4 Weeks

Fearing Bravely: Risking Love For Our Neighbors, Strangers, And Enemies

Jesus commands us to love our neighbors. So why are so many Christians taught to fear their neighbors? God instructs us to welcome strangers; we are not to withhold hospitality or help from anyone in need. So why do we fear strangers, especially those needing hospitality, afraid that their presence may threaten what we have? Jesus taught us to love our enemies; we are to pray for those who actively harm us. Instead, we create enemies in our minds, seeing anyone who thinks, believes, looks, or lives differently from us as dangerous, a threat to our way of living. The Christian community exists to declare and demonstrate God’s love and to follow Jesus in practicing love over fear, even in unsafe times and places. It’s time to reclaim our brave fear of God and risk transformative love for the sake of our neighbors, the strangers among us, and our enemies. This series, based on Fearing Bravely: Risking Love for Our Neighbors, Strangers, and Enemies by Catherine McNiel, does just that.

Based on Fearing Bravely: Risking Love for Our Neighbors, Strangers, and Enemies by Catherine McNiel, a Navpress resource published in alliance with Tyndall House Publishers. Used by permission. Cover artwork is limited to use with the sermon series Fearing Bravely: Risking Love for Our Neighbors, Strangers, and Enemies and may not be edited without the expressed written permission of NavPress and Tyndall House Publishers.

Using This Series Guide

What is the Series Guide?

The Series Guide is a comprehensive resource designed to help you lead your congregation through this sermon series. It includes weekly sermon outlines, discussion questions, and key theological insights to support your teaching preparation.

Each guide has been thoughtfully crafted to provide you with both depth and flexibility as you prepare your messages.

This series includes 4 weeks of content.

What is the Series Guide Not?

The Series Guide is not a word-for-word sermon script. It's not meant to replace your own study and preparation, but rather to complement it with additional resources and structure.

It also doesn't include all media assets - those are available in the downloads section.

How Do I Use this Series Guide?

We recommend starting with the series overview to understand the big picture themes. Then, for each week, review the scripture passages, main points, and illustrations provided.

Use the discussion questions for small groups or to spark your own thinking. Feel free to adapt any content to fit your congregation's specific needs and context.