FCS Blog

Who Is My Neighbor?
February 4, 2025

I grew up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Mr. McFeeley, King Friday, and X
the Owl were regulars in my life that I was able to learn from and be a better
person. One of the things that Mr. Rogers told us was that everyone was our
neighbor, and we needed to treat everyone with respect and love. I don’t know
that I always did that with my little brother, but I am sure that it didn’t hurt.
We all have neighbors. Some of our neighbors might be the people who live
next to us. Some of these neighbors are the people we work with. Some of these
people are the people we interact with on a fairly regular basis such as the
people in the grocery store or at the gym. All of these people are our neighbors.
All of these neighbors need to know the love of Jesus. Some of them may have a
relationship with Him already. Some don’t. Part of our job as followers of Jesus is

to find out and if they don’t know Jesus, to introduce them.

This can be a scary place for you if you don’t feel like you could talk to someone
about Jesus. It doesn’t need to be scary, and you don’t need to be a Bible scholar

to talk about Jesus. Here are some ways to make it easier.

If you feel comfortable doing this, you could ask them over for a meal or to play
games or roasting marshmallows. During this time, you will get to know each
other better. You may or may not bring the conversation to spiritual things, but

you will be building a relationship.

You may be more of a doer and talker. If you see your neighbor is doing
something or needs help with something, you can offer to help. Francis of Assisi
is credited with saying: “Preach the gospel. Use words if necessary.” Doing acts of
service or kindness can say more about Jesus than a long conversation.
When you are talking to someone, you often ask them what they are planning to
do that day or weekend. When they ask you, tell them you are going to church
on Sunday. You could then ask them if they have a church they attend. If they
do, great! If they don’t, you could ask them if they would like to come with you.
Building a relationship is the basis of all of these things. Be a neighbor to all that

you meet. “Preach the gospel. Use words if necessary.”

God Bless,
David