Seven Reasons Why You Should Join a Small Group
by John on Jun.22, 2009, under Spiritual Formation
Relationships: A small group gives you the opportunity to get to know people at a more intimate level. Sunday mornings are an awesome time to worship with the whole family of God, hear a sermon, engage in corporate vision, but a small group gives you a chance to build deeper friendships.
Learning the Word of God: Sunday’s sermon is a great time to get a broad teaching of the Word of God. However, small groups provide time for one on one discussion. Your group can provide a time to clarify answers to questions from Sunday’s sermon.
Opportunity to Serve Others: One of the greatest joys of being in a small group is the chance to bear others burdens, serve their needs, and step out beyond your own issues.
Place to invite friends: A small group is a natural place to invite friends and family. Sometimes people are more comfortable going to a small group then attending a Sunday morning service.
Place to Pray and Share your needs: A gathering of a few people is a natural environment for prayer. A big part of prayer is conservation with God and small groups provide the perfect environment for communing with God.
Engage in worship: Gathering in a small group allows you to experience worship at a very intimate level.
Follow the New Testament pattern: Acts 2:42-47 gives us a blueprint of what the early church was passionately committed to. The early Christ Followers gathered in homes, shared meals, read the Word, prayed, and worshipped. When you participate in a small group you are following the New Testament pattern.
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June 24th, 2009 on 12:32 AM
I agree wholeheartedly. I joined a small group about two years ago that meets a few hours everyday. I have to say that the bond and comradeship that I share in the group has helped me keep my chin up through some of the toughest times I’ve had.
We are always supportive of one another and at every turn someone is willing to lend a hand. We talk about day to day life and delve into deeper subjects as well. In this setting we may have discussions one on one or with a few or all of the group. We all come from fairly diverse backgrounds so we get a very unique cross section of opinions and points of view in our discussions.
One of the most important things we share is laughter. This is so important I’m thinking about cutting and pasting this part of the paragraph and putting it first! Laughter brings everyone to a common level. Everyone loves to laugh, therefore if the stage is set with a joke or two what comes to follow can be more easily digested. When we can laugh together we feel an immediate commonality amongst ourselves and those next to us. An elbow nudge to your neighbor, ‘hey that was pretty good eh?’, and a smile. Now you are brothers with your neighbor in some little way. The following discussion brings those people to a common level from which they can compare their perspectives. We always laugh in our group.
In this group we often take part in strenuous labor together. Exercise that gets the blood flowing, a little sweat on the brow. Again commonality, we are all working toward the same common goal. We all take our part and serve our role. Some of us would take on a task that no one really likes, taking one for the team. A small sacrifice, but one that demonstrates fellowship.
Another important part to touch on: Edification. Edification is an important part of strengthening trust between one another and develops each others self confidence. Having good self confidence allows us to do good for others. How can you make someone else feel good if you don’t feel good about yourself? One of the most commonly believed sayings is ‘what goes around comes around’ or ‘you get what you give’ or however you choose to word it they all say the same thing. By edifying someone else you are demonstrating selflessness and also identifying someone else’s efforts. It’s almost guaranteed that at some point that act of kindness will be returned to you. But the true nature of edification is not to look for reward, but to acknowledge the contributions of those around us.
In a world that gets smaller everyday thanks to technology, the old fashioned ‘bridge club night’ or ‘weekly jam session’ or whatever group setting we meet in on a regular basis is what makes us people. If it weren’t for regular human interaction we might resort to talking with plants, animals, or other inanimate objects. I know because I’ve been there! The human interaction is vital to our spiritual health. We all have groups that we meet in and we may not even realize it. Think of the characteristics I’ve described and make the most of the daily interaction you have. Enjoy the mundane situations or routines you contribute to for what they can be.
That’s all I’ve got to say about that.
-Brian