God’s Word is relevant for all times in our lives. This video is a beautiful reminder that we have this wonderful gift available to us; God reveals himself through his Word.
Category: Men of Steel
Benefits of Small Group Attendance
Last week and this week are closely linked together because we’re talking about attendance or gathering at church being one of the essentials in the Christian life. Ken talked about Hebrews 10:19-25, the LETTUCE passages regarding this New and Living Way:
19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Life groups and Sunday School classes are an essential part of church. In a broad sense, these groups and classes are a way to share life together as we travel together on this journey toward Christian maturity. Baptists have discovered that if you want the church to grow, and the gospel to spread, a small groups ministry is the key.
So, this begs the question: what should be the purpose of a small group ministry? Believe it or not, the purpose of a small groups ministry is the same as the church—to make and develop disciples of Christ by reflecting and living out the Great Commandment. Here is Luke 10:27: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” These two greatest commandments emphasize three areas that make a strong foundation to any church, small group, or individual Christian: spiritual growth, learning, and serving.
For these three things to happen, it is essential that you show up. Growth, learning, and serving don’t just happen by reading a book, or by accident, or by individual resolve and determination. These happen, and are carried out, in the context of Christian community.
From the very beginning, God called to himself a people; starting with one man and his family that God blessed into a great nation. Ever since Abraham, God has emphasized the community. God doesn’t want rouge individualism, that’s more of an American characteristic. God wants his people gathered as a community of faith; to worship, to live life, to share with and support, to encourage and lift up, to admonish and correct, all in the context of community. For a community to be a community, it is essential that we show up.
Consider the challenge of Hebrew 10:24, “to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” THAT will not happen by accident. We need others to guide us on this journey. Left to ourselves, we will drift away, and eventually crash and burn. We cannot be an obedient Christian on our own.
Consider this homework assignment: do a word study on all the “one another” passages in the New Testament and see if any of them can be accomplished by staying at home, or even by sitting in a place like this, looking at the back of someone else’s head. It is said that Christianity is best living in circles, not rows. Rows will separate us and allow us to hide from one another, while circles invite everyone into participation.
Let’s get back to the Great Commandment and how small groups attendance is essential:
To love God with all our heart and soul is to love Him with passion, with priority, and with trust. We can’t go out into the world and work at our jobs, and deal with the family, and at the same time keep our passion for God without help.
Think about it, we can’t be bombarded by media, and ads, and strange noises in our car, and keep God first in our priorities. We can’t listen to the news, and to the politicians, and worry about paying our bills, while naturally keeping our trust in God.
We need to see the example of others and receive their encouragement. We need others who know us who can remind us how God has taken care of our needs in the past, so he will take care of us in the future. A small group can provide all of this in a way a large congregation can’t.
To love God with all our mind is to learn about Him through his Word, and to see the world from His perspective. The best preacher in the world is still limited by the fact that sermons have NO interaction.
With a small group, people can ask questions, give illustrations, even express doubts, and know that other people are listening. Loving God with our mind is taking biblical truths and applying them to our lives. While good preachers add application to their sermons, it’s also important to have a fellow believer who can look at our particular situation on a personal level and speak directly into our lives.
To love Him with all our strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves are related. Small groups should be a place where we can freely “love our neighbor,” whether through prayer or meeting a physical need. Small groups also provide encouragement and a place of rest so members can love God with all their strength OUTSIDE the group. When members serve God as a group or as individuals, the small group can be a place to recharge and share how God is working in their lives.
God knows we are fragile and fallen creatures who need constant reminders of what we are supposed to do. Obedience tends to leak out of our buckets.
A small group is a key tool to help us stay focused. Regularly meeting with a committed group of believers allows us to reinforce the core of what we believe so we can live it out, learn more about God, and maintain the strength to serve others. Small groups are the best and most effective way to make and develop disciples of Christ.
King’s Grant Baptist is about building the Kingdom through making disciples, which means helping you to become a devoted follower of Jesus. Small groups are the key in your spiritual growth process. Here, I am going to share some positive benefits in becoming involved in a small group; yep, you actually get something out of being in a small group.
I am going to finish this message by helping us to better understand GROUPS…
G – Gain knowledge and Growth toward maturity.
Gain Knowledge – You will understand the Bible better in a community of faith.
Have you ever listened to a message from the Bible at a worship service and wanted to stop the speaker and say, “But what about?” or “I don’t understand!” If so, then a small group is for you. The message that is taught in our worship service is one-way communication. You listen while the speaker speaks. It’s fine for imparting knowledge, but not as effective for personal application as a small group. In a small group setting, you can ask questions, participate in a discussion of the text, and hear others share their insights and illustrations of the truth you are trying to grasp. The Bible must be applied to your own personal situations and that happens best in small groups.
Growth Toward Maturity – You will grow spiritually faster in a group than when you are alone.
We have been “predestined to become conformed to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29). Spiritual growth involves life change. Life change is optimized in the context of a small group. 2 Timothy 2:22 teaches that we are to “run after” godly character and “run away” from the passions of youth. This verse instructs us not to do this alone but “with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart.” God wants us to stop “trying” and start “training.” It’s always easier to exercise physically or spiritually in a group than alone (1 Timothy 4:7b).
R – Relationships
Experiences – You will begin to really feel like part of God’s family.
We believe it is imperative that as a church grows larger, it should also grow smaller at the same time. It should be the desire of growing churches to provide a small group for everyone that wants to get connected. In a society that is increasingly mobile and where families are fragmented, small groups can provide a family atmosphere where no one needs to stand alone.
Encouragement – You will receive customized care.
Each member of a small group provides care for the other members of the group (1 Corinthians 12:25). The group leader oversees the pastoral care of the group through the sub-group leaders. The group, rather than church staff, becomes the first line of resources. This is accomplished as believers in the group see themselves as contributors and not just consumers, givers and not just attenders.
O – Opportunities.
Example – You will be a New Testament Christian.
The early church met as a large group for corporate worship at the temple and then as small groups from house to house (Acts 2:46; 5:42; 20:20; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2). The New Testament is very clear about how God intended for His people to meet in small groups so they could experience authentic biblical community. The New Testament is also very clear to point out that these were communities with a purpose. They used these small groups to fulfill the Great Commission in a Great Commandment way. They weren’t an end in themselves.
Evangelism – You will have a natural way to share Christ with friends, neighbors, classmates, relatives, and co-workers.
It may be that some of your friends who don’t know the Lord wouldn’t be caught dead in a church. They have a preconceived idea and just the thought makes them defensive. But those same people may be open to an invitation to a casual Bible discussion in a home or office setting. In a small group, your unbelieving friend can ask questions and express honest doubts without feeling “put on the spot”. When your friend sees the love and warmth and honesty of your group, it will make him more receptive to the good news (John 13:35; Acts 5:42).
U – I’ll come back to this one at the end…
P – Prayer will become more meaningful to you.
Many people are hesitant to pray in front of others, especially in a large church. In a small group of 6-12, you will learn to participate in prayer by having a conversation together with God. No one is pressured to pray, but as you become comfortable, you’ll be able to pray sentence prayers and join in. There are many promises in the Bible related to group prayer. In praying together with a few others, we are drawn together, and we find answers to the needs in our lives (Matthew 18:19).
S – Support, Skills, and Service.
Support – You don’t have to go through struggles alone.
It’s not only possible but also probable that you could walk into and out of a large group event with hurts, heartaches, and soul-searching questions but never connect with someone that will show an interest in you or identify with your difficulty. In a small group setting the principle of “commonality” is often experienced. Many of us think our struggles are unique to us, but in a small group we find out that personal problems are universal. It’s exciting to find out that the members of your group have not only struggled with common problems but have found common solutions in God’s Word (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Skills – You will develop leadership skills in a small group.
Many people are scared of the word “leadership.” John Maxwell says, “Leadership is just influence.” Most believers would say without reservation that they want to influence their world for Christ. They would love to be used by God to lead someone to Christ and see that person grow up spiritually and reproduce himself. Acts 4:13 says “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.” These men had obtained the confidence they needed to lead others to the Savior because they had been discipled in Jesus’ group. Discipleship ultimately produces leadership skills in you. One day you will be discipling a small group of believers.
Service – You’ll have a place to discover and use your spiritual gifts.
When people are born into their physical family, they are given natural talents, but when they are born into the family of God they are given spiritual gifts. These gifts are God-given abilities that enable believers to effectively serve one another. Attending a spiritual gift workshop and taking a gift assessment is a vital step in discovering your gift mix, but it is the members of your group that provide confirmation of your gift after watching you in action. People that have no arena in which to exercise their gifts struggle to identify them. A neighborhood group is a wonderful place to steward the gifts God has sovereignly given you (1 Peter 4:10, 11).
So, these past two weeks at King’s Grant have been about the importance of attendance @ Church. After all this time and teaching, perhaps you now see that your attendance in corporate worship (and some sort of small group) is way more than numbers on a spreadsheet. We are talking about the God’s people moving closer toward conforming to the image of Christ, growing into full maturity.
So, what is missing in the outline? Look at your notes. What blank is left out? U = YOU.
I suppose, there may be really just one question left to ask regarding attendance in a small group: “How are you doing with that?” Are you doing all you can to take advantage of spiritual growth opportunities? Or are you just happy to be where you are? Your staff can’t make you desire spiritual growth or maturity. We can’t make you practice hospitality. We can’t make you invite others into our community, faith, and love here at King’s Grant. I suppose it all comes back to another question, “Are you here because of what you get out of the community, or what you can give back to others?” THIS is the difference between being a consumer and being a contributor.
Are you ready to move toward something greater than where you find yourself right now? What will it take to get you out of a row and into a group? What are the barriers that prevent you from getting into a small group? What is holding you back? Are there fears? Issues of time? Not enough Bible knowledge to get into a group with those long-time believers?
Think of it this way, you don’t refuse to go to college because other people know more than you. That’s the whole point of college. You go there to learn new things, experience community, and grow toward proficiency in your profession. Is not your salvation the most important thing ever? Then why do we accept the lie that ignorance is bliss? The more you get involved, the more you realize you have a lifetime of learning ahead of you.
I see a barrier that one day, King’s Grant will have to address: space. We can’t get everyone into a Sunday School class, so, who in our classes is willing to say that space and seats will no longer limit the growth of King’s Grant Baptist Church? Would there ever be a time when half of the people in your class will say, “We are going to meet in homes, to free up space for our classes here on campus to reach people not yet connected”?
Who is ready to start something in your home, using the Life Group model, asking questions about the preacher’s message and text, then seeking to apply the Scripture to real life? THAT is community life. THAT is what Life Groups are about. Not a teacher, then don’t try to be one; allow the Holy Spirit to guide your group. When you run across something you don’t know how to answer, just say, “I don’t know, but I will find out.” Then come talk to me about it.
Attendance @Church – one of the Essentials in the Christian life. If you need to talk about how to get this part of your life straightened out, I’d love to talk with you about it.
May the Spirit of God move in your soul to take seriously the command to Love God and Love People in a community of faith.
Leaders Understand Culture Change
I’ve been reading some Nieuwhof…
Clearly, the world has changed. It’s changed for church leaders too—radically. So what happens when church leaders move on unaware of what’s going on around them? It’s simple. Church leaders who are out of touch never touch the culture.
Jesus Died for the Nations
Yesterday was Good Friday and we wait to celebrate the resurrection tomorrow. It may look dark but Sunday’s coming. We look forward with anticipation because we look back on those events through the knowledge of the first Easter morning.
In my reading this week I discovered a chilling passage of Scripture:
Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48 If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” 51 Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him. (John 11:47-53)
First off, notice the motivation of these religious leaders… basically they are saying, if we let Jesus go on like this, the government will come down on us and take our place and our nation. So, they were not concerned for the people, they feared losing their position in society and with the Roman leadership. How often are we also afraid of allowing Jesus control over our lives because we might lose position or status in the community? It may not be like losing your job. It may be more subtle, like “hiding our light under a bushel,” but we do it.
Next, Caiaphas declared that it is better for one man to die (kill this blasphemous rebel) rather than for the people to be led astray. I love John’s commentary at this point, that the High Priest spoke prophetically without realizing it. The reason for this post is to look at the words John used in this passage…
In John 11:50, Caiaphas mentions one man dying for the people. In Greek, the word laos is used, basically, the laity. The same is used today in reference to people in the church. For the most part, and for clarity, the word laity has been used as the people in the church, separated from those who may be considered professional clergy. Caiaphas says that the one man would die for the people, and he adds, in order to save the nation, ethnos, in Greek. He was referring to the nation of Israel under Roman rule.
But in John 11:51-52, notice how the Holy Spirit leads John to write about this prophetic utterance. He does not use the word laos, but rather ethnos. Jesus was not just dying for the people (laos as Caiaphas says), he was dying for the nation. But not just the Jewish nation, Jesus was dying for everyone, all the the nations. This is a great mission passage and we often just read over it on our way to more significant elements in the story.
This is the story of the cross, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). We are commanded to make disciples of all nations, pas ethnos, “all of the nations.” All these nations will be gathered together into one family of God (John 11:52). If you are a believer in person and work of Jesus, he died for you that day, and for all who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior.
[Image: Adrian Schiller as Caiaphas in Son of God.]
Called to Separation
I recently listened to Mac Brunson talk about Abraham’s call to leave Ur and go to the place God would show him. Here are a few observations.
First, I see this is God’s covenant with Abraham, not Abram’s covenant with God. We are in connection with a God who invites us into relationship with him on HIS terms, and he is not obligated to allow us into his presence on OUR terms.
Why did God choose Abraham? Why does God choose anyone? Mac told a story about being Billy Graham’s pastor, and Dr. Graham asked the same question, “Why did God call me?” We may ask a similar question, “Of all people, why did you choose me?”
The point of Mac’s talk was, we need to make our lives count for God’s glory and not our own. How can we do this? Life counts when we respond to God’s call for separation.
“Now the Lord said to Abram.” This statement distinguishes our God from all others. Remember Dagon? That idol could not speak, he just fell over before the Ark of the Lord. He couldn’t cry out for help… It was not like the commercial, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” because all other gods cannot speak.
God tells Abram to separate… go from Ur, go from your people, and go from your father’s house. Perhaps this is a progression from the easiest place to the most difficult. It is one thing to leave and go to a new place, even to reside among a new culture, but leaving your family is nearly out of the question.
Why is God calling him to separate? It is because God is always doing something new: Isaiah 42:9, 43:19, 62:2, Jeremiah 31:31, Ezekiel 11:19, and God wanted to do something new in Abram’s life.
Does God want to do anything new in YOUR life? Be honest. Do we ever WANT God to do something new? The older we get the less we like change, but God is constantly in the business of doing something new.
Think about 2 Corinthians 5:17. Does Paul say that God makes all things like they were 50 years ago? NO, for those in Christ, the old is passed away and all things become NEW. The questions is, “Will we make it difficult when God wants US to do something new?” This is way beyond individuals, what about the church? Is God calling us to change? If so, how? Why do we tend to drag our feet in response to God’s call for change?
God tells Abram to separate himself…
- Geographically. He was to leave Ur, with no clue where he was being led. God said to get up from where you are rooted and invested, and go over there to be rooted and invested in another place. God still calls US to get up out of our rootedness. Perhaps you are rooted in your Sunday School class for the past 25 years. Now God may be calling you to get up and plant yourself into the lives of those 3-4 graders, or high school students. They are the future of the church and they need to be developed, and invested into. Will you do it? Or will you hope God calls someone else? Maybe you’re planted in your pew and God wants you to get up and move into the choir. You’ve been invested in that padded seat long enough, it’s time to move on.
- Relationally. Abram was leaving his people. God can see down the road of your life and he knows that there are some relationships from which you need to separate. Some relationships are not good personally, and not good spiritually.
- Attitudinally. God may be calling you away from your household, the place where you developed your attitudes. Maybe you are bitter, angry, easily offended, irritable, struggling with control. God is calling you to separate from it. Go to the land I will show you. Maybe it is a place that resembles the Fruit of the Spirit because it is unseen in the place you’re in now. Maybe it’s a place with another culture; a place where you will influence others and be a blessing. But don’t fear. God does not leave you. The place where God calls you to go, remember that he is already there. He will show you how to move on and change.
Remember this was said to a 75-year-old man, someone set in his ways. It’s hard for a 20-something single person, how much harder for a family man senior adult? Walk away from all that you know. God did not even let him know where he was going to go. There was no game plan. God never told Abraham that he was going to a Land Flowing with Milk and Honey (that came later). Abraham has no description or picture of how great this move is going to be. Not one detail is given to him.
“And Abraham went forth as God had told him” (Genesis 12:4). No fanfare. No going away party. Perhaps no one even noticed that Abraham left. But he was obedient to the calling and changed the course of history.
We’d Rather be on the Bench?
Ken has been very clearly sharing each week about the reality of community life in the church, which causes us to think about our current relationship with God. Perhaps his biblical challenges have forced you to admit that we as a church have often been simply a casual fan of Jesus, rather than a committed follower of Jesus.
We believe just enough to know that heaven is the place we want to go after this life, but not enough to make actual changes in our lives that will allow God to use us and therefore make an eternal impact on his kingdom.
We believe the mission and purpose of God is to call out pastors, teachers, and missionaries to build his kingdom, but we settle for sitting on the bench, or sidelines, never really wanting to get into the game.
- We’re glad we “made the team” by saying YES to Jesus at some point in the past.
- We’re wearing the team uniform so others know we are on God’s team, but we really don’t make an impact on the team’s success.
- We know there’s a playbook we have been given, but admit we have not read it enough to know the team strategy.
- We regularly show up at practice, but make little preparation for the actual game.
- We’re content to just sit here on the bench and leave reading the playbook and running the plays to the starting team.
We think to ourselves…
- “I don’t expect to get in the game so I’m just fine sitting here on the bench, dressed out, and wearing my team’s colors.”
- “I don’t really like practice all that much: the coach is always telling us what to do and how to do it.”
- “I don’t like that the coach makes the whole team run, shoot, get in shape, hone our skills, and get prepared for the games.”
- “I admit that don’t really DO all that stuff. I prefer just sitting over here on my team bench, next to this little orange water cooler filled with Gatorade.”
So, you may be asking, “Why are you even on this team?”
“Well, it’s because I like the crowd cheering for me and my team, knowing I just might make it to the Final Four and the Championship Game because of all the dedication, commitment, skills, and efforts of those five starters who get all the playing time.”
Wow, I didn’t think I would take this illustration so far, but the more I thought about it, how often is this true in the church?
- My faith is all about ME.
- My faith is personal.
- My church is also about ME, and my preferences.
- My church is here, people know how to find us.
- My spiritual growth is optional.
- Finding my place of service is optional.
But the Bible begs to differ. Faith is not something that we just have or live out personally or in isolation. There is way too much evidence in Scripture that the Christian faith is meant to be carried out in the context of community.
We often seek God’s will in our own lives but fail to realize that God has a will for HIS church.
- The church is the gathered group of Jesus followers.
- The church is people, those who have confessed allegiance to the One who bought them and saved them, not just to sit and soak, but to serve.
- The church is gifted to do exactly what the Lord desires for each of us to do and accomplish.
I’m not talking about just volunteering, although that is expected when we have a corporate mentality of Christianity. I’m talking about truly understanding what the church is all about.
- What does God expect of the church?
- What is God’s vision that he has shown to pastor Ken?
- What does a disciple of Jesus look like?
- Why do we gather in worship?
- What is the Great Commission (Acts 1:8) and how am I supposed to be a part of it?
- What are my spiritual gifts and where can I exercise or use them?
Jesus mentioned that there are two great commandments: to love God, and then to love others (Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 22:36-40). The whole law can be summed up in these two commands, but the Bible also has a lot to say about HOW we live as believers and followers and disciples of Jesus.
This is why Ken has spent so much time casting vision for King’s Grant, defining who we are as a church, helping us to discover our spiritual gifts, and how to exercise and employ the gifts of grace that God has so thoughtfully supplied.
Let God have his way for this church (Philippians 1:6). Stop being content to sit on the bench.
Change of Heart and Mind
What a change occurred in Saul’s perspective after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus! Leaving on his journey, he was sure that what he believed was right. When Jesus’ voice pierced Saul’s heart, his whole worldview turned upside down. Everything Saul thought he knew had to be rethought: his understanding of truth, his worldview, his life mission. This encounter was just the beginning of his transformation from Saul the persecutor to Paul the apostle to the Gentiles. What difference has encountering Jesus made in how you live and lead?
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. — Acts 9:3-5
We often see this passage only in the context of salvation (Saul’s conversion on the Damascus Road) but let’s broaden our understanding of Paul’s experience to being confronted with new truth, which forces him into a decision.
Let’s also make this personal. Active church people need to take the introduction of truth (let’s enter here the preaching of God’s Word on Sunday) and decide what to do with the challenge put in front of us.
Ken is preaching January through February on a topic that we can easily dismiss. Perhaps you will justify, “I am pursuing God because I attend church on Sunday.” When we assume this position, we can easily miss the very thing that the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives. We each must pray and reflect on where we stand with Jesus to discover what God wants us to do and how he wants us to change.
I hope you will listen again to Ken’s introductory message on moving “From Apathy to Intensity” and see if God is speaking to you and challenging you to make some adjustment toward a higher level intensity in your faith.
[Part of this post is from the January 14 Lead Like Jesus devotional, and the image: SON OF GOD Movie, Scene 10/29 – Damascus Road; Paul (CON O’NEIL) sees Jesus (DIOGO MORGADO) and is thrown from his horse]
