We were created to thrive in community with others. That’s the reason God rescues us from sin AND adopts us into a family (community).
It may be inconvenient but it’s non-negotiable for the follower of Jesus. We NEED more than an environment where we sit/listen.
If becoming part of a church family is like joining a gym, life groups would be like signing up for a spin class. It’s a tribe within a tribe. Keep you from getting lost in the shuffle.
Today is like finding a workout buddy.
When Jesus left His disciples, he gave them three instructions.
Matthew 28:19-20
- Go make disciples
- Baptize disciples
- Teach them to obey
TRUTH: Maturity measured by OBEDIENCE to Jesus, not time with Him.
In context, Paul gives instructions for leaders in the Church (Ephesians 4:11-16).
vs 11-12 – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
- Different types of leaders within the church have the same job
- Equip God’s people to make disciples
- Build each other up to become more like Jesus
- He then explains WHY and tells us HOW
vs 13 – WHY? Unity in trust + Knowledge of Jesus = spiritual maturity
vs 14-16 – HOW?
Explains that we have a responsibility to each other.
- In Acts, they meet with each other in environments where we have the opportunity to “speak the truth in love”
- John Maxwell, “People who lead themselves well know a secret; they can’t be trusted.
- Jesus said in Matthew 23 that the holiness of the inside of me determines the quality of life I live outside of me.
Talked about in many places of the Bible
- Proverbs 27:17 – “as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend”
- Lance Witt, Replenish, “I need people who love me enough to protect me from myself. People who love me too much to let me hurt myself and others. But the only way they will honestly show up with the hard stuff in my life is if I aggressively embrace it.”
- Proverbs 24:26 – “An honest answer is like kiss of friendship”
- It’s a strategic advantage to have a few people who love me enough to tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear.
- A tough, honest talk with someone I trust can save my life like a tough, honest talk with a doctor who exposes and removes my cancer can be.
- The pain is short but the gift is long
We have growth groups. Who are you personally taking responsible for? How are you, as a part of the Body, doing your “special work” to “help the other parts grow”?
Who are the two or three people you’d ask to pick you up from Logan?
- If you aren’t sure, pray and begin investing in a few people.
- 2 Timothy 3:16, all scripture is good to correct us when wrong and teach us to do what is right.
- James 5:16, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed (restoration>absolution).APPLICATION:
- What friend, you spiritually respect, has permission to call you out?
- Who’s helping you lead yourself well?
- Who can you call, day or night, to give godly counsel?
- Who do you read Scripture with?
- Who challenges you to continue growing as a follower of Jesus?