Lesson Note: "Neighbor" doesn't only mean the person living next door to you. The meaning is far more vast. "Neighbor" means anyone you come across.

[25]One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

[26]Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

[27]The man answered, “‘You must love the lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

[28]“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

[29]The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

[30]Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

[31]“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by.

[32]A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

[33]“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.

[34]Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.

[35]The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

[36]“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

[37]The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

~Luke 10:25-37~

Lesson Note: Wickedness and evil are born from within.

[1]Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him,

[2]“Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”

[3]Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?

[4]For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’

[5]But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’

[6]In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.

[7]You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

[8]‘These people honor me with their lips, 

    but their hearts are far from me.

[9]Their worship is a farce, 

    for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”

[10]Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand.

[11]It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

[12]Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”

[13]Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted,

[14]so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”

[15]Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”

[16]“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked.

[17]“Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.

[18]But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.

[19]For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.

[20]These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”

~Matthew 15:1-20~

Lesson Note: Greed and worldly desire is not of The Way.

[13]Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”

[14]Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?”

[15]Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

[16]Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.

[17]He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’

[18]Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.

[19]And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

[20]“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

[21]“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

[22]Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear.

[23]For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing.

[24]Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!

[25]Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

[26]And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

[27]“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

[28]And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

[29]“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things.

[30]These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.

[31]Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

[32]“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

[33]“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.

[34]Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

~Luke 12:22-34~

[19]“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.

[20]Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

[21]Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

[22]“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.

[23]But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

[24]“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

~Lord Jesus, Matthew 6:19-24~

Lesson Note: Revenge is not the way.

[38]“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

[39]But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

[40]If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.

[41]If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

[42]Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow."

~Lord Jesus, Matthew 5:38-42~

Lesson Note: Anger will only lead to more anger and cause great harm. Letting it dominate you will lead to eternal destruction.

21]“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’

[22]But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

[23]“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,

[24]leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

[25]“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.

[26]And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny."

~Lord Jesus, Matthew 5:21-26~

Lesson Note: Just because The Lord God doesn't answer a prayer request right away...doesn't mean He isn't going to answer it later on. Keep talking to Him and have faith.

[1]One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.

[2]“There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.

[3]A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’

[4]The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,

[5]but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

[6]Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.

[7]Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

[8]I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

~Luke 18:1-8~

Lesson Note: If you think that the Lord God ultimately favors someone with a big ego, paints themselves as the image of perfection, and loves to put others down....think again.

[9]Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:

[10]“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.

[11]The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!

[12]I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

[13]“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’

[14]I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

~Luke 18:9-14~

Lesson Note: Snapshot hasty judgement on anybody is the way of the Pharisees and Satan. Righteous and holy judgement looks at every layer and in every situation.

[1]“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.

[2]For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

[3]“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?

[4]How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?

[5]Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye."

~Lord Jesus, Matthew 7:1-5~

[24]Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”

~Lord Jesus, John 7:24~

Lesson Note: Your eyes can be the starting point for adultery. Taming them with the help of The Lord God is the way.

[27]“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’

[28]But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

[29]So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

[30]And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell."

~Lord Jesus, Matthew 5:27-30~

Lesson Note: The work to do that pleases God is far simpler than you could ever imagine.

[28]They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

[29]Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

~John 6:28-29~

Lesson Note: This rule applies to all people you come across especially to fellow followers of The Way.

[12]“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." ~Lord Jesus, Matthew 7:12

Lesson Note: Lord Jesus wants us to love everyone. But even greater to love your fellow brothers and sisters of the Way. Do as Lord Jesus does; do not do as Kain did.

[3]Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.

[4]So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist,

[5]and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

[6]When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

[7]Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”

[8]“No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”

[9]Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”

[10]Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.”

[11]For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

[12]After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?

[13]You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.

[14]And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.

[15]I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

~John 13:3-15~ 

[34]So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

[35]Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

~Lord Jesus, John 13:34-35~