both Sundays and Wednesdays. Our youth program meets on Wednesday. We look forward to meeting you, neighbor!