CWoznicki Think Out Loud

Ezekiel: Your Idols are Blind! (Pt.2)

Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears to hear but do not hear for they are a rebellious house. – Ezekiel 12:2-3a

Last time we talked a bit about the concept that our own sins, habits, and practices can make us blind to the ways that God is working in the world. Our sins, habits, and practices make us deaf to hearing the word of God.

Our own habits, practices, and ideologies make us blind, often without our recognition, to God’s character and ways. We asked the big picture question: Are there political ideologies, social-economic convictions, cultural values, or church traditions that have become so engrained within the Church that they no longer allow us to clearly see the character of God and the ways that He wants to manifest himself in our lives and in our community?

Today we are going to bring it down to a more personal level….

The Dimmer Switch Principle

The lead pastor at the church I work at has a fantastic analogy for the concept that we are talking about. He calls it “The Dimmer Switch Principle.” You see when we dive deeper into sinful habits, thoughts, actions we are basically turning on the dimmer switch on God. I might not be making myself clear so let me backtrack a bit.

My roommate is averse to light. He hates the light. In fact he light-proofed his room so that no light whatsoever would enter his room when he closed the door to his room. (No he doesn’t do it just because he is weird he does it because he has insomnia.) Anyway this friend of mine has installed a dimmer switch in his room, so he can adjust the brightness of the lights in his room. If he wants to set a worshipful mood he will turn the lights down a bit, if he wants to work on some mechanical stuff he will turn the lights up so he can see better. So he pretty much controls the amount of light his light bulbs emit. However the thing about dimmer switches is that the level of light that is emitted from these bulbs doesn’t change according to discrete levels…its progressive, its gradual, you gradually go from a ton of light to no light whatsoever. Its this gradual adjustment of light that the “Dimmer Switch Principle” picks up on.

The Bible consistently uses the metaphor of light to represent truth/knowledge:

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. – John 3:21

Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. – Isaiah 51:4

So here is how the metaphor works… when God gives us light (i.e. truth) and we respond to it in disobedience, when we bow down to our idols, its like turning the dimmer switch down one level. As we keep responding to God’s truth in disobedience and keep worshiping our idols we keep turning the lights down. The problem with doing this is that the darker the “room” is, the harder it is to see the “details.” Imagine you are trying to put together a puzzle with very small pieces, and the puzzle is a picture of what God is doing in the world. If you respond to truth in disobedience, and “turn down the lights,” its going to be harder for you to see the details in those pieces, and in turn it will be harder for you to see the “big picture.” If you keep dimming the lights it will get even harder to see what God is doing around you! A progressive spiral down into sin will eventually lead to a place where you can’t see a thing. Its this season of darkness that we most often feel God is the most distant. Now he himself hasn’t gone anywhere, but you can no longer see him because you turned the lights off…

So ask yourself….

Am I dimming the “light” through my disobedience and idolatry?

Where do I need to stop “dimming” the light?

Who can keep me accountable to walking in the light?

Ezekiel: Your Idols are Blind! (Pt.1)

Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears to hear but do not hear for they are a rebellious house. – Ezekiel 12:2-3a

We are used to this type of language in scripture, at least some of us, we have heard this sort of phrase many times. Usually we hear it coming out of Jesus’ mouth, other times however its in the mouth of some of the other OT prophets. The one that really comes to mind is Isaiah. Check out what God says to Isaiah:

He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
¹⁰Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

Crazy stuff right? This theme, blindness and deafness, runs through Scripture. But in Ezekiel the context is a little bit different. Ezekiel is told that he lives among a rebellious house, a rebellious people, and its because of their rebelliousness that they are going to be sent out into exile. But notice the type of imagery God uses to describe their rebellion. God likens their rebellion to blindness and deafness. Yes they have eyes but they are blind to their sin! Yes they have ears but they are deaf to God’s word! How did this happen? How did they become blind? How did they become deaf? Ezekiel asserts that its their idolatry and sin that has made them blind and deaf. Their sin has so transformed them that they have become like the things they worship. Idols have “eyes” but they are blind, idols have “ears” but they are deaf. When we worship idols we “become” like our idols.

You probably agree with what I’m saying right now, but I want you to catch the gravity of this. Our progression into sin makes it impossible to see what God is doing in this world and in our lives. Our progression into sin makes it impossible to hear God’s word and respond to it.

Our own sins, habits, and practices may blind us to the ways that God is working in the world! Our sins, habits, and practices make us deaf to hearing the word of God!

One commentator on Ezekiel says that our own habits, practices, and ideologies make us blind, often without our recognition, to God’s character and ways. So as you go about your week, ask yourself the following question: Are there political ideologies, social-economic convictions, cultural values, or church traditions that have become so engrained within the Church that they no longer allow us to clearly see the character of God and the ways that He wants to manifest himself in our lives and in our community?

Some Thoughts on Colossians: Are You Preaching the Full Gospel?

So there is this story of an early first century man, this man started to be known as being a sort of a revolutionary. He was speaking against the authorities and their unjust ways of ruling the people. This man lived in an era where civil unrest was the norm. People were constantly protesting against their rulers and authorities. So In a day of common civil unrest he could have easily become just another man who complained but he generated a very large following. So when this guy started talking about his coming kingdom this really drew the attention of the powers and authorities. The powers and authorities couldn’t take it anymore, they found him to be a threat to their power and to their way of life so they arrested Him and put him to trial. It was actually a mock trial. Well these rulers and authorities realized this man was a “rebel king” so they did what people always did to rebel kings. They took him and paraded him through the streets. They mocked him and put him on full display, bringing the utmost amount of shame imaginable to this “rebel king.” They gave him a robe and crown and addressed him as “king: as they beat him. They forced him to march through the city to a hill where everyone could watch his execution. They stripped this rebel king and made a spectacle of him, triumphing over him.

What I just described pretty accurately describes a common practice in Roman times where a rebel king is mocked and made a spectacle of by his captors. Of course though the “rebel king” I have been referring to is Jesus. But note the irony! Check out verse 15. Paul Declares that God was stripping the armor of the rulers and authorities. He was holding them up to public contempt. On the cross Jesus was triumphing over the powers and authorities. Jesus was unjustly put to death by the authorities and powers of his day; he was put to death by Rome and the Jewish Temple authorities. But his victory on the cross means more than just that it also means that…

On the cross Christ defeated the oppressive, unjust, and destructive powers, systems, and authorities of his time and of all time.

So if Jesus defeated the unjust, oppressive, destructive, powers of his day what does that mean for Christ followers today?

First it means that Christ’s victory was a victory over spiritual powers.
Second it means that Christ’s victory on the cross demands a response from us. We must participate in announcing his victory over the oppressive powers, authorities, and systems of our day.
Third it means that on the cross Christ defeated the most oppressive, destructive, and viscous system, ruler, or power that has wounded everyone under the sun…. on the cross Christ was victorious over sin.

In the church we are accustomed to hearing the third point and possibly the first point as well (if you come from a more charismatic church). But to tell you the truth I don’t hear too many people talking about the second point. I honestly believe that this is a very important part of our gospel proclamation.

When we proclaim the gospel we aren’t simply proclaiming “Jesus Saves” we are proclaiming, “Jesus is Lord!”

Yet Jesus is not simply Lord over a bunch of individuals who decided to follow him. Jesus is Lord over all things and all things must submit to Christ, including evil, oppressive, and destructive powers, authorities, and systems.

So as you think about the passage this week consider this questions:

What kind of gospel are you preaching, is it a holistic gospel or a reduced gospel?
Is it a gospel that addresses individuals or is it a cosmic gospel (as in Colossians 1:23)?
What are the systems, powers, and authorities that the gospel actually addresses?

What They Really Need Is…

So yesterday (4/19/13) I presented a paper at the Evangelical Theological Society’s Far Western Annual Conference. I talked about how Pneumatology can integrate Atonement and Epistemology. As I tell people that I am pretty active in reading/writing theology some people wonder what the point of all of that is. Some wonder why I devote so much time to studying theology. Well the reason why I do that is that there is a great need in the Global church that many people are not aware of.

Many Christians today know that our brothers and sisters in the global south (that is not a geographical term excluding Asia, its a term used to refer to the “3rd world”) lack physical/financial resources. Poverty, starvation, lack of clean water are huge problems in the global south. However, many of the pastors in these areas tell us that there is an even greater need. These pastors have told us in the West that there is a need for solid biblical training so that they can have a sound biblical and theological foundation upon which to build the ministry the Lord has given them. In other words

What they really need is to be Biblically and theologically equipped for ministry.

The need for Biblical and theological training in the global south is tremendous. From first hand experience I know that many pastors in these areas don’t have a firm understanding of what the Bible really teaches. This is absolutely not their fault. Many times a person will hear the gospel, become a Christian and then in their zeal begin teaching and ministering to others. However many times they are teaching things that aren’t Biblically true. Many times they will end up teaching some sort of prosperity gospel or some sort of name-it-claim it theology. They don’t desire to do that but its the only “theology” they get from watching television and attending crusades.

We need to address this theological famine….

Check out what my friend Kevin Oates wrote about this:

There is an extreme need for providing theological education to church leaders in the majority world. Over 85% of pastors outside the US have had no theological training. Most of these pastors and church leaders have no access to that training even though they desire it. Most pastors in the majority world are of low income and pastor congregations which are unable to sustain a pastor financially. For this reason, the majority of pastors could not attend a traditional seminary program even if they wanted to because of work, ministry, and cost. Therefore, the great need is to provide theological education to such men that will be 1) accessible to them, 2) affordable and 3) reproducible so that they can pass on what they have learned to other who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

What can we do to help?

I am a part of Equipping the Church International, an organization that exists to equip pastors and church leaders with solid biblical training so that they can have a sound biblical and theological foundation upon which to build the ministry the Lord has given them. Also there are other organizations that attempt to address this need, for instance Training Leader International and Gospel Coalition Global Outreach. I hope that you would consider how you could help out with this pressing need. So I encourage you to check out some of these websites. Our site will be up soon.

Some Thoughts on Colossians: Colossians 1 and the Old Testament

Colossians is full of allusions to the Old Testament. For instance Colossians 2:2-3 makes an allusion to Daniel 2 as well as to Proverbs 2:3-6. Colossians 3:9-10 makes allusions to Genesis 1 and Genesis 3. Finally Colossians 4:5 alludes to Daniel 2. This week I would like to take up another allusion that Paul makes. In Colossians 1:3-8 the Paul alludes to one of the most important OT passages, Genesis 1 (specifically 1:28). By alluding to Genesis 1:28 Paul shows that the spread of the Gospel is the fulfillment of God’s original intentions for the creation of humanity.

Paul says that the Colossians have heard of this hope in the gospel that has come to them by way of Epaphras. He says that just as this hope that they would be transformed into the image of God and that they would know the ressurection from the dead has come to them, it is also going throughout the rest of the world. In fact this word of truth, this hope is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world through the proclamation of the gospel.

At first glance, we might read this fact that the gospel is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world just as it was growing and bearing fruit in Colosse as a metaphor for how the gospel is spreading. The reference to growing in Colossians 1:6 is a reference to the gospel going out to everyone regardless or sex, race, or social status. Secondly the reference to bearing fruit is a reference to the gospel’s effectiveness when it is proclaimed as well as the blessings that the gospel brings. Just like the parable of the sower in Mark 4, the gospel is effective. Also the gospel is bearing fruit: converts and lives filled with good fruit i.e. obedience. Although all of these might be true of this passage, I don’t think that this is the main thrust of what Paul is trying to say.

Notice the similarities between Genesis 1:28 and Colossians 1:6. In Colossians 1:6 we see the words “all the world,” “bearing fruit,” and “increasing.” In Genesis 1:28 we see the words “increase,” “multiply,” and “all the earth.” These linguistic similarities establsih a connection between the pasages. Now notice what Adam is called to do in Genesis. Adam was a “priest-king.” As the priest-king Adam was to be fruitful and multiply over the earth. However, Adam’s purpose was not merely to procreate so that the world might be filled. Adam was created to extend the boundaries of the garden. As the garden’s caretaker Adam had the task of cultivating the garden in such a way that God’s creation would glorify him.

Thus God’s ultimate goal in creating Adam was to “magnify his glory throughout the earth by means of faithful image bearers.”

By alluding to Genesis 1:28 in Colossians 1:6 Paul reveals how he sees the Colossian church taking part in God’s plans. The church at Colosse is spreading the gospel and thus working out humanity’s vocation of working for God so that God’s glory would fill all the earth. The Colossian church is taking part in both God’s plans to redeem all of creation and God’s origninal intentions for humanity.

Paul says that in proclaiming the gospel we are being what we were created to be.

If in proclaiming the gospel we are being what God created us to be, then when we are not proclaiming the gospel we are being less that fully human.

Paul’s creational theology as expressed in Colossians claims that to truly be a part of the new creation, and to be fully human we are to be glory extenders. Thus we must ask ourselves, if we are not extending God’s temple, and by extension his kingdom, in some way or another are we truly living as a part of the new creation?

Here are some questions to discuss as you consider the passage this week:

How are you fulfilling the task of “expanding the garden” or “expanding God’s glory in this world?”
Are there any other implications (aside from evangelism) in viewing mission in light of humanity’s original task in the garden?

Communities on Mission to our Neighborhoods (Pt. 4)

Last time, in Communities on Mission to our Neighborhoods (Pt. 3), we looked at three basic steps to engaging on mission to our neighborhoods, campuses, and communities. Today we will take these three “theoretical steps” and work them out practically.

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The goals we have been talking about the last few days might seem daunting, and they certainly are going to be difficult to accomplish. However, as God’s people we are far more powerful than we think we are. We can make a profound difference in our neighborhoods, communities, and cities – far greater than we believe we can. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, guiding us that engagement with neighborhoods will succeed.

Earlier I had said that The Church is called to be a community of believers centered around Christ. Also I said that the Church is called to meet the needs of those outside of The Church. One of these basic human needs is the need for community. The Church can help create community by meeting other basic needs of individuals within un-unified communities. How does meeting the basic needs of individuals create a community? As we go around finding, and meeting the needs of residents within the community, we hope and pray that people will be encouraged to give back and invest within their own community. As we go around meeting the needs of these residents I believe that the spirit of love and service will become contagious, and the residents will desire to come alongside of us and help others in their own neighborhood. Serving their neighbors and working alongside them will create the familiarity needed in order to have authentic community.

This task is not groundbreaking or revolutionary, it feeds upon several basic human truths: people have basic needs that they desire to have met, people were created to live in community, only Christ offers the type of love which is able to sustain true community. This project takes and seeks to address these truths.

In order to do this you can begin by creating teams which go within the community to find the needs of individuals within the particular neighborhood (it certainly is best if these teams are actually a part of the community). Once the needs are discovered, they can be addressed. These needs might range from a need for prayer, to a need for food because of financial difficulty, or even a need for yard work to be done because the resident is physically disabled (these are common needs in the Suburbs). By showing God’s love for these people, and meeting their needs, hopefully those being helped will see God’s love manifested within us and will feel the desire to love others in their community. The non-Christians who engage in loving works will be doing good deeds for the sake of other humans. Christians who engage in loving works will be doing good deeds for the glory of God. These acts of love will be attributed to Christ. It was once said “preach the gospel and if necessary use words.” I believe it is more appropriate to say “preach the gospel and when necessary use words.” Those being helped must know that this is more than just an act of service that springs out of the heart of nice people. Christ must be glorified through our actions and through words.

The following is the process by which my church engaged in reaching out to its surrounding neighborhoods.

This project was broken into an period of 6 weeks of service and at least 2 weeks of preparation prior to the service (total of 8 weeks). The first two weeks consisted of an orientation. This orientation included the addressing of goals, training, and a lot of prayer. The first week of service served to introduce ourselves to the community. During this week, the door to door team went throughout the neighborhood finding out the needs of the residents. (We also recived “need” through our local government, they informed us of some larger community needs.) During weeks 2-5 the service team will helped meet those needs. The door to door team continued to follow up on the initial needs and any further needs that might arise during this period. The sixth week was a “celebration”/a block-party/barbeque in which all the members of the community were invited to participate in.

This project will consisted of three teams: 1-a designated prayer team, 2-the door to door team, 3-the service teams. Team leaders were assigned. This project requires at least 6 weeks of commitment. The level of commitment will vary depending on the individual’s leadership role. (Ideally this 6 week experiment leads to a long term commitment to the community around the church.)

As I have said earlier, this is was a long term project with the ultimate goal being a self-sustained Christ-centered community, which can in turn reproduce itself in other communities. This cannot likely occur within a 6 week period. Therefore the first 6 weeks is only the first phase of the project. Hopefully there will be multiple phases in which the responsibility of fostering growth within the community will shift out of the church’s hands and into the hands of the community itself.

As with any new project which seeks to glorify God, much prayer is needed. Prayer will be our most effective tool. May God be glorified and may he take pleasure in our service to him. May God be glorified as you try this out too.

Communities on Mission to our Neighborhoods (Pt. 3)

Last time we talked a bit about how the Church can model & display really community within neighborhoods, thus through good deeds showing the reality of God’s Kingdom. When the church does this neighborhoods, campuses, communities begin to see what community is supposed to look like; when they begin to see this the soil becomes ready for the gospel.

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By helping to create a community of Christ followers, we are in essence furthering God’s kingdom. God’s Kingdom is actively present wherever his will is being done. So as people are coming to Christ, people are being transformed in God’s likeness. As individuals are being transformed in God’s likeness, their hearts change and come to care for the same things that God cares for. Because they begin to care for the things that God cares for, they in turn continue to spread the Gospel. This is how engaging in good deeds within a neighborhood serves to further the Gospel. The people within the community are being equipped by means of examples and by encouragement through scripture to live the type of lives that God intended them to live, a Kingdom-centered life. Because the Gospel is being spread, God’s kingdom is being furthered.

As individuals (members of the community and “missionaries”) begin to live Kingdom-driven lives, unbelievers will begin to experience God’s Kingdom in their midst. The community no longer continues to be a place where individuals or powers and principalities rule, but it becomes a place where God is actively ruling. The influence of God’s kingdom being present within these neighborhoods will influence the lives of both believers and unbelievers within the community.

There are at least three steps to engaging on mission to our neighborhoods/campuses/communities (in no particular order):

The mission to our neighborhoods starts out by helping to create flourishing Christ-centered communities (“church”).
Then manifesting God’s Kingdom within a particular community (“serving the common good”/”good deeds”).
Finally having God’s kingdom spreads from these communities (“mission”).

If this is resonating with you at all I want you to consider some of the following questions.

What place do good deeds have in advancing God’s kingdom?
How are you serving (through good deeds) other Christians in your community?
How are you serving the common good (through good deeds) in your neighborhood/campus?

Communities on Mission to our Neighborhoods (Pt. 2)

Last time we talked a bit about the need for community within our neighborhoods, this time around we will take a look at some of the more practical ways we could do this.

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Question: How do we go about fostering community in our neighborhoods/college campuses?

Answer: Since authentic community is based upon mutual love for other member’s of the community we need to look to places where true love exits in order to create a foundation for community. Since there is no greater love than Christ’s love, and Christ-centered love, the ideal place to look for community is within the Church.

In order to meet the goal of of creating a vibrant sense of community within a particular neighborhood; the church must come alongside a community in order to foster that community’s growth. It is the love of Christ, and the love for people which will enable the church to foster this growth, and set an example of true community in action.

The church can act as a tool to create familiarity and love between members of a specific community, neighborhood, or campus by modeling what true community looks like.

However we must keep in mind that the Christian community’s goal is not to remain in the neighborhood/campus forever, it is to create a self-sustaining community based upon Christ which functions as a part of the global church but is not dependent upon a specific church. The long term goal of moving into a community is to create an area where God’s will is being done, where people are loving each other and meeting each other’s needs. Basically it is to create a “pocket” in which God’s kingdom is being manifested here on earth, in a specific neighborhood like Chatsworth, Canoga Park, Northridge, Winnetka, or Simi Valley. It might even mean doing this in communities or modern day neighborhoods like college campuses or “watering holes” like gyms or pubs. This broader goal might be rephrased in a different way: the goal is to plant a church. Not a church in the common sense of the word, not a building with programs and worship bands and congregants. It is to create a church in the truest sense of the word: a community of Christ-followers which meet in order to glorify God.  Once again, there are two main goals that communities on mission should have within the community: 1- To create a vibrant sense of community within a particular neighborhood. 2- To stimulate and foster the growth of a community of Christ-followers.

If this is resonating with you at all I want you to consider some of the following questions.

Where is your “neighborhood?”
Where is your “Christ-centered community?”
How are you modeling “Christ-centered community” in front of your “neighborhood?”

Communities on Mission to our Neighborhoods (Pt. 1)

A community is a unified body of individuals with common characteristics or interests living together within a larger society. If community is characterized by unity due to some common thread, where do we find “community” today? According to John Drane in After Macdonaldization, suburbanization has led to the fragmentation of communities. Suburbs were constructed in such a way as to minimize the unnecessary interactions that would normally occur between neighbors in urban environments. Houses in the suburbs have intentionally been constructed in ways to provide a buffer zone between residents; these buffer zones have traditionally consisted of large fences or walls and large tracts of land between residences. This is not to say that privacy and space is necessarily a bad thing. However the “need” for privacy and space has diminished the amount and depth of interaction between neighbors. As with most relationships, intimacy and

Deep and authentic community grows as interaction increases.

Because human beings have been created by God to be social beings, humans have a thirst for community. The lack of community within our neighborhoods has left an empty space in our lives, therefore we seek community in all sorts of places.

One place where really community can occur is within The Church. While going through the New Testament we see community in action, functioning as it was meant to function (and sometime being utterly dysfunctional . The early Church in Acts 2 and 4 has often been used as a model for what community is supposed to look like (I have written on that many times before). As we look through scripture we find that the essence of Church lies in community. Not only is its nature communal (yes the Church is an institution but more so its an organic being), The Church is commanded to be an example to the world displaying what deep community really is.

The Church is commanded to fulfill two separate yet intertwined functions relating to community. First The Church is called to be a community of believers. Secondly, the church is called to meet the needs of those outside of The Church. One such need is the human need for community.

The Church can help create community by meeting the basic needs of un-unified communities.

In doing this, the Church can serve to bring Christ’s Kingdom here on earth. If this is resonating with you at all I want you to consider some of the following questions.

How deep/authentic is your community?
Would a non-Christian feel comfortable being with your community?
Do you know anyone who lacks real community? Could you invite them into your community?
How well do you know the non-Christians who live and work among you?

Next time we will consider wht it would take to foster the growth of authentic Christ-centered communities within our physical neighborhoods.

Four Types of Small Groups

For Christmas 2010 my girlfriend Amelia gave me a book on small groups called Missional Small Groups. In one of the Chapters the author (Scott Boren) tells the story of four different small groups. Each one of these small groups represents various models that have been created for small groups. I thought it was very interesting and worth sharing. I would love it if I could get some feedback from ya’ll about what you think.

1-The Personal Improvement Smallgroup

We get together because life is tough in this world and we need a few friends. It is not always convenient for us to meet every week, but we do meet when we can. Usually we meet in short six or seven week periods or we meet a couple times in a month. We get together talk a bit about God or study the Bible, and share what is going on at work and in our family. I am not sure that we are close, but it is good to have a place where we can share a little about what is going on in our lives. Being in my small group has improved my life.

2-The Lifestyle Adjustment Group

This group has become a priority to us. We have adjusted our schedules to meet together at least every other week, but usually we meet weekly. In our meetings we either study the sermon preached by our pastor or use a Bible study guide that we all find personally beneficial. We truly enjoy each other’s presence and we put a high priority on the group and the members in the group. We even do something social once each month. We rise to the occasion when someone has a need and there is a sense that we are friends.

3-The Relational Revision Group

Our group has a weekly meeting but I’m not sure that you would call it a meeting in the formal sense of the word. When we get together it is the culmination of the rest of the week when we have bee in one another’s lives. It is a time of sharing what God has been doing, praying for each other, and talking about how God is using us in our normal lives. Yes we do have a weekly lesson, but the leader usually only asks one or two questions from it. The most important part of our group however is not the meeting; it is how we are connected the other six days. I have never been part of a group in which people are so willing to sacrifice time and energy for each other. And this connectedness actually spills out into our neighborhood. It seems like we are always interacting with, praying for, and serving people who live near us. And in some ways they are just as much part of our group as those of us who call ourselves Christians. Recently we had to wrestle with some relational conflict and hurt feelings. In the past I would have run away from such encounters but not this time. It was not easy but we pressed through. We are still learning what it means to be God’s family.

4-The Missional Group

We have developed a way of connecting with each other and God that has resulted in some rather unpredictable developments. 2 couples and a single person in our group live within walking distance of each other. So as a group we decided to adopt their neighborhood. We started with a block party. At first it was hard because no one knew us but after the first party we started becoming a presence in the community. Then one person started a summer children’s Bible study and as she got to know the neighbors and their needs we began to pray. Now we have come around a single mom who has 3 kids, and we include her as much as we can in the life of the small group. She has yet to fully understand who Jesus is, but we feel led to embrace her and her kids and see what God does in her life.

QUESTIONS:

Which one of these best describes the small group that you are in right now?
Which one of these is the kind of small group that you aim for?
What is keeping your small group from getting to that “level?”

I would love to hear your feedback or any other comments in general.