Getting Started
Share about your neighborhood and the types of relationships that you have with the
people who live on your street or in your building. On a scale of 1 to 10, how
“connected” is your current neighborhood?
Play the Video: https://vimeo.com/117428367
Discussion Questions
1. What was your big take away from this week’s reading and/or the video? What stuck out to
you? What did you like? What was difficult or confusing?
2. Read Acts 17:26-27.
A. What jumps out at you from this passage? How does it fit the context of the rest of his
sermon in Acts 17?
B. Do you have any “invisible” neighbors (page 17)? Do you think you are invisible to
them as well? How does it end up like this?
C. According to Acts 17 that we just read, why do we live where we live? Why has
God placed us in our neighborhoods? What about those that surround us? Why are they
there?
3. In chapter one, the mayor states, “The majority of the issues that our community is facing
would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could just figure out a way to become a
community of great neighbors.” To what extent do you think this is true? Why don’t government
programs alone solve the problems of society?
4. Luke 10:29 says this about the teacher of the law: “But he wanted to justify himself, so he
asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” In what ways do we attempt to justify ourselves in
order to avoid taking the Great Commandment literally? In what ways are you tempted to make
a “neighbor” into a metaphor?
5. What would happen if everyone made it a point to know and befriend their literal neighbors?
Moving Forward
At the conclusion of each gathering we will do 3 things. Often groups lose track of time and end
up rushing through the second half of the content. We strongly believe that these 3 exercises
are the most important part of this study. If you only have time to do one section each week…do
this one!
1. Do the Block Map – Take out the block map and fill it in right now… just start with the names
of your neighbors…
Go around the room and share how many of the names you knew? Did you have any
epiphanies as you did this exercise? What did you learn or feel as a result of doing this
exercise?
Write the names of your neighbors by listing out the names of the adults and children of the 8
closest houses or apartment units next to you. Pay attention to the blank spaces (YOU
SHOULD HAVE already done this earlier in this first session). Every other week you will go
around and share how many neighbors you know by name and if you have made any progress
since the last meetings. Take a second and identify each of the neighbors and decide if they are
a stranger, acquaintance, or relationship.
2. Identify one neighbor that you are going to pray for during the next week. Take time to pray
in the group for the neighbors that were mentioned.
3. Share one small “next step” that you feel God is calling you to take in the next 7 days.
Options they might choose:
~Learn a specific neighbor’s name
~Invite a couple over for dinner
~Ask a neighbor for advice on how to take care of your lawn because their’s is nicer
~Have everyone share that step out loud and write them down so that everyone can be
praying throughout the week.
On Your Own
Take a few minutes to journal about your past experiences with neighboring. How do you think
God might want to stretch you over the next six weeks?