Dear Friends
I want to ask you a question today. What is a disciple? How would you
define the word? You know the word Christian is rarely used in the New
Testament to describe a believer. When the Bible talks about a believer, it
almost invariably refers to him/her as a disciple. Having said this, I wonder
if maybe we should stop asking people if they are Christian, but instead ask if
they are a disciple.
Pastor Rick Warren in one of his “Pastor Newsletters” writes. “if
you want to be forgiven all you need to do is tell God. But if you want to be
healed, you need to tell it to somebody else. Revealing your feelings is the
beginning of healing. You are only as sick as your secrets.”
Andy Stanley was right in reminding us that, “Sheep are never
attacked in herds. Sheep are attacked when they become isolated from the rest
of the flock” (Creating Community, Andy Stanley, p32).
A lot of Christian discipleship deals with what you need to know,
not who you need to be with. But it is true that if we get the relationships
right, the information will follow. If you connect people in real gospel
community, they will learn (“The Exchange with Ed Stetzer”, 4 Reasons
Small Groups are Vital to Your Church’s Health).
When I think of the word disciple, I think of a person who has
accepted Christ as his/her personal Savior, is growing in faith, sharing the
gospel with others, and is involved in a nurturing community where people are
regularly meeting together to love and encourage and build up one another.
A Christian is one who is involved in community. Acts 2:42-43
describes the characteristics of this community. “They devoted themselves to
the apostle’ teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to
prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs
were done by the apostles.”
The early disciples lived in community. They met in groups. They
shared their lives with one another. In every church I have served, I have
either led or been a part of a small group. Today I am a part of a Men’s
Spiritual Leadership group that meets in person, and a virtual Fellowship of
Christian Athlete’s Coach’s group that meets virtually. From my perspective
small groups are indispensable to my life and to the life blood of the church.
If the church is to become the church God designed it to be, it will be a
church fully committed to the ministry of small groups where people can get to
know one another, laugh and cry together, and serve and minister alongside
of one another.
Why would I want to be in a group, you might ask? Well, for one
reason it was the model of the New Testament Church. The early disciples were
committed to being together. It’s what characterized their ministry. It was
their spiritual incubator for making disciples.
I know some of you may be thinking, “You will never get me in a
group. I hate groups.” Well let me give you a non-spiritual reason for joining
a group. You will live longer if you do, and I think most of us would agree
that that might be a good rationale for at least considering joining.
Let me close with a remarkable study on health and small groups.
“Researchers found that the most isolated people were three times more likely
to die than those with strong relational connections. People who had bad health
habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity, or alcohol use) but
strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health
habits but were isolated. In other words, it is better to eat Twinkies with
good friends than to eat broccoli alone.” Everybody’s Normal Til You Get to
Know Them, John Ortberg p 33
There you have it. Want to live longer? Join a group, and if you
do you may not only add years to your life but life to your years, and even
better than that, you begin to become a living example of what a disciple is
called to be.
Yours in faith,
Tom
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