CathoLeak - Your life support system

Cet enseignement est donné par un protestant et pour des protestants. Il doit donc être reçu avec certaines précautions et adapté. On sera attentif en particulier à la place des sacrements, de l’Église, et à ne pas avoir une utilisation instrumentale de la Parole de Dieu.

Partie 1

No astronaut would go to space without a functioning life support system. Same for deep-sea diver. Same for brain surgeon (for you). No soldier is sent to battle without some kind of life support system. In the army it’s called a platoon: it’s a small group. Fighting together, supporting one another, dying for one another. God never intended you to go through life on your own. First thing God says: it’s not good for man to be alone. We are better together. God wired us for community. And a small group is the place for it.

The assembly is not the Church: it’s a crowd. Small groups is where the Church is. Jesus talks about the importance of such small groups. Mt 18,20. If you’ve never been in a small group, you really need to take notes today. Fortunately the Bible tells us about small groups. 1 Tm 3,15. You don’t automatically know how to live in the Church, you have to learn it. The first Church started in Jerusalem. Ac 5,42. What does it mean? Large group worship, small groups fellowship.

1) What does a small group actually do?

It does 5 things (all from Ac 2, 42-47). You are not going to make it in your spiritual life if you don’t have these five support systems. They keep you healthy, happy, growing, transforming, becoming the man/woman God wants you to be. And you get them in a small group.

(1) We study God’s word together. If you don’t do this, you have a social club, not a small group. Small group study is more important than your personal Bible study. Because you will get more out of it. Other eyes are seeing things you don’t see (comparison from witnesses of a car accident).

(2) We practice learning how to love. You can’t love a crowd. But you can love 5, 6 people. It’s a laboratory to learn relational skills. Learning how to love is the number one purpose of your life. Otherwise he would have put you directly into heaven. In a lot of religions, you grow spiritually by getting away from others. Jesus totally changed this. And you can’t learn love by yourself. And you learn it especially by being with unlovely people. In every small group is a person that really gets on your nerves. We call them EGR: Extra Grace Required. And you know what? You’re also in a group so that other people learn how to love! And learning to love is called fellowship. Quotes from Ac 2, 42-47.

(3) We eat together. Here it gets interesting! It’s the fellowship of food. A small group without food… Is a small group I don’t want to be part of. (Ac 2). Jesus teaches the most important stuff when he is eating with people. He was call glutton and drunk!

(4) We pray for each other. I don’t know how it works, but there is additional power when we pray together (Mt 18, 19). You pray with your group and for your group.

(5) We encourage and help each other. We practice unselfishness.

2) How do I benefit from it?

6 very simple things to do. If you do it in the next 7 weeks, you will grow like crazy, transform, and have fun while doing it!

(1) Make my group a priority. Show up every week! Otherwise you will miss half of it, and you will be half transformed. He 10, 25. Consistency and frequency. Everybody can do it for 7 weeks!

(2) Share my thoughts with humility. You’re not here to show off and impress people! Leave your ego and your logo at the door. You are here to learn. You are not here to impress but to express. Rm 12, 16. Humility means being teachable. You can learn from anybody if you know the right questions. Ph 2, 3-4.

(3) I show respect to others with courtesy. Small group will teach you how to listen. Pr 18, 2. Rm 14, 1. Rm 15, 2. A small group is a safe place for you – and for others.

(4) I share my faults with honesty. This will bring your group to the next level. 1 Jn 1, 7-8. You don’t help others by sharing your successes, but by sharing your difficulties. Jc 5, 16. You heal from what you made by telling it to somebody else [confession!!!!].