Here's a few thoughts on why these are so important in the life of a believer:
a.) We Strengthen each other. The book of Acts, describes the early church and the priority they placed on meeting together. They actually met daily in each other's homes! (wonder how much fried chicken they threw down? B/c everyone knows fellowship = fried chicken, right?) Anyway...I was thinking, in that culture where faith in Jesus was not "ok" - they willingly risked persecution, simply to be with each other. Could that have been one of the catalysts for the early church's explosive growth? Their strength of "togetherness?" Here's the point: Don't we live in an ever increasing anti-JEsus culture? We may not be jailed or persecuted yet for following Jesus...but don't we need each other just as much? Since God did not design his church to be "isolationists" but rather "invasionists" (invading culture w/ the light & hope of Jesus) don't we need regular times of strengthening to invade FULLY? You bet!
b.) We Sharpen each other. Here's what I mean, one of my LifeGroup members, shared an intimate struggle last night with us and as they spoke, I realized, "That's me!" I own that, too! In these stetings, when we become real & drop the facade of "church-ianity" (All is well...bless you!) we realize, we're all busted & broken! Then, we can come alongside each other, share the struggles, (which let's you know you're not a freak!) & hold each other accountable so that we overcome & experience the victory Jesus brings! The writer of Proverbs wrote, "iron sharpens iron!" I want my knife to be razor sharp, don't you?
c.) We Laugh Together! We need to laugh! There is enough bad news to go around! However, you put a group of Jesus Followers in a home setting with food - the laughs start coming! I love this aspect of LifeGroup.
Thanks LifeGroup! I look forward to our journey together!
Hey my friend,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts and what's going on in the life of your church. I'm excited to hear of what y'all have going on and I'm glad that your small groups have started off well. I'm also excited to hear that you are incorporating accountability into your time together. Small groups are definitely in style, but many churches are simply using them as home Bible studies. While that is important and it does encourage time together, I'm not sure that it promotes true "fellowship." I believe it is important that we encourage one another to share struggles, joys, sins and life experiences. Honest accountability is a powerful tool and can transform peoples lives. I pray that your church embraces what you are encouraging and experiences the joy that comes from pursuing holiness.
Matthew Breeden