Who Is Your Neighbour? | Rev Tryphena Law

Hey, this is Endeo the Past of Genes Church, and

this is our podcast. Thanks for tuning in. I hope

that this message encourages and inspires you in your work

with God and your journey of faith. Enjoy the message.

God bless.

Now I'm entitled. What I want to share today is

who is your neighbor? And I've taken it from a

very common parable that we've always read before for those

of you who have been Christian long enough. It's called

the Good Samaritan. Okay, so let's look at it. It's

found in Luke chapter ten, verse twenty five to verse

thirty seven. But I just want to start maybe verse

twenty five to verse the whole thing.

Verse Yeah, and.

Behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to test.

Now Here, when you talk about put him to test,

it's actually asking a question. Okay, It's not like testing, Okay,

testing Jesus here saying, teacher, what shall I do to

inherit eternal? 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,

with all your soul, and with all your strength, and

with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. And

he said to and he said to him, you have

answered correctly. Do this and you will live. But he,

desiring to justify himself, say to Jesus, and who is

my neighbor. Jesus replied, A man was going down from

Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell, and he felt among roberts,

who stripped him and bad him and departed, leaving him

half date. 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 levi, when he

came to the place and saw him, pass by on

the other side. But the Samaritan, as he journey, 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 to de Nary 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 this

tree do you think proved to be a neighbor to

the 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. I think

we have heard so much about this. Here you have

a story where Jesus encountered a lawyer. When you talk

about a lawyer means this guy knows the law. And

he went and asked Jesus. Ask Jesus a very simple question,

what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Someone who

knows the law very well is asking Jesus this question.

We think that this is talking about coming to know

Jesus eternal life. It's not about that. It is simply

just Jesus uses this at the end of the day

to answer a very simple question, who is your neighbor?

Because this lawyer knew the law, he knew that loving

God is not difficult at all. Honestly speaking, giving our

life to Jesus, knowing him, accepting him is not difficult.

A lot of people ask you want to become Christian? Okla,

nothing to lose, right, but maybe everything to gain. So

the same with this lawyer. He knew, he knew that

loving God is not difficult. But the part is is this?

He says, love your neighbor as yourself. Honestly, look at

a person next to you. Loving that person is not easy.

It's not easy. So Jesus used this parable to answer

the question who is your neighbor? So we're going to

learn who are our neighbors? Who are those people that

you and I can actually find connection and find help.

It is that simple. But at the end of the day,

it's talking about you. Are you a good neighbor? Also?

So here you find that loving God is so easy.

We can actually find a lot of truth from this.

In fact, this is something that I seldom actually preach, okay,

but I thought maybe today it would be good to

talk about it. I think first thing first is we

need to do is we need to.

Check on ourselves.

I actually ask myself, I journey with broken people. They

those who think that they're in pain. As who broken

are those are not in pain?

Place?

I don't call them broken out you'll be very very offensive. Okay,

So I journey with those who are very broken. But

every time I need to look at my own attitude,

I have to self check. You all doing this work

for the last twenty years, I can tell you it's

not easy. It was also hard to journey with me.

I actually gave my mentor, I gave my pastors a

lot of headaches. Reason why I say, as I went

and get my recovery my first few years, first five years,

I actually mess up again. I mess out my life.

And I'm very thankful for people.

Those people who are you know, they care for the neighbor,

they care for me, They never let go of me.

So I think we need to check our attitude over here.

You find that it is so important the truth that

we can learn how you and I can love our

LGBT neighbors, How you and I can love them regardless

whether they want to be transformed.

By God or not.

You and I we need to see them as our

neighbors and care for them and love them. And when

you do it the way that Jesus is doing, you

will find that you will have the opportunity to bring

forth a good news to them. At the end of

the day, you and I can't change anybody and I

we cannot change anybody. Only God can change somebody. But

if you don't even make an effort to bring them

closer to the gospel, they will never have a chance

to hear. I am being transformed because my friends they

see me as somebody worthy, all worthy to be helped.

So let's check our attitude. You find that here, it's

very interesting. I want to ask you no need to

raise of hands. There are a few groups of people

that's mentioned in the story.

Just now, who are you? Who are you? Who are you?

The first group will be those that is insecure, very insecure.

You find that reading in chapter ten, verse thirty one,

it talks about this person. Now you know that Jesus

actually pick up a Talian this story about a man

going from Jerusalem to Jericho. You must understand that that

that journey is a very dangerous journey because there's to

be like you know, like mountain. You know, it's like

here and there a lot of place you can't even

see the corner and so forth, and it's actually very

dangerous the path. So here you have this man who

travels on this dangerous path and then he fell among

the robbers. Now the first group of people is this

the priest, this priest the insecure attitude. Are we insecure?

When we are insecure? You find it very hard to

help somebody because the reason you support somebody. You journey

with somebody is because you want to see your worth.

Your friends will know because you will keep doing things

so that people can notice you. I've been doing for

the last twenty years. Honestly, the first ten years was

pretty quiet. In fact, the first fifteen years I tried

to go under the radar. But the last five years

can't help Bela. You have pastors like Nda keep on

asking you surfay surface. My first ten years, I was

still working on my security even as I was journeying

with people, and I realized that sometimes when people just

see something something negative, you start to feel it. Are

you in this attitude insecure? Then you have the second group,

the curious, but I'm involved, the levice, that's the second group.

Now what do we mean by this? You've got to

understand that it's very important for you and I to

love people. I think loving people is not difficult, lot,

but you have limitation. If you say that you can

continue lover that means you ready fake. No. No, It's

so important to love people because human being, they are

in desperate need. You find that as this guy as

this this guy he was you know he was he

was actually what he was being robbed. He was he

was being kept at the side of the road. There

was desperate need. In fact, there are many people with

desperate need around us. The only thing is that what

is our attitude? Are we insecure? If we are insecure,

we will find it very hard to care for them.

But if you are secure, no matter who they are,

you will rich out and care for them because at

the end of the days their journey as well, you

have your own journey, they have their own journey. So

over here you find that we have the curious but uninvolved,

and then you have.

The third group.

The third group is the one that they would treat

others the way they like to be treated. And that's

where the Samaritan kame comes in.

Today.

I'm just trying to bring this story out for you

to see that who actually is our neighbor? Who actually

is the people that you need to care for. But

before you care for them, first thing first is you

need to check your own attitude. If we are not right,

you are going to hurt others. Let me give forwards.

Hurt people, hurt people. Many of us have been hurt,

some of us probably have been hurt in wherever we

go before. But come to think of it, because you

are hurting too, and when you're hurting, you will go

on hurting others. So let's let's look at our attitude first.

Don't let religion get into the way, because you've got

to understand this priest and this Levit today. If we

look at these two words, that means that people who

go to church, the prince and the Livics are the

people that go to church. How come this too grow

of people then want to help this guy that was

bash up, was about to die, really maybe no energy

to even cry out. You can just see from father's

this body lying there. How come that this two group,

Because you've got to understand that for the priests and Levi,

if they happen to see a dead body and they

touch that dead body, they're unclean. Then they have to

go through the whole ceremony again to get themselves clean.

So if I got to touch this person, I'm gonna

have a lot of mess to clear. Man, I got

to get myself clean up again. Journeying with people who

are in pain is very messy. I was very messy.

I was a sex addict. I ran out and have

sex with people whom I do not know. If it's

not because the grace of God, I'll probably have HIV today.

Do you want to be my neighbor? If you are insecure,

if you are just only curious, or you want to

be like the third group? I want to treat others

the way I like to be treated. I don't care

whether the person comes to generation or not. It doesn't matter.

I just want to love that person. I just want

to care for that person with no strings attached.

That's what I want to say today. Check out attitude.

What is it?

And how is it that you and I we can

cultivate this attitude? I think first thing first, you need

to start seeing the needs of people around you. I'm

not talking about LGBT today, I'm talking about anybody maybe

starts with here, starts here. You may be coming here today.

Is the first time? Would you allow others to see

your needs or not? Or you have been here for

a long time? Is your eyes open to see the

needs of others? You know what keeps us from seeing

the needs of other people? When you look at those

two religious men, the priests and the Levi, actually they

are they are not portrayed in a very nice manner

if you read it, if I thought about just now.

There are people who go to church not being portrayed

in a very nice manner, because they have what we

call the right religion, the right practice. They know how

to say praise the Lord, Hallelujah at the right time,

just like some of us here probably we know when

to jump, when not to jump, when to shop, when

not to shot.

It doesn't matter which church you go to.

There are people who practice. This is what we call

the right religion. That means what happened here, this priest

and this fin very faithfully they carry out their religious duty.

Is it wrong?

No, But sometimes we are too bocked down with some

things that becomes what we call it's not meant to

be in the church. We start to get ourselves bocked

down by it. In fact, their religious duty kept them

from loving this injured men.

Come on, even if I have to clean myself again,

just clean.

But it's because they want to follow that rule so

much soul that they're not willing to give up. What

is it keeping us from seeing the needs of others.

I don't know about you, but the Lord has transformed

me and break me in one area.

The word is called pride.

I used to be very arrogant, because what you have

like some body ma, then you do well in certain things.

Then pride comes in our pride and sometimes what keeps

us away our mindset. Some of us are so scared

to mingle with people who are so different than us.

Honestly speaking, all of us are very troublesoman. So when

you look at another person trouble, you look at yourself

like you so more trouble.

Than that person.

So what's wrong with it? Let's not allow our mind

to stop us. That's why today they have this word

called being mindful. Honestly, I think we need to also

go back to the word of God. What does it

mean by being mindful? It's not being arrogant, it's not

being bought down by the religious duty. It's not about

making lots and lots of excuses. When you do live

with somebody, it takes a lot. It takes your time,

it takes your money, young man, sometimes even takes.

A whole lot of your emotion. It takes so much

from you.

Sometimes I wonder how in the world I keep myself

saying when I hear so much of garbage, I hear

a lot of pain but when you know who is behind,

who is the one that's helping you with this attitude,

then you find that you'll be more mindful, you will

know what to do. You know, when I came out

to a pastor, I told them I'm a lesbian.

I'm very thankful they didn't do this to me.

Do you know a lot of friends when they tell

us our mess that we are like you know in

our stomach is like and then I might start to

think terrible. I'm very thankful they didn't. They did not

allow the religious thing to stop them from journeying with me.

And even the next five years, as I was in

my journey, I fell again. And know what they say, treviina,

where you fall, from where you fall, you just stand

up and you walk again. They actually see beyond my waitnesses.

They see beyond that how to see their needs? Do

you know what she's struggling with? Do you know what

she's struggling with? You might be in the same family,

but do you know what's the next person struggling with?

Because a lot of time we don't ask hard questions.

We only ask questions that we think we can manage.

Just not even ask me a very important question, how

have you been doing lately?

Do you know that?

That is a question that opens to deeper conversation because

a lot of time you only ask people, so you

really not. We need ask people, we need ask the stomach.

We don't ask what is in the heart. Maybe it's

time for us. How do we cultivate this attitude? Let's

look at their needs. Ask the person next to you,

how have you been lately? If they answer you okay, okay,

it's not an answer. Okay, it's not an answer.

Are you with me?

A lot of people say okay. Then you further ask them,

so what do you mean by okay? Then they will

start to talk I'm fine, I'm all right. What do

you mean by you're fine? And you're alright? It's not

being gay bored. It is going beyond that because sometimes

our pride stoppers from going deeper. When we look at

this story, we look at this Samaritan, you can't help

it but to see what God mentioned in one John

chapter four. If anyone say I love God and hates

his brother, he is a liar. For he who does

not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love

God whom he has not seen. How can we say

we love somebody when we don't even know what is

happening in that person's life. Let's go back when we

look at this story, we begin to see something very

different here because what happened is this. There is this

hero that was introduced by Jesus. This hero is that

one that Jesus begin to tell the lawyer, who is

your neighbor.

Jesus began to.

Introduce a guy, no name was well, just called Samaritan.

And you've got to understand that Samaritan is somebody that

the Jews really don't like. I don't talk about political

right now, who is fighting which country fighting which country?

But you know very well in.

The Bible, the Jews detest the Samaritans. It is like

you have a branded a a good breed dog, and

then you have those stray dogs.

So the Samaritans are like.

The stray one out there. The Jews are so called

the highly breed one. So here Jesus began to introduce

this hero, the Samaritan. I want you to know that

the Samaritan did the right thing. Not only the Samaritan

did the right thing, Samaritans showed compassion. And this Samaritan

loved sacrificially because you saw there's a comparison here. The priests,

the Levi didn't even lift their hands. But Jesus introduced

a hero, and this hero is the Samaritan. This hero

is what we see in verse thirty three. But a Samaritan,

as the journey came to where he was, and when

he saw the LGBT and when he saw those who

are so different, he had compassion. You are here not

by accident. Somebody brought you here because somebody had that compassion.

I'm here also, not by accident. The Lord had compassion

on me, and allow me to speak to you.

Here. You find that.

This Samaritan he saw and then he went to this guy.

He bound out his wounds in poor oil and wine.

What is actually wine? Wine today is like that doll,

you know, antiseptic. He pour wine because he saw that

he was wounded, and then he pour oil. Ail is

where you soothe. Came down that person so that you

know you soothe that wound. And then after that you

find that the story say what he sat him on

his own animal. He plays the guy on his animal,

and he started to walk. Can you see the sacrificial thing.

You're in a journey with people. It takes money, it

takes time, it takes you to be sacrificial, and that

person might leave you. That person might not even say

thank you to you. That's where I want to bring

you attention to how you and I can empathize with

people's pain. Please don't ever think about changing any people,

any person. Are you with me here because you and

I have no power and no right to change a

person's life. But what you and I can do is this. Empathize,

empathize and sympathize is different. Man, sympathize, Oh, you know, money,

I keep giving you, keep giving you. I'm not helping you,

by the way, but keep on giving you money. I'm

not helping you because you will never grow. But empathize

is this. I don't know what you're going through, young man,

but I'm here. If you ever need to talk, I'm here.

If you ever need food, I'm here. If you really

need support, empathize with the person's pain.

Just seeing is not enough.

One of the biggest challenge in the work that I'm

doing is this. We don't have enough manpower, but people

like to send people to us, and most of my

man power are women.

I don't know where are the man.

That's why I pray very hard Amen, so many years

I pray a man a man only one food. I mean,

by the way, they are only very small group. Three

of us are full time, but I have a string

of volunteers. How do you empathize this Samaritan? He didn't

just see from far hello or whoah injuredna? He didn't

see seeing the need is just not enough. How do

you empathize? We learn from Samaritan? He go, he doesn't.

He's not concerned matter, he's going to dirty his hands

and not.

All.

He knows that this person is in pain. That's what

we do. I listen to stories. My job very easy

when I just sit down, drink coffee, listen to story,

listen to their pain. Actually, it's all about listening. It's

all about listening. It's all about.

Doing live right. Young people.

You want people who are real to do live with you,

not the fig one. You want people who are mindful,

and we want to be connected. I'm sure deep down

each one of you here you want someone that you

can talk to, someone who is not just going to

tell you what to do, but someone who just listen

there's one way that you empathize. But of course learning

from this Samaritan. Can I say this, This Samaritan is

exactly like Jesus. Jesus would do the same. I'm here

today because of Jesus. I'm here because there's a group

of them who behave like Jesus, and they brought me

closer and closer to be more like Jesus. I'm still learning,

by the way. I'm not perfect. I would never be perfect,

but I strive to be healthier so that I can

be like the Samaritan to many others, so that I

can listen, I can empathize, and I learned from my struggles.

My struggle is this I learned in the past.

Who, however, people journey with me today I journey with others.

I remember in my early days after when I was

in my process of restoration, I left church. I was

a pastor and I was living a double life. And

because when my partner left me, I was so devastated

to the point where I was about to kill myself.

So I took out my car key and I walked

to the door I was about to open. Somehow, another

supernatural thing happened. I was not able to walk. Don't

ask me what happened, except its God, Who's the one.

I was not able to walk.

For so long.

You know you want to die, so cannot die, or

say them say that very charming. You want to die

so cannot die. It is the most painful thing in

your life because it took it took me a lot.

I wish to want to die, mind you, and I

was already a pastor then because my partner left me.

She was my awe in awe and my life was

just so empty. I don't even know who I was anymore.

But the thing is this, as I was about to open,

I couldn't walk, and I battle with God. I battle

until I say God, you win. Don't ever fight me God,

I can tell you she'll lose it, I say, God,

you win. And the moment when I say God, you win,

I was able to walk. Somebody who has gone true

even to the point where she was about to die.

But God still saved me because he sees beyond my mess.

I think we all can learn something from God and

something from your own life. That's why to when I

journey with people, I know some of them come to

a point where they want to die and I just

sit with them. I don't say anything. Sometimes the more

you say, the more mistakes you make. But I ask

them one important question. Look at me here, What do

you want? What do you want?

I think that's a very powerful question. What do you want?

I don't know about you, but I want peace. I

don't know about you, but I want joy. I want

real love. I want real relationship because I've been chasing

after relationships that.

Are not from God.

So I learned from my struggle. Samaritans came and helped me.

This couple came and walked with me.

It's not easy.

You know. I was a pastor ready and I go

to them, I say, Pastor, I need help. And I

left my job as a pastor at Tender in the

twenty four hours resignation and I work with somebody doing

some teaching. Do you know that those first few years

was very difficult for me. I don't even have food

to eat because we just started the business. But I

have Samaritans who carry packets of rice, Samaritans who carry

cans of can food, trays of eggs. All these struggles

has made me to be who I am today. That's

why when I journey with people. There are some people

without food because they mess up their live. They all

banks money they took from AKP no no AKPK credit cards,

rush rush Why because they mess up their live.

I was like that.

Before because I was trying to please my partner. Spend spend,

spend money and Eddie Ann whow lots of loans to pay.

These are people we work with. Are you willing to

dirty your hands?

They just need probably a bowl of rice, maybe a

cup of copy all instead of an Americano, it's chiburma.

They need something.

So when you talk about learning from us struggles, I'm

sure all of us here we have struggled before. And

I pray that today you and I will seize that opportunity.

Many people out there looking for neighbors seince that opportunity.

You can hear me talk until my lungs come up.

But as good Samaritans, he got involved.

Take action. Don't just talk only talk doc talk, no

use talk and don't do is no use. Take action.

Start with somebody.

The samaritan he went, He actually waned, he started to

put bandage. He got him an inn. Not only did

he pay money some more. We journey with people who

has no money when they came and see earth, no

place to stay, not convenient to stay in my house,

especially if he's a guy. So what we do We

get him a place to stay, get him a hotel,

get him food. I remember there was a trance gender

that came and I was journeying with him. So he

was found in the street, and there was one church

that picked him up and rented a place for him

to slay. The church got in touch with us, they say, Pastor,

this guy needs help because he's a trance transmit, somebody

who dresses differently. So he came and I look at him.

He has no food to eat. I say, why not

We actually we call for him in our office. We

call for him, We get him food first, then after

that and we talk. Then we found that he has

no job, and I purposely intentionally create job for him.

I say, why do not you come to my office

do some cleaning, just clean, and then we will. We

will give you enough for you to have a few

meals per day. You know what, Lo and beho. There

was one day he left and I realized that both

my phones are gone, my hand wounds are gone, and

he never come back after that. So you must be

willing to take the risk when you walk with somebody.

This samaritan, he took that risk, but his compassion was

not just lip service.

He did it.

There was action in him. He get down to that

person's level. He was intentional. Let me give you these

few important words. This samaritan was intentional and he took

time and he used up his resources. Who is your neighbor?

Is your neighbor like that? Are you a good neighbor yourself?

This lawyer, honestly speaking, he does not have this kind

of love because this kind of love, it went beyond

what he thinks a neighbor is.

That's why he.

Asks a question who is my neighbor? Because he knows,

he knows the law, and he asks, who is my neighbor?

Are you willing to sacrifice yourself? Don't talk about the

LGBT because we like to magnify the word LGBT. Everyone

who hasn't come to the cross, they all need Jesus.

They all need Jesus, regardless whether they are LGBT or not,

They all need Jesus. Are you willing? Are you willing

to sacrifice yourself? I'm crying out for many who are

in pain because they are looking for Samaritans. Are you

their neighbors. I want to childish this church because you're

very young. All the young people are here, young people.

I can't go where you can go. Even if I

try to dress up like you all, I'm still very different.

But you can go where God wants you to go,

and you reach out to the people that God wants

you to reach out to. You probably can't reach out

to people like my age, but you can reach out

to your friends. And many of your friends are living

a life that is very different, but they all need

one same person. They need Jesus. Serving is very costly.

I've been doing this work for twenty years. Sometime I

will ask myself, Trefina, what are you still doing it.

I'm not that younger, but neither am I that old

and feel the tiredness.

But one thing that keeps me.

Going is this the way Jesus loves me. I just

want to love others the way the different Samaritans have

helped me. I just want to go and do what

I can. Because serving is costly, and serving comes to

a stage where you might not even get what you

want to get. You still willing to serve. That's my

question to you. I know today it's very different. I'm

speaking this because this is the church that is growing

to be more like Jesus. You talk about being more

like Jesus. This is being more like Jesus the good Samaritan,

not the levite, not the priest. I was once the

levite and the priest. But it took Samaritans to save

me and transform me to Jesus. And I pray that

this church indeed will be a good Samaritan to many

more So, I just want you to know that, can

I pray for you.

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