Why a LifeGroup?

Why a LifeGroup?

  “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20)

 It’s a funny mental picture to imagine a handful of these disciples if the Great Commission were given today, running home and looking up YouTube videos for “How to Go and make disciples of all nations.” It is easy to imagine a few of those in actual attendance after watching in awe as Jesus ascended, looking around at one another and asking, “Do what now?” It is an incredibly large job, and they had very little in the way of a bullet-pointed plan of implementation. There was never any specific instruction given as to what a “church” would look like, how it would function, what its duties were, what its hierarchy would consist of, or even where it should be located. As further testament to the power of the Holy Spirit and the enduring example of Jesus, we should take time to appreciate that unschooled men led thousands of strangers, who then dispersed over multiple countries, to create the institution that lasts to this day.

  In retrospect (which, by definition, all Bible study is), we can see Jesus preparing the apostles for this leadership role throughout His ministry. He had thousands of followers but chose from them 12 to be His apostles. These men traveled with Jesus throughout His ministry, ate with Him, and got a front-row seat to His every teaching and miracle. Sustained completely by faith (no one is recorded to have had a 9-5 job through this time), they saw firsthand what the Church was to be. The Church was intimate, shared in homes, over meals, and yet also widely in large set-piece venues. It was not only done once a week in predetermined locations but all the time in every waking moment and anywhere your feet could carry you. Jesus showed that the Sermon on the Mount could be the church as well as dinner at a friend’s house in Bethany. He also regularly taught at the temple. To watch Jesus is to understand that if “doing church” is a multiple-choice exam, the answer would always be All of the Above.

  So, why a LifeGroup? For the same reason that soap bubbles are round, it is simply the most energy-efficient configuration. Social media is an incredibly useful example on this front. If given a platform to reach the world, and if everyone takes to it, there is no guarantee your message will get through. There’s even less of a chance that any reply - if a reply exists at all - will be missed in the hustle and bustle of 8 billion voices screaming to be heard. Biblical history proves that even a prophet wielding great miracles of wonder and awe could not be sufficient to get all the people to believe. And there is nothing to suggest that modern man is any different. So if end all be all, wholesale conversion of the entire world is out of the question, how do we complete our task? Perhaps one person at a time.

  Luke 15:17-39 records for us the men who lowered their friend through the roof so that he could be healed. Luke 7:1-10 records for us the Roman centurion whose honored servant was sick and whose faith was so strong that Jesus marveled at it. Mark 9:14-29, a father bringing his son afflicted with a “dumb spirit.” Matthew 9:18-26, a father whose daughter had just died and asked Jesus to bring her back. Who is bringing someone to Jesus in each of these accounts? Friends and family. If we are to ask ourselves where the church begins, why look any further than these examples? And that is what a LifeGroup (Or Small Group, Connect Group, Bible Study Group, etc.) is; those who care about us enough to bring us to Jesus. And its definition is indistinguishable from its duty. (How’s that for efficient!) As Jesus’ ministry attests, there is nothing problematic with large churches or small ones. If you can hold a sermon on the mount-style service every week, then fantastic! If your congregation could traverse the Sea of Galilee in a fishing boat, then perfect! (You’d be in pretty good company.) What the New Testament example shows, through the life of Jesus and the early church, is that as long as you are focused on God’s mission and allowing Him to work through you, the details don’t really matter! God is more than capable of operating in any and all environments and seems to enjoy utilizing the least expected, experienced, suited, or qualified to accomplish His mighty works.

Jewish tradition holds that there are 613 laws and commands in the Torah for the people of Israel. The structure of the Tabernacle, for instance, is laid out in precise and exacting detail. Christ’s Church is not even given a passing mention as to its structure or makeup. The presence of the Holy Spirit alone should be enough to explain this difference but allow me to suggest another. Because there is no one size fits all answer. “After this, I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9) The place we will congregate is being prepared for us. We recognize we are housed temporarily here on Earth and must spend our time here in continuous action. The church, then, isn’t a building or even necessarily a people, but a verb. And the easiest, most effective way for a disparate, decentralized, curious amalgam of people to achieve such a mission under these circumstances is to form small, specialized groups.

“Sure, that’s a long-winded explanation as to the how, I guess, but why a Lifegroup?” one could obstinately query. On that particular point, I may only answer from personal experience. Our Lifegroup, although relatively new, is phenomenal. We have someone leading from the front that has excitement, vision, and an entrepreneurial bent that is responsible for this very newsletter. Someone gracious enough to not only open up her home as a place for us to meet but sees to it that we are well and expertly fed. We have people who can make even a stranger feel like a lifelong friend. People who work at and within the church to see its needs are met at every conceivable level. Those in the private and public sectors, students, artisans, and professionals. Those whose lives and careers are dedicated to helping or teaching others. Those with life experiences far beyond their years. Those who strive to bring Christ to their co-workers, classmates, and families. There has not been a soul turned away or not shown a warm and friendly welcome. It is precisely what Church should look like and exactly what it was intended to be. If you are fortunate enough to be acquainted with any of our raggle-taggle crew, you’ll realize the question isn’t “Why a Lifegroup?” but “Why do anything else?”

Jordan Williamson