Living Out Faith: Embracing Spiritual and Practical Love

As we gather at the close of summer and look ahead to a new season, the heart of our community remains the same: connecting people to God, to each other, and together engaging our world for good. This calling is rooted in the very mission of Jesus, who brought the kingdom of God to earth—a kingdom that is both deeply spiritual and profoundly practical. Jesus never separated the spiritual from the earthy; he healed bodies and souls, fed the hungry, and cast out demons, all as part of the same mission. If we are to look like Jesus, we must be both “crazy spiritual” and “crazy earthy,” living out our faith in tangible ways.

One of the greatest challenges for any church or organization is the gravitational pull inward, to focus on our own needs and comfort. But Jesus calls us to go—to be outward-facing, to love our neighbors, and to serve the world around us. The story of the Good Samaritan, which has shaped even our legal system, is a powerful reminder that loving our neighbor is not about checklists or boundaries, but about showing mercy and compassion, even to those we might not naturally choose.

At the core of this story is a deeper issue: our human tendency to justify ourselves, to prove our worth and value through our actions, our roles, or our religiosity. We spend so much energy trying to be “enough,” but Jesus offers us a different way. Eternal life is not earned; it is inherited. We are justified not by our own efforts, but by the grace of God through Jesus. This frees us from the exhausting hamster wheel of self-justification and invites us to live lives of faith, hope, love, wisdom, and courage.

As a church, we are committed to engaging our world for good in practical ways—serving our community, partnering with local nonprofits, and bringing spiritual resources to places that need them. Whether it’s through service projects, supporting food pantries, or hosting Bible study fellowships, we want to be a force multiplier for kingdom good. The invitation is open to all: come in, be part of this movement, and let’s together be neighbors who reflect the love and mercy of Jesus.

Key Takeaways

• 1. The Kingdom of God is both deeply spiritual and profoundly practical. Jesus models a life where prayer, worship, and spiritual power are inseparable from acts of compassion, justice, and service. To follow him means embracing both dimensions, refusing to settle for a faith that is only inward or only outward. This holistic approach is what makes the church a true reflection of Christ in the world. [06:30]
• 2. The gravitational pull of every community is inward, but the call of Jesus is to go outward. Our default is to focus on our own needs, safety, and comfort, but Jesus sends us into the world to love, serve, and engage. True discipleship is marked by an outward-facing posture, always asking, “Where is God sending me today?” [05:44]
• 3. The drive to justify ourselves—prove our worth, value, or goodness—is a universal human struggle that leads to exhaustion and spiritual blindness. Whether we are trying to be the perfect parent, the most religious, or simply “enough,” this self-justification project keeps us from receiving the grace and freedom Jesus offers. Only by accepting God’s declaration of our worth in Christ can we be set free to truly live. [15:29]
• 4. The story of the Good Samaritan challenges us to move beyond checklists and boundaries in loving our neighbor. Jesus refuses to let us limit our compassion to those who are like us or those we find easy to love. Instead, he calls us to be the kind of neighbor who shows mercy, even when it is costly or inconvenient, and to recognize that even the “good Samaritan” had healthy boundaries—serving deeply, but not doing everything for everyone. [22:12]
• 5. Our mission as a church is to be a force multiplier for kingdom good, partnering with others and leveraging our resources for the flourishing of our community. This means supporting local nonprofits, creating space for spiritual growth, and inviting everyone—no matter where they are on their journey—to join in God’s work. The invitation is to step off the hamster wheel of self-justification and into a life of freedom, service, and love, fueled by the grace of Jesus. [23:39]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:10] - Vision 2027 Recap and Fall Kickoff Preview
• [03:00] - The Kingdom of God: Spiritual and Earthy
• [05:44] - The Inward Pull vs. Jesus’ Outward Call
• [06:30] - What It Means to Love Our Neighbor
• [10:05] - The Trap of Self-Justification
• [12:44] - The Hamster Wheel of Proving Ourselves
• [14:49] - Missing Jesus in Our Need to Be Enough
• [15:29] - Receiving Justification from Jesus
• [16:49] - The Two Ways: Self-Justification or Grace
• [17:29] - The Good Samaritan: A Story of Mercy
• [20:30] - The Samaritan’s Boundaries and Compassion
• [22:12] - No Checklists: Becoming a Neighbor
• [23:39] - Engaging Our World for Good
• [27:00] - Communion: The Spiritual and the Earthy
• [29:00] - Invitation to Prayer and Community

Bible Reading

Luke 10:25-37 (ESV) – The Parable of the Good Samaritan —
> And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
> But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
> Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
> Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
> He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”
> And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Observation Questions

1. What question does the lawyer ask Jesus at the beginning of the story, and what is his motivation for asking it? ([10:05])
2. How do the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan each respond to the wounded man on the road? What details are given about their actions? (Luke 10:31-35)
3. According to the sermon, what is significant about the Samaritan’s boundaries in helping the wounded man? ([22:12])
4. What does Jesus say is required to “inherit eternal life,” and how does the lawyer respond? ([11:27])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus chose a Samaritan as the hero of the story, especially considering the cultural context? ([20:30])
2. The sermon talks about the “gravitational pull inward” for churches and individuals. Why is it so easy to focus on our own needs and comfort rather than looking outward? ([05:44])
3. The lawyer wanted to “justify himself.” What does it look like for people today to try to justify themselves, and why is this so exhausting? ([12:44])
4. How does receiving justification from Jesus (instead of trying to earn it ourselves) change the way we live and serve others? ([15:29])

Application Questions

1. The sermon says that Jesus was both “crazy spiritual” and “crazy earthy”—he prayed, healed, and served in practical ways. Which side do you tend to lean toward: spiritual practices or practical service? What would it look like to grow in the other area? ([06:30])
2. Think about your daily life—work, school, neighborhood, or family. Where might God be sending you to “go” and be a neighbor this week? Is there a specific person or situation that comes to mind? ([05:44])
3. The story of the Good Samaritan challenges us to move beyond checklists and boundaries in loving our neighbor. Are there people or groups you find it hard to show compassion to? What would it look like to take a step toward them? ([22:12])
4. The sermon describes the “hamster wheel” of trying to prove our worth through our actions, roles, or religiosity. In what areas of your life do you feel pressure to be “enough”? How can you remind yourself of God’s grace and justification this week? ([14:49])
5. The Good Samaritan had healthy boundaries—he helped, but didn’t do everything. Are you someone who struggles to set boundaries, or do you tend to avoid getting involved? What is one practical way you could serve someone in need while still maintaining healthy limits? ([22:12])
6. Our church wants to be a “force multiplier for kingdom good,” partnering with others and serving the community. What is one way you could get involved in a service project, support a local nonprofit, or bring spiritual resources to someone this month? ([23:39])
7. The invitation is open to all: “Come in, be part of this movement, and let’s together be neighbors who reflect the love and mercy of Jesus.” What is one step you can take this week to join in God’s work—either by serving, inviting someone in, or simply being present for a neighbor? ([23:39])