A 2009 British study found that 96 per cent of people over age 65 knew their neighbour’s names, but only 66 per cent of people under 25 did.

A 2005 StatsCan study that revealed that between 61 per cent of rural residents knew all of their neighbours, but only 16 per cent of those living in major urban centres did.  http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/01/21/the-next-door-neighbour-from-hell/2/

Does that matter anymore?  In the age of social media, high-speed travel and mobility, aren’t we beyond needing physical neighbours?  I know I have remained friends with many of the same people over the last decade, as we’ve each moved an average of 2-3 times in that time.

For many in suburbia, home is a place to sleep and recharge, but little else.

This new series looks at neighbours.  We’ll consider, who are our neighbours in this era?   Do they matter?  Do we need to matter to them?

Question: When have you needed your neighbours?  When have they needed you?

Ryan Sim - July 18, 2013

Thursday - Act On It - Originality

There is some teaching, especially when it's unoriginal and shallow, that you can take under advisement. You can simply say, "That’s interesting" and then move on with your life. We read stuff like this all the time. Magazine articles. Newspaper. Blogs. Facebook posts. Some people are very skilled at rehashing other people’s research in entertaining and interesting ways. I often read things that are of little value to me. They're just interesting, and not going to change my life. I hope the Sermon on the Mount we've been studying is not that way for you. We saw last week – hearing and living these words is like building upon a stone foundation for life. Hearing and ignoring these words is like building on a sand foundation that washes away. How you hear the Sermon on the Mount is like the difference between a wedding announcement and invitation. With a wedding announcement in the newspaper or on Facebook, you say, "Oh, look, they’re getting married, how nice". An invitation is quite different, since it has your name on it. It’s for you. We want you to come. The Kingdom of heaven is often described as a party, and it would be a party with the most original, profound teacher ever at its centre. The very source of truth, wisdom is the attraction. His way of life would now be the only reality. The kingdom he’s been describing, would be there in living colour. He’s issued that invitation to you. Come to my kingdom, my celebration, my party. And this is not just a future reality, somewhere else. It’s something we are called to start practicing now, really living it out, to be ready for the full production . Life on earth is meant to be a practice party, and you’re invited. We're establishing a new church, or Christian community, in Ajax – and it will be built on the model of a party with Jesus at the center. It will be like nothing you've ever experienced before. We're planning our first party for this fall. Challenge: We're running a poll right now, that you can find in our app or here on our web site: http://bit.ly/15B2yry Tell us what kind of party you could RSVP to!

From Series: Sermon on the Mount | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

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