Why Small Groups? It's About Accountability

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

The dictionary defines the word accountable as “the obligation to be responsible”, and “capable of being explained.” The questions I want to answer this morning is, “Why is accountability so important?” and “How do I become accountable?” The first thing I want to share with you is why you need to be accountable for your spiritual health.

Jesus asked a vital question. “Why do you keep calling me your boss when you don’t do what I say?” Everyone has a boss. Everyone has someone they answer to at work. Even the boss has a boss. The folks who can claim that they don’t have a boss are those who own the company, but, even then, owners have to answer for regulations, taxes, and payroll. Everyone has to answer to someone. It’s life. Well, guess what? When it comes to your spiritual health the same thing is true. If you really want to be healthy spiritually you need to be accountable to someone.

Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.”

The spiritual leaders of the Weymouth Church are our elders. These men pray together once a week and they meet once a month with our deacons to provide this church with the tools we need to be spiritually healthy. These men are accountable to God for your soul. This does not make them anymore special or holy than you. They have been set apart by God and this church to do this work. This is simply their work to help you be accountable for your spiritual health.

Ultimately Jesus is our boss. He is the one we all answer to because He is the one with all authority. But as long as you are a carbon based life form breathing oxygen to live on earth, and you claim to be a follower of Jesus attending this church, you are accountable to these men. “Give them a reason to watch over your soul with joy and not with sorrow, because that would certainly not be for your benefit.”

In other words, it’s beneficial for you to allow these men who are your elders to watch over your soul; to provide you with accountability. Allow them to be the obligation that helps you to be a responsible follower of Christ.

I don’t know anyone who wants to live in a wobbly house. One of the first things a buyer of a home wants to know is what does the foundation of the house look like? No one wants to buy a house that will collapse in a storm. Jesus said that those who listen and obey His teaching are building a strong spiritual house. I believe that our elders want each of us to have a strong spiritual foundation so that when the storms of life beat against our spirit we are strong enough to stand in it. I know that I have seen the faith of many folks who claimed to be Christians come crashing down because of tragedy, or the loss of a job, or some other stressful situation. It’s not difficult to lose faith. It’s quite easy actually. It’s a lot easier to give up than it is to remain strong. But those who remain strong do so because they have allowed themselves to be accountable, first to God, and then to their spiritual leaders.

The military knows the value of accountability. Everyone in the military is assigned a superior officer. Why is the respect for superiors so important in the military? Just think for a moment if an officer had to ask for permission from his men on whether or not they should attack. Can you imagine the confusion? What if before any military engagement the senior ranking officer had to wait to make a decision until all the other men in his unit had a chance to vote? This is an absolutely ridiculous hypothetical isn’t it? It’s just as ridiculous to suppose that the spiritual leaders of a church should do the same. Just as a superior officer is responsible for the life of his or her subordinates, your spiritual leaders are responsible for your spiritual health.