A life transforming group to strengthen the entire body

http://jeremy-airforcelife.blogspot.com/

The link above is to the actual blog I've been writing in. However, I will still include it in the notes here so more people can/will read it. The information written below is from some guys at church, but it's been on my mind a lot, so I thought I would write about it. Please let me know if there's something to add, or if I have misrepresented any ideas along the way.

Some time ago, I shared with my gospel community the desire and need for us all to become closer to each other. The idea of knowing each other's hearts was real and present. I wondered why it was so hard, while also knowing that I wasn't 100% willing to share a lot of things myself. Talking with some other guys, we discovered that people are so afraid of what other people might think about them. So, we don't share. However, we don't seem to be afraid of what God thinks. Why?

What do other's thoughts of us matter when compared to those of God? Why are we so eager to please others or change ourselves so they will like us? Why do we not always care about disappointing God? God wants a real relationship with us. We screwed it up, and we continue to do so through our sin. If we read through the Bible, Jesus gave us the example and the answer to fix these problems.

At the same time, I was wondering why the accountability in the high school boys' group I work with wasn't working well. In life, we try to hold ourselves accountable to each other. People will always fail one another. However, God will never let us down. God is always there, people will put us on hold for other things. We need to be accountable to God, and we need to encourage others to do just that.

Back to the example of Jesus. Jesus had different levels of relationships. He had a relationship with those he taught, His disciples, and a closer and much smaller group of those that were even closer. Jesus gave us the example. We have our corporate gathering on Sundays, our gospel communities of yet smaller numbers, and we should have yet smaller groups of just a few.

These small groups have the opportunity to really get to know one another's hearts. Instead of what we know as accountability groups, they could be called encouragement groups, or any other thing you want to call it. The purpose is multi-fold. You encourage each other to stay in the word. You discuss what you have learned and applications. You pray for one another, pray for the lost, share your hearts and pray for healing and relationships. You encourage each other to be accountable to God. You probe your hearts together with hard questions to offer up your true heart to God.

Some of these questions could be: Have you been living the Gospel through your words and/or actions? Have you been prideful about money, possessions, etc.? Have you been intentional with your time with your family? Have you damaged someone with your words or actions? Has someone damaged you? Have you talked to your mentor? Do you have a mentor or prayed for one? Have you allowed something to control you and who you are (fear, anger, drugs, pornography)? Have you been honest with me and more over God in answering these questions?

This is NOT accountability with each other, but accountability to God. We are just encouraging each other with this. Through this we build a stronger relationship with God, which will reflect in our lives, strengthening our relationships with each other. As the small group grows in relationship, the gospel community will grow in relationship, and the corporate church will grow in relationship.

This is what I have gathered from the guys that I talked with about this initially. This is what has grown in my heart. I know that there is more to it, and I encourage you to add to this post with it. Once again, if I have misrepresented anything, please tell me, but it was on my heart so I thought I would share. I pray that this can change your life as I know it has changed others'. It is yet another way to help display and declare Christ to the community and world around us.

The idea of our relationship with Christ as a marriage

I heard a chaplain talk about this one Sunday. I had heard the analogy, but never really applied it. I did some research, and even used this as a lesson with the youth group. Please let me know if there's anything wrong with it, or if you have anything to add.

First step in a Jewish marriage was the betrothal. The groom would travel from his father's house to that of the bride. The bride's father and the groom would negotiate a price for the covenant or contract. As soon as the groom paid the price, they were considered to be married. As a symbol of this, the groom would offer the bride a cup of wine. If she drank of it, she agreed. At this point, the bride and groom would be separated. During this time, the bride would prepare herself to begin her married life to the groom. Meanwhile, the groom would be preparing the dwelling place and accommodations for his bride.

At a time of the groom's choosing, unbeknownst to the bride, the groom would gather his wedding party, and go to collect his bride. She would know he was coming, but not the exact time. In order to warn her of his arrival, he would raise a shout. I am not really sure what this shout was like, but I'm sure it was interesting. Something like, "Hey baby, here I come!" That's at least what came to mind. When the bride and groom would return home, the house would be filled with wedding guests. At this time, the bride will remain hidden for seven days during the festivities before she is revealed to the attendants.

John 14:1-3 shows us the promise that Jesus makes that aligns itself with these traditions. Here Jesus tells us of His father's house and that He will be leaving to prepare a place for us. Eph 5:22-23 takes it further showing us again the analogy of the Jewish wedding. We see that Jesus traveled from His Father's house to earth, to find us, His bride. He offered us the cup of the covenant, and we drink from it, acknowledging Him as our savior and groom (1 Cor 11:25). He paid the price of His life, that we may be with Him forever. Therefore, we belong to Him. He paid the price for us (1 Cor 6:19-20). We have been set aside, exclusively for Christ (Eph 5:25-27; 1 Cor 1:2, 6:11)!

As the bride and groom remained separated in the interim, we remain separated from God, although we are able to share in the knowledge that we will soon be with Him. Just as the groom traveled at an unknown time to the house of the bride, Christ will come back for us (1 Thes 4:16). He will shout for us, and we will know that the time has come. Once this has happened, the church will remain hidden in heaven during the seven years of tribulation. This corresponds to the bride remaining hidden during the week of festivities. Col. 3:4 shows us that the church will be revealed at the end of that time, so that everyone will see, know and bow to Jesus.

Yes, communion represents the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It also represents a covenant of unending love. Communion is a promise, each and every time you take it. You are renewing your vows to Jesus. This is not something you do to go through the motions. It's serious. Would you just go through the marriage ceremony without meaning it? Why would you to that with Christ.

Think of the vows in a wedding. Now think of it this way. Jesus, takes you, the sinner, as His bride. He will love you and honor your all the days of eternity. He will be faithful, through sickness and health, for richer, for poorer, regardless of how you treat Him, with God as His witness.

Some notes from this morning: Romans 11

Did God reject His people? How often to we exalt ourselves and look down on others, because we are Christians? Verse 17 sets us straight. We have been "grafted" in among the natural branches. We share in the nourishment. The roots nourish us, not the other way around. Because of God's grace and mercy, we have been offered salvation. Not that we deserve it, but God has given us mercy and grace. Even though branches have been shed that we might be saved, we could be broken off just as easy. John 15 says that if the branch does not produce fruit, it will be pruned. Why, then, are we arrogant and not humble? Do we display and declare Christ in all aspect of our lives?

You might say, "We see that the Israelites have fallen numerous times throughout the Bible. God gave them chance after chance, but they kept turning away." Are you perfect? Am I perfect? Have any of us fallen beyond the reach of God's grace?

That is grace. We do not deserve it! Verse 6 shows us that our works have nothing to do with grace. If we pay a price for it, it is not grace.

There's a lot of stuff in Chapter 11. I don't want to talk about all of it right now, but this is what I'm chewing on right now. This whole book is amazing, each chapter equally so. What I find so amazing in this chapter is that Paul teaches and convicts, yet concludes with praise to God.

I find myself searching my mind and trying to ask myself questions to be accountable to Christ. I have spent so much time as accountability partners with people, and I wasn't sure what was really wrong with that. However, Jeremy C. stated it well today. When we are accountable to each other, we will undoubtedly let each other down. We should encourage one another and stay accountable to Christ.

I'm going to try and use an outline suggested this morning. I'm going to use it with the youth discipleship group, my small group, and hopefully some friends at work. I will share with anyone else who finds this helpful and wants to try and be more intentional.

Pray for humility. Thank God for grace! Stay in the word, living it out daily; displaying and declaring Christ. Thank God that we are not beyond saving. Thank Him for sending His only Son that we might have eternal life with God. God bless!