“Have you tasted the honey of the Word? Let others have a taste with you.”
–Thomas Watson
Author Jonathan Leeman writes, “The Christian life is the churched life.”[i] To such a fine and practical truth, we humbly add another, “The churched life is the small group life.” Yes, to participate in the body of Christ is to find ourselves enmeshed, usually not just in one, but often, in several small groups. What is a small group? A small group is “an intentional gathering of three to twelve people who commit themselves to work together to become better disciples of Jesus Christ.”[ii] Are you part of a small group? The answer is “yes” if you do one of the following: attend Sunday School, hold a church office (like deacon or elder), are a member of the worship team, participate in the Women of the Road ministry, meet with the MAT team, and of course, if you have joined one of our Sunday afternoon small groups.
Over the course of the next few months, we are going to examine the Biblical evidence and support for small groups and the blessings associated with participating in one or more small groups. A certain portion of our study will be devoted to a selective examination of the role of small groups throughout church history and to the development of pointed questions designed to aid the individual participants toward mutual edification. Wow! I am getting so excited just typing these sentences! If you have not signed up yet for one of our Sunday afternoon small groups, it is not too late. Please see Charles or Dale for encouragement and mild pressure to join one of these groups. Have a blessed week and we will see you on Sunday.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
[i] Bobby Jamieson, Church Basics: Understanding the Lord’s Supper. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2016, v. (J. Leeman is the editor of this recommended series.)
[ii] Jeffrey Arnold, The Big Book on Small Groups. Downer’s Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1992, 9.