Remove the mask.

Text. Isaiah 58:6-10.

Renewing our neighbourhood.

Renewal spills out from the Church into the streets.

God calls us to restore lives in our neighbourhood through practical love and justice.

Discipleship is the engagement of our heart in renewing our home, our hearts to renew our neighbourhood and every heart in renewing our world.

We follow Jesus’ example of seeing the need of those who he met and acting to address that need.

The challenge for us is that we can hide behind the mask of looking concerned for others, but not willing to make the sacrifice to change a circumstance when we can.

We become the “hypocrites’ the actors who play disciple instead of being a disciple.

God encourages his people to “Do away with oppression, the pointing finger and malice. Satisfy the oppressed and the hungry.

Spend…………. YOURSELF!”

Like Jesus who, empowered by Holy Spirit, came to bring release for the prisoner, to proclaim freedom, good news recovery of sight and liberty. Luke 4:18, we are also called not to act like him, but to BE like him.

As our heart is renewed by removing the mask of the actor, He gives us more capacity to see and respond to every heart. And fills us with the same Joy that Jesus experienced while choosing to meet our deepest need through his death and resurrection.

Application.

What area of faith is more pretence than truth?

Is repentance needed for your eyes to be open to others?

How is God asking you to spend yourself?

God’s promise: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite”

Isaiah 57:15.