Opening Illustration: The Car Chase!
Series: You Asked for It – What is the churches mission or mission statement? Why is the church here?
Focus of this message is on our Church Motto: “Connecting with God and Connecting with people!”
Sermon: Connecting
Question: What is CHC’s mission?
Thought: Connecting with God - Connecting with People --- Tag line: “Jesus was intimate with the Father and was also a part of a life group!”
Thesis: At CHC we want everyone to “Connect with God and Connect with People.” We cannot settle for a dry shallow view of Christianity in our life and just know of God we must be willing to go deeper into a relationship with God to actually know God intimately. Jesus always called His followers to a closer more intimate relationship with Him. Intimacy with Jesus is a closer relationship that comes from a relentless pursuit of Him. But there is more to Jesus’ message than just intimacy with God, there is also the challenge that we all as Christ followers need to connect with others too.
Scripture Texts:
James 4:8 “Come near to God and He will come near to you...”
James 2:14-17: 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
I John 4:11-12: “11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Psalm 73:28: “But as for me it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”
1 Thess. 4:9-10: “9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.”
Matthew 22:37-40: 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Introduction:
Quote: “One of the most important elements in church life, is building relationships (with God) and with other believers. We can often come to church and enjoy great worship and a great sermon, but without our relationship (connection with God and) with other believers we are severely stunted in our calling in the commission of God and can even stunt the growth of the church. So, why are close relationships important? Close relationships (between us and God) and among believers in the family of God, provide a context of applying biblical truth, promotes unity, (promotes) care among the members, meets spiritual and emotional needs, furnishes a setting for lifestyle evangelism, and ultimately it demonstrates the Body of Christ in action. In order to accomplish this in our Christian walk, (an intimate relationship with God) (along with) small groups provide the ideal format and setting to put the Body of Christ into action” (http://endofthematter.com/2016/09/connect-group-message/).
This is the essence of the type of Christianity Jesus emphasized in His teachings, modeled in His ministry and this is what the Bible promotes as the ultimate goal of all who follow Jesus to connect with God and with others. It’s also the sign of a disciple of Jesus Christ. It’s promoted by Jesus as there being nothing better in life than to draw near and be closer with Him and then to connect with others to share life in Christ together as a family.
I. In the Bible we discover 6 levels of relationship with Jesus and with others according to Robert Crosby from his book The One Jesus Loves:
1. Listen to these 6 levels of relationship:
i. The crowds – Jesus drew a crowd – impressive crowds 10,000 or more people would come hear Him and see Him. This represents the outermost ring of association with Jesus and the least commitment to Him.
1. Crosby states, “The crowds represent those who follow Jesus to the places of watching and listening” (The One Jesus Loves, Page 13). See John 12:19
2. The barrier here at this level of relationship with Jesus is belief – the crowd has not bought into believing in who Jesus is. This therefore holds back their relationship with the Lord.
ii. The 5,000 – the next level of relationship is found in the crowd that Jesus touched and helped. See John 6:1-15.
1. Crosby notes, “The 5,000 represent those who follow Jesus to the places of feeding and healing.”
2. This level of relationship with Jesus is closer to Him and the people believe in Him but their relationship with Jesus is self-centered, it’s based on what they can get out of Jesus.
a. Examples: Food, finances, miracle, deliverance, healing and the like.
b. I have been reading John Bevere’s book “Drawing Near” and in it I came across a statement that convicted me – it even pierced deep into my soul. Would you like to hear his statement? John Bevere stated, “I’ve discovered two major groups within the church…The first are those who seek God for what He can do; while the second seek Him for who He is” (page 39).
i. I paused as I read this – and a “Aha” moment washed over my soul and spirit - then I laid the book down – I reflected and searched my memory and my past experiences - I picked the book back up and read it again, then again and then something inside of me – like a ringing of a bell went off – then I heard these words “Read it again and again.” Then that gentle intimate voice said, “Mike do you see it? – Mike do you feel my heartbeat in this matter of intimacy? – Mike do you get what John is revealing in these words through my Holy Spirit? Mike do you see the difference between the two types of Christians?”
ii. Then the “AHA” lites up my mind and soul!
1. At first glance this does not seem like a problem for a Christian to be a part of either group or even both groups – right! But there is a problem when we only approach God for what He can do for us and we never approach Him for Who He is!
2. One group just wants something from God!
a. They know of God but don’t know God!
b. They want the blessings of God but not the intimate relationship with Him.
c. They want the things He can provide but not the commitment to Him.
3. The other group wants to be intimate and experience God.
a. They love Him for what He has done!
b. They desire to spend time with Him because they are best friends.
c. They spend time with Him – because they want to honor Him and worship Him.
iii. Sadly, some approach God for what they can get out of Him and never approach Him to spend quality time with Him. They use Him for His resources or His ability to do a miracle but then when the trouble fades --- we fade in our relationship with Him. We put Him to the side of our lives – as if He is a Jeannie in bottle.
1. I only spend time with Him when I need something fixed. Rub the bottle with a quick prayer.
2. I must admit to you I felt convicted – I apologized to the Lord for this wrongful mindset of my heart with Him. I repented of insensitivity to His heart and love for me.
iii. The 70 or 72 – this level of relationship with Jesus gets closer to the heart of God. A select group rose up out of the crowd to share and participate in the ministry and mission of Jesus. They leave the level of observation and enter into serving and participating with Jesus in ministry. See Luke 6:12-13.
1. Crosby states, “The 70 represent those who follow Jesus to the places of working and serving…drawn to His mission…our primary motivation here at this level is purpose.”
2. But there is also a barrier here to a deeper level of relationship with Jesus and it’s connected with being a true follower of Jesus – it’s connected with doing ministry my way or doing ministry His way. Many want to move to this level of relationship with Jesus, but they want to do it on their terms. It’s also linked with their commitment level - will I follow Him wherever He leads me or will I serve Him based on my terms and conditions.
iv. The 12 – then out of the crowd arises a band of brothers, a close knit group that hangs with Jesus, 24-7 “They sleep, eat and do life together.” see Luke 6:12-13.
1. Crosby, “The 12 represent those who walk with Jesus, to the places He leads them, they leave all to follow Him.” And I mean all!
2. But there is a barrier here to which happens and Judas is our example of this – these in the 12 have committed and followed Jesus – they have lived with Him, ate with Him, prayed with Him, done ministry with Him but they don’t want to do life with Jesus or even with others – they break from the small group so as to be a lone wolf – they seek to try to force Jesus to do something or even sell Him out for money– some just want to stay in their comfort zone so this is where they stop – live life without 100% commitment to the Kingdom or even to develop more deeper relationships in the Kingdom.
v. The 3 – we discover out of this group of 12 emerges 3 who are even closer to Jesus. These 3 saw, heard, and experienced the most with Jesus. The 3 represent all those who choose to be closer to Jesus and follow Him to places of glory and places of suffering for the mission.
1. There is barrier here because 2 of them where not found at the cross – they let fear get the best of them - 1 denied Him when his life was threatened with association with Him and the other ran for the hills from the Garden when Jesus was arrested - some say naked see Marks Gospel account.
2. The barrier fear over faith.
3. Only One was willing to go to the cross with Jesus and his name was John and he becomes the One.
vi. The 1 – in Scripture one person rises up to be the closest to Jesus during His earthly ministry. He sat next to Him at the Last Supper, he hung on every word of Jesus, He was at the cross when all others fled, he was given the task by Jesus at the cross to care for His mother Mary, he was given a Revelation that would inspire the world. His name you may be thinking is John.
1. Each one of these levels of relationship are a reality to describe people in the church today, all very levels important to Jesus but in each level of closeness is an invite to come closer to Him! Jesus says, “Come on take another step closer, it will be amazing!” But fear, lack of faith, lack of commitment, lack of obedience holds people back.
a. For some of you it’s time to move from the crowd to the 5,000 level. For others it’s time to move from the 5,000 to the 70 or 72 level. For others it’s time to make the move from the 70 to the 12! Jesus wants you closer in relationship with Him. He is saying “Come closer.”
b. The great invitation from God is to draw near to Him – come closer to Him – Yes, the one who sits on the throne in Heaven wants you to come closer to Him, Yes, the one who created the universe with the stars and the milky way – wants you to worship Him not from afar with words and rituals but face to face in an intimate way!
c. The followers of Jesus should want to be in only one place and that is closer to Jesus each day. And that comes through spending time with Him and with others. They go hand and hand – we are called to Kingdom ministry.
2. Robert Crosby states from his book The One Jesus Loves, this: “The Bible shows Jesus to be more than a messenger of doctrine. Instead, the Gospels give us a broad tapestry of people’s experiences with Him and their encounters of Him. Resounding within each of the four accounts of His life and ministry, from Matthew to John, is an appeal reverberating with this message: Get to know Him! Come closer” (page 21).
a. Getting closer to Jesus is intimacy with Him and fellowship with other believers. It’s found in our mission statement “Connect with God – Connect with People.”
2. Jesus’ passionate cry was “Come”:
i. “Come, follow me …and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19)
1. Did you hear this come close to me and I will help you draw others to me too - how through your life.
ii. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
iii. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).
iv. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).
1. Please hear His heart’s cry, “There is one place and one place alone Jesus wants you know and to be when it comes to your relationship with Him — it’s closer!” How do I know?
a. Illustration “The water fight”: I had just finished typing this line as I was revising my sermon last Sunday – I was on the back deck of my daughter’s house in MN. then rain drops started falling on my head and on my back – but it was sunny outside, no clouds in the sky-then it happened again! I turned around to see my twin grandson squirting me with a squirt gun and laughing. It was an “Aha God moment.” You know why He was doing this? To get me wet? No, well yes but the Lord showed me there was another reason – He wanted to get closer to me! He wanted me to connect with Him and so I got a squirt gun and the battle began with me ending up all wet. The whole family became involved in the water war. Then after the battle the boys got involved in playing bags with grandma and dad so I went back to my revising of this sermon and a few moments later Evie my 4 year old granddaughter came to me and wanted to play a game. She said grandpa you type then I get to type – so I typed and she added the following — elktg5bf - MN ?????????????????????????????????????????????? and she said after typing grandpa “Make sure they hear My message” - so you just heard her typed message to each of you – her message though is “Get closer and do it by getting involved in what the one you love is doing.”
b. Remember she too wanted to be closer to me and involved in what I was doing – the truth is the grandkids all wanted me to be closer with them, why? Because for far to long I was not with them because I was working on revising my message for tonight. To finish the story a little while later hoses came out again Evie ran to the water fight again and turned the hose off on her dad who got really wet and I decided to put my IPad away because water and electronics don’t mix well. But the message was clear to Grandpa they all wanted to be closer with me and wanted me in the battle with them.
i. As I pondered all of this sitting on the deck and being a lot wetter, I heard the Lord say to me, “Just like you’re grandkids want to be closer to you so do I want you to be closer to me, He also emphasized that I tell you all personally tonight this, “He wants you to be closer to Him!” Evie would agree this was part of her message to you too. Do what you have too to get closer to the One you love.
ii. Wow, what a AHA moment - He spoke to me through my grandkids and it was all about intimacy and I need to share with you today Jesus wants you and I to come closer!”
2. So, I have for these last few months – really since about the beginning of January 2018, been pressing deeper into “Intimacy with God!” I decided to accept His invitation to draw closer. It’s been an amazing spiritual journey.
a. Please note, I did do this before, but I had to be honest with myself I could do so much better in this dimension of my life. So, I decided to move to this new more reflective spiritual level in my own personal devotional life with the Lord. I prayed and asked God to help me draw closer to Him. So, I started scheduling more prayer time with God, mostly doing a lot more prayer walks, then reading more books on prayer and intimacy with God, started doing more devotionals on this subject, I started having more reflective prayer times and even being more intentional about intimacy moments with God each day. I decided to wake up with God on my mind each morning and go to sleep with Him on my mind and heart each night. I started listening to more intimate worship music over and over.
i. And guess what the Lord showed up and I felt closer to Him in my quest.
ii. I sat on hill tops and watched storms blow by experiencing an intimate moment with the Lord.
iii. I decided to lose weight so I am at about 4o+ pounds lighter today.
iv. I have cried more over my life and even ministry.
v. I have soul searched more looking at my inner heart connection with the Lord.
vi. I have repented more seeing how unworthy I am to have this incredible gift to have intimacy with God!
vii. I decided to stop doing ministry for self-worth and just draw closer to God with my spirit, soul and body.
viii. I have reflected and prayed more about my life each day, searched my own heart and it’s desires,
ix. I evaluated my internal focus of life,
x. I looked at my use of my precious time.
xi. I even scanned over my family asking for His wisdom and revelation.
b. Are you are hearing my soul’s heartbeat - I set out on this mission of deeper intimacy with God to learn more about Him, to experience Him and to understand this life changing connection with God.
i. Our CHC Church motto is: Connect with God and Connect with people. I was focused on the first part of this motto – Connect with God! The first half of the year! Now God is showing me the importance of the second part of this motto!
T.S. - I found it amazing how as I drew nearer to God the closer I felt to Him. I discovered Intimacy with God comes in many forms and fashion’s but I have noticed it happens most often in quiet time – even crisis times – stressful times – or hard times. It’s in these moments God’s presence and peace show up and reminds me of all the benefits of connecting with Him. This connection comes because I asked it to come - I ask the outrageous request of Jesus “I want to be closer to you Jesus!” Then I discover the great blessings of intimacy with Him.
II. Connecting with God is vital to our spiritual life and it unleashes the benefits that can only come from God!
1. So, the question is thrown at you, “How close do you want to be to Jesus?” The following thoughts are gleamed from Robert Crosby pages 4-5 of his book The One Jesus Loves.
i. Have you asked an outrageous question to Jesus like the one a mother once asked in Scripture?
1. What is the biggest outrageous request of anyone in the Gospels? Do you know? Hint a mother asked Jesus for something on behalf of her two sons – any idea yet?
ii. Let’s look at Matthew 20:20-21:
1. A Mother’s Request : 20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21“What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 22“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” 24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
a. James and Johns mom came with the big ask of Jesus – she kneels before Jesus with her two sons – Jesus says, “What is it you want?”
i. By the way this is an incredible moment in time – everyone stops what they are doing looking at this Big ask – when she says it some jaws drop, others think how could she ask this, others are thinking are you kidding me the arrogance of her.
2. So, what did she ask of Jesus? She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at the left in your Kingdom.”
a. This mom was on a determined quest or mission to see that her sons/kids were as close as they could be to Jesus.
i. To some it was a shocking request. But was she wrong to ask this of Jesus?
ii. She wanted he kids closer to Jesus – they were part of the 12 already but this mom wanted them even closer to Jesus – she wanted them on either side of Him. Closer to Him!
iii. Question: To what lengths would you go to – to see your kids closer to Jesus?
1. Commit to bringing them church every week – get them in youth group – or kids ministries – put them in Christian school! How far would you go to see this happen?
b. By the way Jesus never told her “no!” He said that it was up to God, so let’s wait and see. But if you look at the story of the Gospel and Church history you see how these two ended up connecting to Jesus more intimately than most of the other 12. Actually, they were in the inner ring of the three with Jesus – James, John and Peter and one became the one – John - yes there are depths to our relationship with Jesus and with others! How far do you want to go?
i. We looked at them a few moments ago:
1. The Crowds
2. The 5,000
3. The 70 or 72
4. The 12
5. The 3
6. The 1
a. Where are you at?
c. So, in a sense the 2 were closer to Jesus than many others – John was even given the task to take care of Mary Jesus mother at the cross. He was called the one Jesus loved he received the greatest Revelation of Jesus over all the others – read Revelation.
iii. Point: So, let me ask you “How close do you want to get to Jesus?” This by the way is all about intimacy or closeness with Him and others. It’s all about why we choose our motto: “Connect with God – Connect with People!”
2. The benefits of Intimacy:
i. Intimacy will release the amazing power within us. Intimacy with God will remind us who we are in Jesus and help us have empathy for others – so that we are willing to share the Good News with them.
1. Ephesians 1:15-23: (NIV): 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
ii. Intimacy with God is getting Wisdom and Revelation, together, so we know Him better.
iii. Intimacy draws our attention to our God given potential to be a part of one of His miracles.
iv. Intimacy helps us see Jesus for who He was, is and will be. See Revelation 1:4
v. Intimacy with God is reflected in Revelation when we get a picture of the Throne of God and Him listening to the bowl of incense which are the prayers of the saints. See Revelation 8:1-5
vi. Intimacy is having the power to give your life for Jesus like Polycarp or Dimitri or 1,000 of other martyrs and staying faithful all the way to the end.
vii. Intimacy brings God’s presence and my friend says God’s power too – it's true God’s power comes with intimacy with Him.
viii. Intimacy opens our spiritual eyes – it enables us to see God’s plan over our plans – it reveals that there is more to this life than what you hear in the media or see with your natural eyes.
ix. Intimacy can only be achieved through Jesus because if I stood in God’s presence without Jesus – I would die!
1. Quote from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-have-intimacy-with-god: Our experience of God’s nearness or distance is not a description of his actual proximity to us, but of our experience of intimacy with him. Scripture shows us that God is intimate with those who trust him. The more we trust God, the more intimately we come to know him. A felt distance from God is often due to a disruption in trust, such as a sin or disappointment. This reality is vitally important to understand. As Christians, we want to experience intimacy with God. With the psalmist we say, “for me it is good to be near God” (Psalm 73:28).
a. We want to heed James’s exhortation and realize its promise: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Wow! God wants to connect with us personally and intimately! If we choose to do these we receive many benefits!
T.S. – Intimacy with Jesus – the Holy Spirit and God the Father brings many benefits but one of the greatest is connecting with other people – helping others – seeing God use you to lift others up or the Holy Spirit using you as miracle in other people’s lives.
III. Jesus modeled intimacy with God and connection with other people - Connecting with people – is important and essential to the Body of Christ and Jesus modeled for us how to do it! (The following is taken directly from http://endofthematter.com/2016/09/connect-group-message/) Please note most is word for word!
1. How do we imitate Jesus as a small group leader and or a participant in life group or small group?
i. He Invited people to His small group (small groups are formed intentionally by invitation)
1. From the very beginning, when Jesus began His earthly ministry, He started by establishing His “small group”, the apostles. His very first acts was to form a small group. We read in Matthew 4:18-22 “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fisherman. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” We also read the account in Luke where Jesus chooses His disciples, Luke 6:13 saying “And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:”
2. Jesus was intentional about inviting and discipling. Those who were willing listened to His call, left everything behind and followed Him. For three years Jesus had invested His time completely into the lives of the 12 disciples He had chosen, and they were to eventually take up the work that He had begun.
3. So, when the church forms life groups or small groups today, we are actually following the pattern given to us by Jesus for building His Kingdom. The uniqueness of the life group or small group is that when we gather together, we are not gathering for the sake of the church’s programming success or for our name sake, but we are gathering in the name of Jesus. We also don’t gather together just for social interaction or intellectual stimulation, but for spiritual growth and maturing in Christ together.
2. What are some of the characteristics of the life group or small group Jesus formed?
i. When Jesus invited His small group of disciples, it broke all socio-economic boundaries. Jesus gathered men from all different backgrounds to form His small group:
1. Simon Peter, James, John, and Andrew were all fishermen (Mark 1:16–20)
2. Matthew, or Levi, was a tax collector (Mark 2:13–14; see Matthew 9:9)
3. Simon the Zealot was part of a movement that advocated throwing off Roman rule by any means necessary
4. Outside of the regular band of 12 disciples, Jesus had many other men and women such as Mary Magdalene, Susanna and Joanna (Luke 8:1-3)
a. Notice that it is only Jesus that brings unity to such a diverse body. Not only did the disciples of Jesus come from different social backgrounds, but they also would have had opposing philosophical and political viewpoints. For example, Matthew the tax collector would have been content with the Roman rule, as he was representing the government in an official capacity, and it would have benefited him financially. Whereas you have Simon the Zealot who was part of a group that sought the expulsion of the Romans and the regaining of Jewish independence.
i. The key fact here is that Jesus brought together into one body two men who could not have disagreed more politically when they were initially called. It was nothing but the call of God on their lives and their common faith in Jesus that brings such people together. It is still the same today, Jesus alone can unite people from varying backgrounds and who hold varying opinions into one body in service to God.
ii. Jesus is doing that here at CHC!
5. Jesus also regularly mixed with people that did not fit the profile of proper religious people. Mark 2:16 says “And the scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
a. This is what is special about being a part of a Life Group. You have a life group which you can impact with the word of God, and then in your places, you are able to mix with people from all walks of life and shine the light of Jesus into their lives.
6. When we are in a Life Group, the main aim and purpose for our gathering is for spiritual growth. This includes our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. This was the focus of the message of Jesus!
a. Connect with God
b. Connect with People
7. In order to do this, let us look at some points that will enable our Life group to be rooted in Christ.
a. Firstly, we need to ENGAGE.
i. Today’s society is very individualistic and self-centered. There are many people around us that are either lonely or afraid to build strong relationships. We must gently encourage people towards developing relationships with a purpose. We must encourage our members to trade their isolation for interaction and their selfishness for serving one another.
b. Secondly, there must be an open EXCHANGE where people can share their ideas and struggles.
i. Many times people are afraid to express any spiritual doubt or voice their questions. The life groups must be a safe place to voice and process doubts and fears. Many people have questions and doubts and this is a place where we can talk about these in order grow in our faith and experience God’s peace.
ii. If we can be honest within our groups about spiritual doubts or fears, then the members are on their way to a great destination, a place of great depth and full confidence in the word of God.
c. Thirdly, we need to EXECUTE the word of God. In James 2:14 it tells us “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” So, what good is it if we meet regularly as a small group in the name of Jesus, and if the world never sees the results of the members growth.
8. Life Groups or Small groups are a perfect place to inspire, encourage, and pursue God’s will for our lives. To seek God’s plan for a lost world. A place of accountability and encouragement with one another. The true purpose of the small group is to change the lives of its members, impacting the world for Christ through their individual callings and collectively as members of the body of Christ.
ii. Jesus Invested in Them (life groups or small groups are opportunities to learn God’s word)
1. Not only was Christ deliberate in inviting members to his small group, but he was also deliberate in teaching them as well. The disciples enjoyed fellowship with Him and many meals with Him. Most importantly, they could learn the word of God. They got to eat of the true living bread of life.
a. Matthew 5:1-2 says “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.”
b. We also see in Luke 11:1 “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
c. Once Jesus finished His public ministry and coming towards his death and crucifixion, Jesus spends a large amount of time with His disciples. We can read this in John chapters 13 to 17, where Jesus spends time with His disciples alone.
i. We must note here that, there was a lot of other things that Jesus could have chosen to do in this time, such as healing the sick, continue calling on the crowds to be saved, call for faith and repentance, continued to turn the Pharisees to embrace their Messiah, but Christ does none of these things, rather He spends time alone with His disciples investing all that He has into them.
ii. We must be willing to give away our time and experiences to others in order that they will grow in their faith in Christ and learn what it looks like to follow Jesus. We must have a heart to invest in others, because Jesus Christ invested everything in us.
iii. Jesus cared for them (Small groups provide a place of refreshment)
1. Jesus recognized the need for rest and refreshment away from the crowds and offered His small group a retreat. In Mark 6:30-31 it says “The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”
2. Jesus knew the human needs, and paid close attention to it. While the disciples were with Jesus, they saw Him heal people, feed people, calm the storms, witnessed His compassion for the people. Not only that, but here we see Christ extending that same compassion and care for His very own disciples ensuring that they also had time to rest and refresh themselves.
a. We too must follow this example in our very own small groups. We must be aware of the needs of our members and love them through their storms of life. When we get together to study God’s word, pray and fellowship, deep feeling surface and develop into friendships who are always there for you and for me.
iv. Jesus served with them (Small groups reach beyond their small groups)
1. Jesus always led by example. He took His group members with Him out into the surrounding communities and towns and demonstrated to them how to lovingly share with people in need and they served together.
a. Luke 8:1 says “Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,” Each and every small/connect group has the opportunity to serve. There is tremendous power when believers work together for the greater good of the Church and the community. Leading and being part of a connect group you can show God’s love in many unique and special ways.
2. We must understand that life or small groups are not just for the benefit of its own member’s but it is also an avenue to minister to others that are outside of the group as well.
3. The time that we spend together as a small group PREPARES us to reach beyond ourselves as part of the body of Christ, and to fulfill the calling upon each members lives.
Conclusion:
Connect with God:
What do we need to know from the first part of this message?
Answer: Creating Intimacy with God requires us to draw near to God. We cannot not achieve it by trying to tell God to fit into our busy schedules or even that He needs to follow us around all day and when we get a brief down moment we will give Him some attention. We must make time for Him.
Why do we need to know this?
Answer: We are either developing a relationship with God that is based on what He can do for us or we are creating a relationship with God based on who He is to our hearts and souls. One is a selfish relationship while the other is a love relationship.
What do we need to do?
Answer: We need to draw near to God each day in different ways and especially in times of trial and tribulation. We need to connect with God every day!
Why do we need to do this?
Answer: When we do this – draw near to God - we will experience deeper intimacy with God, we will enjoy His presence more, we will hear His voice clearer and we will make sure nothing robs us of this special time with the Lord. He will be a priority in our life not a side kick. He will be our passion!
James 4:8 (NIV) “Come near to God and he will come near to you....”
Connect with People:
What do we need to know from the second part of this message?
Answer: Let us follow the example of Jesus in leading and participating in Life groups in order to prepare and building up our church family to fulfill the call of God on their lives and to extend the kingdom of God, through teaching, encouraging and building one another up in Christ.
Why do they need to know this?
As we follow the example of Christ, we will see growth and expansion of our small groups, our church and a fulfillment of bringing in the harvest of souls for the Kingdom of Heaven in this day.
What do we need to do?
This is. Ado thing not h
Just a hearing thing – there is great spiritual importance in connecting with others:
• We all need to have a passion of being a part of a healthy, growing and multiplying life group.
• We need to Pray for our group members daily
• We need to Invite new people to visit the group weekly
• We need to Contact group members regularly
• We need to Take time for the group meeting because it matters to others
• We need to Disciple or mentor someone through it
• We need to Plan group fellowship activities with those in the group
• We need to Be committed to personal spiritual growth through this group
• We need Remind the group of the vision of the group “Connect with God and Connect with People”
• We need to Be outward focused and watch God change people’s lives
