Bible verse:
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Matthew 14:22-24
Honestly I'm still working on how this Bible verse connects with today's lesson except that the disciples were a group and they were in the boat.
Today Moore (2007) talks about being a part of a group. He grew up on a farm with his brothers and a sister. They did everything together, eating, playing, exploring and yes even fighting. He says the only times they were extra nice to one another was if they wanted something. Sounds like my family. I have four brothers and one sister. The things I remember all of us doing in a group were working in the garden, as I mentioned before, cleaning up after dinner; one would clear the table, one would wash, one would rinse, one would dry, one would put away and one of us had the night off. Sometimes when we were cleaning up, we would toss the dishes across the kitchen (making sure mom and dad didn't see) to the person who was putting them away in the cupboards. That was always fun! We also went on several canoe trips when I was a child as a family. Ask me sometime about our trip across Blue Mountain Lake up in the Adirondacks, that was a scary/fun time.
Anyway, it is as a group that we form memories and learn to trust one another. We fail and make mistakes too, but hopefully the bond is strong enough to keep it from breaking the relationship all together.
Jesus and his disciples lived together much like my family, and Moore's family did. The good, the bad and the ugly. It is through reading about Jesus and his disciples that reminds us of the many spiritual benefits we enjoy together with members of our small groups (Moore, 2007).
As we discussed earlier about the spiritual practices of prayer, Bible study, thinking, examination and service/ministry on our own, lets look at how the dynamic changes when we practice these in a group.
Prayer. Prayer is powerful, and we know that He hears us when we pray alone and with others Doesn't it make you feel better when you can ask others to pray for you? Especially because you know they will. So, when you have a special need, ask your small group to pray for you too.
Bible study. Bible study with a group is amazing. I'm learning so much right now in the Bible study group I am in. We started right from the beginning and I am in awe of how much bigger In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 is. If I wasn't in this class learning from the group leader and the others in there, I would have never know. It is amazing, and I know I said that before but it's true.!! So studying the Bible with others, give a whole new perspective, things we never even would have thought of, or maybe did but the group gives it support. Find a small group and ask questions of one another, even if you think they aren't right, because that is what it is all about, learning. Think about it, if we already knew everything then we wouldn't need anyone, right?
Thinking. Being in a group leads to opening our minds to think about other possibilities, and as we think about these we can share them with the others. Specifically about a Bible verse that is being studied, and not only do we think about it there and how it ties into life today, we continue to think about it later when we are alone or with others. God will clear your mind to knew understanding so that we can hear what He says.
Examination. As we discussed earlier about self examination about our spiritual journey and then sharing what we discovered with an accountability partner, in a group this also holds true. We are held accountable for our attendance and commitment to the group. As group members we must learn to;
- Be committed to the group for an extended period of time
- Trust one another
- Submit to one another
- Be open and honest with each other
- Maintain confidentiality with what members share
Service/ministry. Think how much more can be done with a group of Christians in this area! Sometimes we are called to service or ministry alone, and when we are open to this we can do great things in the name of Jesus, for His honor and glory!! Several people in our church have done this and what an impact it has had on their lives. They can share it with us, but we can't really know how it felt to experience it. But, if we do service and ministry as a group, then it forms a stronger bond between group members, because we all experienced it. For instance in our church we do a Go-Weekend where anyone who wants to comes to the church to volunteer for the day. Some of us go to the Park and clean up, others go to someone's house and do whatever needs to be done. When we are done we are closer for it, and have shared in being the hands and feet of Jesus. Very cool!
So as you go out today think about the groups you are in, are they feeding you on your spiritual journey? What ways can your groups make a difference in Jesus name? There are more than these five ways to grow in your spiritual group, so think of how you can make a difference.
Remember: Christ meets you in new ways when you participate in a Christian group.
God Bless!
No comments:
Post a Comment