Oikos: a Greek word/idea which refers to your household or the people within very close proximity of you on a day-to-day basis—the people under your sphere of influence.
The reality is that more than likely, you know Jesus because of someone within your Oikos.
This word is used around 120 times in the New Testament alone. This was also the primary way that the New Testament church experienced its explosive growth because the Gospel became alive and tangible within tight-knit groups. Real-life people were choosing to follow Jesus, and due to the proximity of how life was lived, it changed the lives of the closest people to the new believer.
Scott spoke to us last week about what Oikos is, how it has changed his life, and how to identify the 8-15 people within your personal sphere of influence.
People in your Oikos will know that you deeply care about them when you go out of your way to serve them. It’s amazing how little it takes for someone to feel VERY known in a relationship! What are some practical ways you can serve your Oikos, and how can you tailor the way you serve your Oikos to their specific needs? Do you struggle with allowing your Oikos to serve YOU?
John 13:34–35 (CSB)
34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
With so much going on in the world today, people are extremely sensitive to the things that are of culture and the things that are of God. To say that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love would be short-selling him significantly. For us as Christians, that is, those who love Christ, our lives should be devoted to the discipline of living more like Jesus.
Matthew 20:28 (CSB)
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
To live like Jesus is to serve, PERIOD. Not conditionally, not for a specific outcome, and not to advance an agenda. We love and serve simply because it's who Jesus is AND it's who he calls us to be.
Epistle to Diognetus—a letter to a friend explaining why Christianity was growing so quickly. It has been dated between 130-200 AD… “Christians busy themselves on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They live in their own native lands, but they live as aliens. For every foreign country is to them as their native land, and every native land is as their foreign country. They marry and have children, but they do not kill unwanted babies. They share their table with everyone, but they don’t share their bed with everyone. They love everyone but are persecuted by all. They are poor and make many rich. They are short of everything and yet have plenty of everything. They are treated outrageously but behave respectfully. They are mocked and blessed in return. When they do good, they are attacked. When they are attacked, they rejoice as if being given new life.”
Mark 2:2–5 (CSB)
2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” It is always helpful to keep in mind that when we were at our worst, on the most depraved day (or season) of our lives, Jesus was loving us at that very moment.
1. I will take time this week to brainstorm a list of how I can practically serve my Oikos.
2. I will look intentionally for ways to serve my Oikos this week sporadically.
3. I will check my heart and ask God to help me to allow my Oikos to serve ME instead of trying to do everything on my own
