Chapter One
The purpose of Small Groups
Why should we have small groups?
Matthew 28:19-20
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
When we read these verses, we can’t help but notice the clear instruction given to us to
”GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES”.
To go and make disciples is more than just giving a person some information about the bible; it basically means to transform the life of another, to become an influence. But, how can we achieve this? DO we not all have limitations? Are you able to have a deep relationship with many people at the same time? If we are honest, we will say No.
1 Peter 5:2-4
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly,[a] not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
These verses encourage us to care for the flock and it clearly tells us that one-day we will answer to the Chief Shepherd.
The word of God teaches us what it means to care for the flock. It means to preach, warn and teach in all wisdom.
Colossians 1:28
28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
And how do we accomplish this effectively?
Lets study the bible to find out just how God intends for us to follow his instructions.
Exodus 18:13-26
13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14 So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”
17 So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. 18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”
24 So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.
What was Moses’ problem?
Why was it necessary for him to delegate responsibilities?
What was the result?
Were the people being cared for?
What was the basic size of each unit?
What were their responsibilities?
What responsibilities did Moses have?
What conclusion do we draw after reading this passage of the bible?
The New Testament church that we are a part of had two basic kinds of meetings. Lets read the following verses to discover what they were.
Acts 2:42-47
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church[h] daily those who were being saved.
Acts 12:12
12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
Acts 16:40
40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
Romans 16:3-5
3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house.
Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia[a] to Christ.
1 Corinthians 16:19
19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
Colossians 14:15
15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his[a] house.
It is evident that the early church of the New Testament had two kinds of meetings. Prayer meetings and Church meetings that were held in homes of dedicated followers.
Why do you think they did it this way?
It is without a shadow of a doubt that we want each person that attends a small group to be adequately taken care of, to be visited, coached, counseled, and instructed in the ways of the Lord. To be equipped, in such a way that he/she will take his/her rightful place in God’s perfect plan for him/her.
So, why have a small group or a home cell group?
After carefully studying the word of God, we can clearly understand the purpose of a home cell group.
1. Developing an efficient way to care for the flock.
The home Cell group becomes an effective means to care for each individual member.
a) Personal attention (visiting)
b) Nurture (counsel)
c) Feed (teaching)
d) Attention (Comfort and encouragement)
e) Friendship (Being there in good and bad times)
f) Relationship (Discipline and help in times of need)
g) Prayer (Intercession)
The verses that we read from Exodus 18 demonstrate just how important it is to have these small groups due to the limitations of just one person. Moses could never have given everyone the kind of care we have just described. But in groups of 10 as a base number, this now becomes an achievable task. Lets read two more verses from the New Testament that illustrate the same principle:
Luke 9:12-17
12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”
13 But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men.
Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.
16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.
Acts 6:3-7
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Small Groups were created out of the need to care for the growing church. To have a better way of supplying for the needs of each individual person.
2. Permanent Growth
Acts 2:42-47
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church[h] daily those who were being saved.
When we read this, we come to a logical conclusion that evangelism was a lifestyle. We do not find evidence in the Bible or any historical document, that the first Christians handed out tracts, organized great “Revival” meetings or filled stadiums with multitudes. Not to put down these modern methods of evangelism, but going back to living the basics of Christianity, evangelism is a consequence of a new lifestyle, in which, Jesus Christ becomes the main focus.
Lets read some bible verses that illustrate this.
Luke 5:27-29
27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.
John 1:41-46
41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah.[a] You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Acts 10:23-24
23 Then he invited them in and lodged them.
On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.
So, evangelism should be the natural consequence of each person’s relationship with Jesus Christ in which we 1) live and convey the gospel message through a natural daily lifestyle. 2) The people closest to you are the ones affected by your lifestyle and relationship with God; Your family, your friends, and neighbors.
Small Groups become the most natural and efficient way to spread the “Good News”.
3. A “Training Camp”.
We must not forget the challenge given to us in Matthew 28:19-20
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
The challenge is to “GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES” which includes the following characteristics: Training, Instruction, Correction and continuous supervision. Therefore, we must have a place where we can develop this kind of training. Something like a military training camp that is put to use before sending out solders to war.
Colossians 1:28
28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Luke 10:2-9
2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
2 Timothy 2:2
2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
There are nine aspects that we will cover in reference to training others to serve God.
a) Guided teachings. It is extremely important to follow a plan of action with reference to the teachings that are given in a Small Group. The purpose of such teachings must lead to the proper training of all the members of the Small Group. Needles too say that not all member will become Small Group Leaders, but all members must be equipped to serve in some way. Remember that “Every member is a minister of the Body of Christ”
b) Equipping others by setting an example and teaching the word of God. Our lives must reflect that which we teach, the word of God. Setting an example is essential if we are to be successful Small Group Leaders.
c) Delegating responsibilities. This becomes a practical training tool because the person who is being trained receives hands on training. Such things as hosting, teaching, leading worship and praying are all forms of hands on training that build up the future leader.
d) Evaluating Assignments. It is extremely important that when taking the time to evaluate an assignment, that we focus on building up the person. So positive criticism is to always be just that, positive. Never tear down a person or severely chastise him, especially in front of others. Always remember that mutual respect is your best tool when giving and receiving criticism.
e) Participate actively. If we believe that the vision God has given our Pastor is important, (and I hope we all do), then we must participate in it. Not only the Small Group Leader, but the entire group, especially those who are being trained to become future Small Group Leaders.
f) Teach and practice accountability. Accountability will keep us from going astray. We all must be accountable to someone. Teach this, but more importantly, practice it.
g) Reproducing your Small Group. The idea here is to remember to take time to reproduce your Small Group. In other words, who will be the next Small Group Leader? Where will it be hosted? Who will host it? Who will lead worship? Who will teach?
h) Developing future leaders. Always look for future leaders. Who is God working with? Look for hearts that are on fire for God. Those will most likely become your future leaders.
i) Working with the talents God has given you. Not everyone is called to teach. Most people have difficulty speaking to a group. But if you look carefully, you will discover those who have other God given talents that will work wonders in a small group. Those who have the gift to encourage others, ability to play a musical instrument, comforting, sharing, etc.
SMALL GROUPS ARE THE IDEAL PLACE TO DEVELOP LEADERS AND DISCIPLES.
4. Becoming as Close as a Family.
Without a shadow of a doubt, all of us want to be a part of something, to feel as though we belong to something important. We all need family, friends and in a Small Group, the need to belong is no less significant. When a person understands that he/she is a member of the family of God and has a purpose in that family, that person becomes the most loyal soldier in the army of the Lord.
Ephesians 4:16
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
From this passage of scripture we understand that it is God’s intention to have a family, joined together, in which every member puts to use his/her talents to serve one another for the Glory of God.
Lets read some more verses
Romans 12:7-13
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
(1) Behave Like a Christian
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
1 Corinthians 12:22-25
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
Colossians 3:13
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
1 Thessalonians 2:7
7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,
After reading these verses, we can conclude that Small Groups are much more that we have been lead to believe. They are essential to the birth, life and growth of any healthy church by providing the following eight elements.
a) Deep, meaningful relationships.
b) Transparent relationships.
c) Eating together.
d) Helping each other.
e) True and practical love.
f) Teaching each other.
g) Teaming together for a common purpose.
h) Praying and Fasting together, Interceding.
THE SMALL GROUP GROWS IN AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE EVERY MEMBER IS IMPORTANT AND USEFUL.
As you probably have noticed, Small Groups are not to be like a Sunday worship service held outside the Church building on a different schedule. They are to be a tool for evangelism, discipleship and care.
