Grow groups provide fertile soil for living, loving and growing in a way that honors and serves God. When a grow group of believers come together to pray for and encourage one another, friendships are established and Christ's power is released to bring salvation, healing, deliverance and restoration. In short, people experience life change!
Grow groups do not exist for themselves but are meant to be an extension of God's love by reaching out to others so they can experience group life. As groups grow, new ones are birthed, and the overall spiritual health of the church improves.
The book of Acts records tremendous growth of the first church in Jerusalem, and small groups were a part of their DNA. Acts 5:42 tells us that people met "in the temple courts" (large worship settings) and "from house to house" (small group fellowships). Small groups were vital to the growth of the church and spiritual health of believers then, and they are equally important today.
As our church grows larger, it must also grow smaller -- and that's where grow groups come in. In fact, you will never fully experience all that Bethel has to offer until you get connected in a grow group!
Because grow groups provide an ideal setting to relate to Christ and to each other on a more personal and intimate level. These groups are characterized by these four primary pursuits:
Promoting community
- We loved you so much that we were delighted to share not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 1 Thes 2:8
- See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Heb 3:12-13
Jesus revealed his heart for community shortly before his arrest when he prayed to the Father that the Christian church "may be one as we are one" (John 17:11). We see that true community finds its essence and definition in the very nature of God. While community is God's intended purpose for his people, it is not automatically present, nor is it created on demand. Biblical fellowship takes time, energy and a willingness to share the "fine china" of life with brothers and sisters in Christ. Relating honestly with one another is at the heart of becoming the people of God.
Praising the Lord together
- Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Col 3:16
- I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2
We can only relate rightly to one another when we first relate rightly to our Creator and Redeemer. Group worship is a vital component of authentic Christian community. As we learn to know and love God, our gratitude overflows in praise, thanksgiving and by the offering of our very lives. Times of corporate praise redirect our focus and prepare us to minister grace to one another.
Practical application of the Scriptures
- And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Heb 10:24-25 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. Jas 1:22-24
Small groups create a context where brothers and sisters in Christ can apply the truth of God's Word in a personal, practical manner. These meetings are not primarily intended for teaching and preaching, rather the focus is on our practice before God. Life transforming small groups aim to connect the rich truth of God's word with life in this fallen world; the goal is a well-ordered heart. A guiding diagnostic question: How am I becoming like Christ?
Praying for one another and the world
- Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other...Jas 5:16
- Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matt 9:37-38
We live in a world of great need. God calls his children to vigilant prayer: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Phil 4:6). One of the highest expressions of love is lifting one another before the throne of grace. In prayer we move beyond our own realm of thought and into God's throne room. We acknowledge together that God is sovereign, knows what is best for his children and longs for us to cry out to Him with confident expectation.
My Personal Testimony:
When Grow groups first started last fall, I will be the first to admit that I was scared about the idea of talking to people that I didn't really know. But then I had to stop and realize that what was there to be nervous about? Weren't we all there for God? I connected with a group that included several that I knew 'of' but didn't really 'know'. How was I going to connect with these people!? But little did I know, God had a plan. Our first meeting was like a meet and greet for everyone in the group. 2 days later, I was faced with shattering news in my personal life. I quickly withdrew from all the things that I was involved in. Doors closed, curtains shut. Just me. Alone. But a week later, when it was time for the next grow group meeting...God pushed me. It was almost like a nagging kind of push. Against my desire, I went to the next grow group meeting, alone. Quiet, reserved, withdrawn. Hoping that the chair was helping me to be invisible. But instead, it was the night that changed everything for me. It was those in my grow group who didn't know what was happening to me or within me, but connected with me through God. They had the exact words that I needed. The love that helped to hold me together. The connection that grew deeper. I was able to connect with my group in ways that I had never imagined prior to the first meeting. I didn't realize everything then, but looking back...I CANNOT deny that God had a plan and placed me exactly where I needed to be in the exact moment that it was needed. Because of Grow Groups, I am where I am today and the person that I am today. Stronger in my faith and in my walk with the Lord. Outwardly expressive about my heart. And not afraid, because through the experience God proved to me that He had me. And as long as I can put my all in Him, I know that I would not fall. Something that was also shown to me through the others in that group. Each one of us had struggles of our own. And each week, the lesson addressed it in some way-shape-or form for each of us. We were able to face those together, instead of alone. Something that started in a dark apprehensive moment, grew into something deeper that went as far as emails, text, phone calls...just to tell each other in the group that they were being thought of and prayed for. God laid each other on our hearts and spoke through us to each other. That isn't something that I willing to turn my back on. That is proof of an awesome God that we serve. And I have made the choice, after that first series of Grow Groups, to keep going. Pay it forward. I want to help make a difference in someone's life just as the group made a difference in mine.
Today, when I walk into church on Sunday morning, I am able to smile and greet each and every person with an improved smile and a free heart. Because through grow groups, I am building lasting friendships that will effect me for a lifetime, and encourage and support me...Just as Jesus does...
When Grow groups first started last fall, I will be the first to admit that I was scared about the idea of talking to people that I didn't really know. But then I had to stop and realize that what was there to be nervous about? Weren't we all there for God? I connected with a group that included several that I knew 'of' but didn't really 'know'. How was I going to connect with these people!? But little did I know, God had a plan. Our first meeting was like a meet and greet for everyone in the group. 2 days later, I was faced with shattering news in my personal life. I quickly withdrew from all the things that I was involved in. Doors closed, curtains shut. Just me. Alone. But a week later, when it was time for the next grow group meeting...God pushed me. It was almost like a nagging kind of push. Against my desire, I went to the next grow group meeting, alone. Quiet, reserved, withdrawn. Hoping that the chair was helping me to be invisible. But instead, it was the night that changed everything for me. It was those in my grow group who didn't know what was happening to me or within me, but connected with me through God. They had the exact words that I needed. The love that helped to hold me together. The connection that grew deeper. I was able to connect with my group in ways that I had never imagined prior to the first meeting. I didn't realize everything then, but looking back...I CANNOT deny that God had a plan and placed me exactly where I needed to be in the exact moment that it was needed. Because of Grow Groups, I am where I am today and the person that I am today. Stronger in my faith and in my walk with the Lord. Outwardly expressive about my heart. And not afraid, because through the experience God proved to me that He had me. And as long as I can put my all in Him, I know that I would not fall. Something that was also shown to me through the others in that group. Each one of us had struggles of our own. And each week, the lesson addressed it in some way-shape-or form for each of us. We were able to face those together, instead of alone. Something that started in a dark apprehensive moment, grew into something deeper that went as far as emails, text, phone calls...just to tell each other in the group that they were being thought of and prayed for. God laid each other on our hearts and spoke through us to each other. That isn't something that I willing to turn my back on. That is proof of an awesome God that we serve. And I have made the choice, after that first series of Grow Groups, to keep going. Pay it forward. I want to help make a difference in someone's life just as the group made a difference in mine.
Today, when I walk into church on Sunday morning, I am able to smile and greet each and every person with an improved smile and a free heart. Because through grow groups, I am building lasting friendships that will effect me for a lifetime, and encourage and support me...Just as Jesus does...
I really just want to become an advertising representative...“You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You won’t want to miss….Grow Groups!” But that’s just it. You WILL laugh, and you WILL cry. And you will walk away refreshed, and restored, and reaffirmed.
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