Last week we talked about how Acts 2:42-47 is the best Biblical model of a small group that we have: “42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Today I’d like to look at verse 42 – what does devoting ourselves to the apostles teaching look like for us? First, what are the things in life that we are devoted to? Things we will push everything else aside for. Maybe our family, our career, our passions, whatever it is for you. Do we have that type of devotion to receiving teaching in church or in our small group? It seems that in Acts 2 this devotion to teaching and to fellowship (meeting together) was a huge priority. The kind of priority that took precedence over other things in life. For our small groups to be great at Spanish River we need to lead by example a devotion to teaching and meeting together. As we seek to care for “all the flock” it is so important that we prioritize our opportunities to meet together and to learn from each other. The more consistent time we spend together the more we will grow in community and sharpen each other as “iron sharpens iron” Thanks for your continued faithfulness to care for the people of Spanish River Church! David

Here are some thoughts from Greg Hoffman, one of our outstanding leaders, about the sabbath. It may be useful for your groups this week.
It has been the tradition of the church since the resurrection to gather
together on the first day of the week. (Luke 24:1, John 20:1, John 20:19,
Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 16:2) The Resurrection is the central focus of our
faith. Paul makes this point in I Corinthians 15, a remarkable passage:

“13. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been
raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and
so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses
about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the
dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if
the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if
Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your
sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If
only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.”

Since the resurrection is so central, in a real way more important than the
cross, it follows that we would set aside the day of resurrection as the new
Sabbath.

Why would I say the resurrection is more important? Paul seems to make the
point. If Christ simply died and was not raised, Paul makes the argument
that we would still be without hope.

One other point, I think the main point of a Sabbath rest is the 1 out of 7
principle. God gives us 6 days to do what we need to do to make a living.
The 7th day is His. It is to be different than the other 6. Restful, yes,
but also dedicated to Him. I believe the 1 in 7 principle is more important
than the actual day, although we shouldn’t “forsake the gathering together”
principle that Tommy spoke on a few weeks ago.

What is it that makes a small group great? I have been posing this question to people recently and have gotten all kinds of great responses. Some answers are straightforward – Solid bible study, honesty and accountability, people being authentic and vulnerable. Others describe something more general – a sense of closeness or community, being on the same page with life goals. I think that all of these things and more are true but what does this mean for me as a small group leader? What am I shooting for? The best picture we get in the Bible is found in Acts 2:42-47 as it describes the early church. “42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” What can we learn from this early community of believers about what it means to have a great small group. I am not going to suggest that you get your groups to sell all their possessions and lay the profits at your feet to meet peoples needs. I do think that we can clearly learn that there are some things we can be about as a small group – devotion to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer, meeting each others needs, praising God together, and having a common mission of adding to our number daily through spreading the gospel. I want to take the opportunity to look at one of these concepts each week as we strive to see what it means to “Care for all the flock” as God has called us to. Look for a blog post later this week about devotion to teaching and what that means in a small group setting. Thanks for what you do in undertaking such a crucial task here at SRC!

“…so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”  John 17:21b

Jesus prayed specifically for our unity.  His desire and heart was for believers to be engaged in life on life ministry.  His statement on the results of this type of community is what becomes so intriguing.  According to Jesus, significant community leads to significant results; “so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

That certainly gives an incredible perspective on small groups!  The life we do with each other is more than just about us.  Sure we enjoy the benefits of being strengthened in the Lord from these meaningful relationships, but an on-looking world is also depending on our groups to get it right.  The way we do life together is for many the tangible evidence of the truth of the gospel.  That is awesome!  So remember, as you make meals for each other, do projects together, help each other move, pray for each other, and so on…there is a world around us being attracted to the gospel message through your community.

Keep The Faith,

Casey

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.  Phil 1:6 

God has truly begun a good work throughout the Small Groups of SRC!  What a joy it has been to see people doing life together in meaningful and significant ways.  As leaders of these groups, we are called by God to serve Him by serving others.  One of the most critical ways we can serve those in our groups is by challenging them to live “on purpose” for God.  We are the ones that God so often uses to encourage the growth and maturity of his people!

Being intentional or living on purpose at SRC is defined by three words Knowing-Growing-Serving.  In our Leadership 101 Workshop we discussed exactly how we could help others in these areas…

Knowing the God who loves me and is with me by Building relational bridges to Jesus where we live, work, and play.

Growing in my relationship with God and others by Engaging in the one another life of community.

Serving God by serving others by Investing the best of my time, talents, and treasures in glocal service.

This is where we as leaders need to put on our coaching hats and challenge our groups with three simple questions…

1. Where did you build relational bridges this week?
2. How did you engage in the one another life of community this week?
3. How did you invest the best of your time, talents, and treasures in glocal service this week?

God is doing an amazing work at SRC, and we get to play a role in his masterpiece.  As you challenge and press forward in your groups this week, remember that you have been called to this very ministry of caring for all the flock.  I am so thankful for the response of your service! 

Keep The Faith,

Casey