BIBLE LIFE APPLICATION SMALL GROUP
Relationship and fellowship in a small group.
God is a relational God and wants you to experience life in relationship with God and fellowship with other Christians. You should find a small group of Christians to study the Bible together and learn how to apply the Bible to your life. God has promised Christians that meet regularly in small groups, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20 NASB). God also wants Christians to “[s]hare each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NLT). The best place to find and join a small group is in your church. Most churches encourage their members to meet regularly (once a week or once every other week) in small groups. If you attend a large church, one way to make a large church more intimate and personal is to be involved in a small group. There are many types of small groups. There are small groups for married couples, singles, men, women, both sexes, new
Christians, people that are investigating Christianity, people that serve together, etc. Fellowship in a small group includes but is not limited to unselfish loving, honest sharing in confidence, practical serving, sympathetic comforting, etc. In regard to the size of the small group, smaller is generally better. You can worship with a large group, but you can’t fellowship with a large group. Once a group becomes larger than about 10 to 12 people, some members stop participating and a few people will dominate the group. Also, if everyone participates, the small group meeting will take too long. Jesus ministered and experienced fellowship with his small group of 12 disciples. Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 138-144.
The operation of a small group.
Although not all small groups operate the same way, you can generally expect the following at a small group meeting. The meeting will last from one to two hours at a small group member’s home, a church, or restaurant. The small group will meet once a week or once every other week. As God tells us through the Bible, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT). The small group leader will coordinate the scheduling of the meetings. The meeting will open in prayer. Then the small group will discuss the meeting topic which may be specific passages in the Bible, a chapter from a Christian book, some type of Bible study curriculum, or a recent sermon at church. It is generally recommended that the group avoid studying in-house debate Christian doctrine issues because those topics may cause too much conflict within the group. All group members are encouraged to participate and respect each other’s comments and opinions. To encourage honesty and sharing, most groups agree to keep any discussed personal information confidential among the members of the group. During the discussion, the group members help each other learn how to apply the Bible to their lives, celebrate God’s blessings, and encourage and comfort each other with any discussed opportunities or difficulties. At the end of the meeting, the members will share personal praises of God for blessings and or prayer requests. The meeting will end with closing prayer. After the meeting, the members can stay for snack-type food and drink refreshments.