Small Groups Sunday

SMALL GROUP SUNDAY: LETT … US!

There is a study done by a global software company that specializes in helping organizations collaborate, surveyed thousands of teams (who are a part of the Fortune 500) and found that 93% of executives say cross-functional collaboration is more important than ever. (Cross-functional collaboration simply means people from different areas, with different skills or responsibilities, working together toward the same goal.)

It also found that 40% of knowledge workers' direct collaborators work in a different job function.

Starting at the beginning of Genesis, God is creating the world all of these miracles of light and dark, God said it was good, separating land from water and sky, God said it was good, then he get to man, creates man and says it is VERY good. Steps back from everything…. Looks at all He’s created, analyzing it and the very FIRST aspect in which He remarks in… ‘NOT GOOD” found in…

Genesis 2:18 “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone I will make him a helper comparable to him.ʼ” helper:— (ezer) strong help comparable:— (kenegdo) as in front of him; perfect match, same nature.

The first thing God said was "not good" wasn't sin—it was isolation.

God’s decision to create a helper for the human that is “comparable to him” recognizes a primal human need for companionship…

For over 75 years, Harvard's Grant and Glueck study has tracked the physical and emotional well-being of two populations: 456 poor men growing up in Boston from 1939 to 2014 (the Grant Study), and 268 male graduates from Harvard's classes of 1939-1944 (the Glueck study).

The conclusion? According to Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, onething surpasses all the rest in terms of importance:

"The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period."

IT’S NOT JUST THE BIBLE STATING THAT COMMUNITY IS CRITICAL… IT’S SCIENCE! LOVE WHEN SCIENCE COMES TO THE SAME CONCLUSION AS TRUTH!

Many people think that Christianity is a belief system, but it’s really a belong system.

John 13:35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus said the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another.

If a disciple traveled alone, they could talk about our love for one another but could not demonstrate it. By traveling together, the disciples SHOWED the world a living, breathing model of reconciled community in action. 

Community is the message. 

Actions speak louder than words…

59 One Another Commands In New Testament. 21 Involve “Love.”

1 Peter 3:8 “Love one another deeply, from the heart.”

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

When we look at the life of Jesus on the earth, he practically never sent anyone out alone. Every time He explicitly commanded His followers to go out and interact with the world (part one of together… going out not remaining inward) He structurally baked community and teamwork directly into the mission.

Mark 6:7 When Jesus sent out the 12 Apostles… Luke 10:1 When He expanded to the mission to a much larger group of followers… He sent them out two by two…

African Proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

Dr Dean Ornish — Ornish Lifestyle Medicine “Love and intimacy — our ability to connect with ourselves and others, is at the root of what makes us sick and what makes us well, … People who feel lonely and isolated have a 300-500 percent greater risk of premature death due to physical illness.”

You cannot fulfill the purpose for God outside of community. You can know God without community and get to heaven without community, but you can’t manifest God’s fullness.

YOU CAN NOT manifest God’s FULNESS WITHOUT COMMUNITY!

The language of the book of Hebrews is not ‘me and God.’ It is ‘we and God.’”

Hebrews 10:21-25 NLT

21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Connecting Is Mandatory!.... Let US, see what we are accomplishing together…

1.Together We Approach

Hebrews 10:22

“…LET US GO RIGHT IN TO THE PRESENCE OF GOD…” 

Heaven is not a collection of isolated believers. It is a family gathered around the throne. If eternity looks like people together, why would we try to live Christianity alone?

Revelation 5:9

“…your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” 

Think about the picture of eternity.

Heaven is not a crowd of disconnected believers who just happen to be in the same location at the same time.

The picture Scripture gives us is a family gathered around a throne.

People together.

Worshipping together.

Celebrating together.

Hebrews establishes that Jesus is our great High Priest.

The presence of God was kept behind that veil, and only once a year….. a priest could go in…

Under the Old Covenant, access to God's presence was restricted. But Jesus has opened the wayand the gospel isn't simply:

Jesus died so I can have my personal spiritual experience with God.

Jesus didn't just open the door so that you could walk through it alone. He opened the door so that everyone could approach the throne!

Ephesians 2:19

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household.”

AND THIS IS WHERE HEBREWS GETS REALLY BEAUTIFUL… Because Hebrews doesn't just tell us that Jesus gives us access.

It tells us that we are joining a story that started long before us.

Hebrews 12:1 

12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it…!”

The literary context, Hebrews chapter 11, runs through some of the veterans that are in the same family as we are…

Hebrews 11 is essentially a hall of faith.Pioneers.Veterans.People who went before us. The ‘TOGETHER’ earlier on the timeline…

“5By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him..”

“7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, prepared an ark for the saving of his household…”

“8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going…”

By faith, Pastor Cheryl has become the first female Apostle in the worldwide Apostolic movement birthed out of the Welsh Revival—pioneering a path of leadership, courage, and faith for generations to come.

This isn’t about select people accomplishing noteworthy historical events and moments. This is about documentation, a snapshot account of believers who are apart of an entire body.

YOU are apart of that!

We all play a significant role in eternities scale, together we are moving along on this part of the timeline fulfilling God’s purpose on the earth, and how He wants to deliver it through you specifically!

F1- ANALOGY

A Formula 1 car doesn't win a race because of the driver alone….

An individual can be highly visible while the outcome depends on an enormous, interconnected team…

A good pit-stop could be the one element that leads a team to a top of the podium finish; a poorly executed one, more often than not, leads to the driver losing quite a few places and facing an insurmountable challenge for the rest of the race. The pit crew is vital to an F1 team alongside the driver and car, forming the "F1 Trinity," with some stops becoming legendary for their success or failure, raising the question of what these crews actually do during a stop.

Different people have different responsibilities.

For example:

• Race engineer communicates directly with the driver and helps interpret what's happening during the race. 

• Strategy teams calculate race strategy, tire choices, pit windows and responses to changing circumstances. 

• Aerodynamicists work on airflow and aerodynamic performance.

When a race car crosses the finish line, it is not just the driver that crosses that line, it is the whole TEAM that approaches that line together.

In life, we are not just created to move about solo, without thinking or considering anyone else. Approaching life narrow minded, “I am on my own journey, doing what I need to need to do and end comfortably…” The world is missing out on an aspect of God through you! 

You reflect and aspect of God that no one else does! 

QUESTION

• What is one practical step I can take this week to move from spectator to participant?

2.Together We Stand

Hebrews 10:23

“LET US HOLD TIGHTLY WITHOUT WAVERING TO THE HOPE WE AFFIRM,”

Holding on is a group activity!!! Hold on to each other as we hold on to the promises.

The writer doesn't say, “You hold on to your faith, and I'll hold on to mine.”

Galatians 6:2 — We carry one another

“Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”

Notice:

Your burden becomes my burden.My strength can become your strength.

That's community = Isolation magnifies problems… Community shrinks them.

The strongest believers are not the most independent—they are the most connected.

Red ROVER Red ROVER Analogy….

A classic playground game where two teams stand in parallel lines holding hands. One team calls out, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send [Name] right over!". That person must run and try to break through the clasped hands of the opposing team.

The further apart two people were, the easier the line would be to break, and the tighter two people were together, leaving almost no space, was not even worth bothering. 

If the enemy can't destroy you, he'll try to disconnect you.

Isolation doesn't make you stronger. Isolation can make you easier to attack.

That's why the enemy would love for you to become disconnected.

Because when you're disconnected:

Nobody knows you're struggling.

Nobody knows you're discouraged.

Nobody knows you're questioning.

Nobody knows you're hurting.

Nobody can speak into your life.

Nobody can pray with you.

Nobody can remind you of what God has said.

And eventually you start believing things that you might never believe if someone who loves you was sitting beside you saying… “If it’s not hopeful, it’s not the end.”

Sometimes God strengthens your faith directly. Sometimes He strengthens it through the faith of the person sitting beside you. There are seasons when you hold the rope for someone else, and seasons when they hold it for you.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic book Life Together, he writes:

“The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him.”

Continuing…

“He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged.”

He isn’t saying “Christians need friends because loneliness is uncomfortable.”

He's saying:

There are moments when I cannot see clearly for myself, and God has placed another believer in the body to speak truth to me.

That's profound. Because sometimes your emotions are lying to you.Sometimes your circumstances are screaming louder than Scripture. Sometimes your disappointment is interpreting God for you. Sometimes your pain is telling you:

“God doesn't care.”

And you need somebody who loves you enough to say:

“I know that's what it feels like—but that's not what God's Word says.”

Think about Mark 2…

Four men bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus.

They can't get through the crowd.

So they climb onto the roof.

They tear open the roof.

And they lower their friend down in front of Jesus.

And Mark 2:5 says:

“When Jesus saw their faith...”

Their faith.

Not merely his faith.

QUESTION:

• Have I allowed disappointment, offense, busyness, or independence to isolate me?

3.Together We Act

Hebrews 10:24 

“LET US THINK OF WAYS TO MOTIVATE ONE ANOTHER TO ACTS OF LOVE AND GOOD WORKS.”

Join me in… Help me with… This has worked for me…

Real relationships are good and messy.

Proverbs 27:6

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Proverbs 27:17

“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

Countenance (paw-neem’) :— face, before and behind, toward, in front of, forward

A. How You Look B. How You Look At Things C. How You Look At Things Ahead

It’ll sharpen how you look at things… and give you strength to do life…

A real friend loves you enough to tell you the truth.

Two pieces of iron sitting six feet apart don't sharpen each other. They have to come together.

Iron sharpening iron creates sparks. Think about that. If there are never any sparks... there probably isn't much sharpening happening.

And the word translated "countenance" is panim. It has to do with face, presence, direction — literally the idea of what is before you. So community doesn't just change who you are.It can change how you see.

“Get your friends to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome an enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man, what an intolerable nuisance to a fool!” — Charles Spurgeon

GOGGLE STATISTIC

Google found that HOW people work together matters more than WHO is on the team.

Google's famous Project Aristotle studied 180 teams and examined hundreds of possible factors influencing effectiveness.

Their research found that team dynamics mattered more than simply having the “right” combination of personalities or individual talent.

Psychological safety emerged as the most important factor: people need to feel safe enough to ask questions, admit mistakes, disagree, and contribute ideas. 

Google's researchers also found that people on teams with stronger team cultures were less likely to leave, more likely to use the ideas of teammates, generated more revenue, and were rated as effective twice as often by executives.

QUESTION:

• Who knows me well enough to celebrate my victories and challenge my blind spots?

4. Together We Remain

Hebrews 10:25 “…LET US NOT NEGLECT OUR MEETING TOGETHER…”

When Jesus instructed the Apostles and followers to go out into the world, it wasn’t just to stand a far off on a street corner, and preach at them…He instructed them to embed themselves in local communities. 

Luke 10:5-7 

5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality…”

This is not just running by, sharing the about Grace, then keep moving.... this is CIRCLESSS…

Social media is NOT real human interaction. It’s edited!!! 

BECAUSE WE ARE COMMITTED TO AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY:

1. Everyone is welcome. — Your background doesn’t matter.

2. Nobody is perfect. — Bring a Bible and your problems.

3. Anything is possible. — Simon can become Peter.

Together We Approach → Together We Stand → Together We Act → Together We Remain

Jesus opened the way for a people—not merely a collection of individuals

And finally:

"Let us not neglect our meeting together..."

Do you see the movement?

Jesus gives us access.

We approach God.

We hold onto hope.

We encourage one another.

We keep gathering.

The writer connects our confidence in Christ with our responsibility toward one another.

Small groups are one practical way we live out this invitation.

You can't practice the "one another" commands by yourself.

It means that when we gather in small groups, we aren't merely attending another church activity.We are creating space to live out the "one another" life of Scripture.

Romans 15:7 

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

William Arthur Ward, in “Thoughts of a Christian Optimist” wrote: “Most like beasts when we kill. Most like men when we judge. Most like God when we forgive.”

“The easiest kind of relationship is with ten thousand people. The hardest is with one.” — Joan Baez 

When you surround yourself with people who approach every aspect of life and faith just like you do, it can lead to a very dull experience. With no one or nothing to challenge you or add any contrast to your life, it can lead to a very dull and monochromatic existence.

Community keeps you edgy, keeps you effective…

When you join a small group, that’s vulnerable because you are exposed.

QUESTION:

• If everyone in the church approached community the way I do, would our church be stronger or weaker?

After "Social media is NOT real human interaction":

You can have a thousand followers and still be lonely.

You can be connected to everyone online and known by no one in real life.

God's plan has never been virtual community—it has always been authentic community.

The New Testament never asks, "Do you attend church?"

It asks, "Are you connected to the Body?"

Are you known? Are you loved? Are you serving? Are you encouraging others? ,,

Are you allowing others to encourage you?

At Impact Church, we believe:

Everyone is welcome.

Nobody is perfect.

Anything is possible.

So don't just attend.

Don't just watch.

Don't just consume.

Belong. Connect. Grow.

Because the life God designed for you is too big to be lived alone.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

CLOSING
1 Corinthians 12

You cannot be the body by yourself.

Paul's argument is fascinating. This is a very common passage, however The Message translation is pretty impactful…

“Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything…

Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive…

If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, transparent and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it…”

We need other people.

You can follow Jesus by yourself, but you cannot fully BE the body of Christ by yourself.

You can have a personal relationship with Jesus without having a personal relationship with His people—but you cannot live out everything Jesus calls His Church to be in isolation.

…

We're helping to remind people that they are more than conquerors in Jesus, that they were created intentionally, uniquely, and with purpose.

Every person in the Sunday rows matters.

Every conversation matters.

Every prayer matters.

Every person who walks into a group wondering, ‘Do I belong here?’ matters.

Every person who discovers Jesus in the middle of a conversation matters.

Because small groups aren't just another program on the church calendar.

They're one of the places where the church becomes personal.

This is where people are seen, heard, and valued.

This is where people learn can learn to hear God, walk with God, and walk with one another.

Together We Approach → Together We Stand → Together We Act → Together We Remain