by Ptr. Dani Castillo
If you’re not is a small group, you’re missing a lot!
God created you and me for five purposes: to get to know and love Him (Worship), to learn to love each other (Fellowship), to grow to become more like Jesus in the way we think, talk and behave (Discipleship), to use our God-given gifts to build up our brethren (Ministry), and to share the Good News of Christ to others (Evangelism). He placed you and me on planet earth to fulfill His purposes for us.
To illustrate: if you were to use a pair of hair scissors to trim your front yard lawn, wouldn’t that be a frustrating experience? Same is true when you try the lawn mower on your hair, frustrating… and painful! On the other hand, using a lawn mower for the yard and hair scissors for the hair makes the task simpler, fulfilling and motivating. These equipments were “created” for a specific purpose.
Frustrations set in when you do not become the person God created you to be, or when you do not do what the Creator purposed you to do. But when you discover your purpose, and live your life according to the specifications of God, our “Inventor,” life becomes simpler, meaningful and motivating. Why? Because you are fulfilling His purpose for your life. Yes, that is Fulfillment!
But this life of purpose that God intends for you is not meant to be lived alone. In fact, it is impossible to fulfill God’s purpose for your life by yourself. We need each other! Fellowship entails “each other.” We need “others” to disciple us. We need our brethren’s gifts and talents to minister to us and they need our giftedness to be ministers as well. We evangelize and share the Good News of Christ better when we’re together, and worship becomes more meaningful when we’re with each other. From the beginning, God’s plan has been that we fulfill His purpose in community with other people – people in your church family, in your small group, and in the world around you.
Each of us is a vital organ of a living body, an indispensable, interconnected part of the Body of Christ. The Bible tells us, “Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole… Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of His body. But as a chopped-off finger or a cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we?” Romans 12:4-5 (Msg). In other words, if we are disconnected and cut off from the lifeblood of a local body, our spiritual life will wither and eventually cease to exist. As long as we’re plugged in into a small group, our spiritual muscles will develop.
For those of you who are in a small group, you know what I’m talking about. You have experienced moving out of a self-centered life of isolation and learned to get along in God’s family. It was probably uneasy at first, but you have learned to practice unselfish love, and you have learned to care about others and share your experiences with others. You were built up and others were too. This authentic fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, share their victories, use their gifts, teach others, ask for help and pray.
These are but a few things I can only describe in a small group. You will discover more… wonderful things about the beauty and uniqueness of people, about yourself. Most especially, you will learn more about your Amazing Creator! I encourage you all, be in a small group!
