The Foundation of Small Groups

The importance of small groups is vital for people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. The Bible gives us the foundation of spiritual growth within the Christian community. 

In the Old Testament we see the importance of the unity between God and man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:27). God had a close relationship between Adam and Eve. The sin that separated them from God affected their relationship. The need for community was in place after the fall of Adam and Eve. 

In the New Testament, Jesus set the example of pouring His life into the disciples. He spent a majority of his time teaching and showing the disciples how to live. Jesus did not spend his time mainly with the multitudes, but with a small group of world changers (Matt. 13:36). 

Jesus set the example that the early church continued when He ascended into Heaven. The early church was built upon small groups of people caring for each other and growing as disciples.

"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46-47

 The early church is a great example of people that loved each other and spent their time and efforts on building relationships (Acts 2:46, 12:12, 20:8, 20:20; Rom. 16:4-5; I Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:5; Philemon 2). 

Small groups are one of the best ways for people to learn and grow in their faith. The essence of small groups is creating an environment where people can open up to one another and grow spiritually. Healthy small groups are essential for any church to lead people into a growing relationship with Christ.

The Deadly Lure of Being Busy

I get distracted often. I'm sure you do as well. We live in a media saturated world that is always crying out for more of our attention. We feel sometimes like we might miss out on the next "big thing" so we keep scanning our social media timeline's and text messages.

But are we becoming more like Jesus or just becoming more busy? In Churches, the mentality is that we need to come up with more dreamy events and flashy slogans to attract people to Jesus. It can attract people, sure. Do they need to add more things to their calendars while breathing out more stressed out sighs as they go to bed at night? All the while, missing out on a personal understanding of what it means to surrender to Jesus?

Could it be that as Christ-followers, we are caught up in the trap of busy is better? I know I am guilty. The lure of adding more to the plates of our lives is sometimes overwhelming. 

Now, what I am not saying is that we need to live for ourselves in a self-centered existence. I'm just asking the question. I think better questions will lead to more quick answers. 

Our souls need to rest. We need to find peace in our identity in Christ in such a way that the reason we live, work hard and serve God comes from a heart of worship not a heart of self-idolatry. 

Slow down today. Breathe. Allow God's grace to remind you that you and I can't save ourselves and we sure can't fix the future. 

Let's just focus upon giving our lives away to the gospel. 

 - Help others become disciples of Jesus
 - Encourage them to grow into maturity
 - Serve everyday on mission

Take a look at your calendar. What do you need to refocus in your life that really doesn't matter in eternity? Trying harder and adding more events doesn't mean you and I are any closer to Jesus.

Don't mistake activity for life change. 

Live life for what really matters. Stop chasing the hype of busyness.