Bible Study Archives - Group Ministry

December 13, 2019

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 5

What does a mature disciple of Christ look like? Over the past decade LifeWay Research has delved into this with thousands of pastors and church leaders. Culling through the data, we discovered that strong discipleship ministries and practices could be put in eight categories. We call these eight categories the signposts along the discipleship pathway. One sign of growing disciples is that they regularly engage with Scripture.

I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here, but any who wants to grow in Christ needs to engage with His Word: reading, studying, and so forth. That’s obvious, right? After all, the bulk of most churches’ weekly schedule is worship services where the Word of God is proclaimed and Bible study groups where the Bible is studied and discussed.

The centrality and importance of Scripture in the life of churches and believers may be clear, but that does not translate into practice. The research that led us to see the importance of the Bible in the life of a maturing disciple also showed us that too few believers are actually engaging with Scripture as they should. When asked how often they read the Bible—not as part of a church worship service—19 percent said “every day,” 26 percent said “a few times a week,” 14 percent said “once a week,” 22 percent said “once a month” or “a few times a month,” and 18 percent said “rarely/never.”

Simply reading the Bible does not equate discipleship, (althuogh it’s a good starting point). Yet 40 percent of believers are not even reading it once a week. For a person to become a maturing disciple, he must regularly and consistently get his nose in God’s Word.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Paul told us why we should engage with Scripture: it’s God’s Word to us! That’s reason enough, but Paul also pointed out how the Word benefits us.

The Word of God teaches. Through the pages of Scripture, God has revealed Himself. We see what He is like and how He has worked throughout history. We see His purpose and plans for us. As God reveals who He is, we also see ourselves: both our sinful fallen state and who we can be through Jesus Christ.

The Word of God rebukes. Because Scripture reveals God’s law, commands, and will for our lives, it also reveals our sin and rebukes us. The Holy Spirit uses Scripture to convict us.

The Word of God corrects. The purpose of the Spirit’s convicting work is to bring us back to Him. Scripture reviews God’s plan of salvation that corrects the course we’re on and brings us into a relationship with Him. God’s Word continues to correct us as believers when we stumble and sin. It puts us back on the right path and helps us stay there.

The Word of God trains us in righteousness. God’s Word does more than just correct us; it helps us move forward and grow to become more and more like Christ.

Engaging with Scripture means allowing God’s Word to work in our lives in these four ways. Maturing believers don’t just read it to know what it says; they seek to let it change them. To live by the truth and precepts of Scripture is to increasing become more like Christ.

Ways the Church Can Foster Believers Who Engage with Scripture.

Preach the Word. Go deep. Don’t just read a passage and then get on with a sermon that never refers back to the passage! Lead the congregation to engage fully with the passage, seeing both its context and connection to their lives.

Promote Bible study. Whether you call it small groups, life groups, Sunday School, or That Thing We Do Before Worship, challenge every person to get involved in a group. In a smaller setting (6-15 people), people can study and discuss the Word. They can raise questions. They can encourage each other and challenge each other to learn and apply God’s Word.
Mention the value of Bible study groups frequently. Call attention to those who facilitate groups. Challenge group leaders and members to invite these not involved to join their group.

Provide resources. Encourage people to spent time in the Word everyday by providing devotional guides and books. Invest in devotional guides like Open Windows, Stand Firm (for men), or Journey (for women). DevoHub offers a great online, access-from-anywhere approach.

We’d love to hear from you. What are some ways your church is helping believers engage with Scripture?

Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is a team leader in LifeWay’s ongoing adult Bible study department. He also serves as an interim pastor in the Nashville area. Read more from his blog at lynnhpryor.com.

Group Answers Podcast

December 11, 2019

Church Leadership

December 10, 2019

Top Bible Studies for Christmas

By Deborah Spooner

Christmas. The best time of the year?

The calendar flipped to December, and this means many churches and small groups have turned towards their plans for the new year even as they aim to finish out the Christmas season well. After all, Christmas is supposed to be about Christ, right?

Yes, but many church and group leaders feel pressure and stress around this time and can actually find it harder to focus on Christ than during other times in the year.

We understand. And we want to help in any ways we can.

Here are some Bible study suggestions to help you, as the group leader, keep your focus on Christ during this season, and here are some resources to help center your group on Christ as 2020 rounds the corner.

For You

Foundations: A 260-Day Bible Reading Plan for Busy Believers

With Foundations, you can read through the key, foundational passages of the Bible in one year, while still having the flexibility of reading 5 days per week. Along with supplementary devotional content each day, you can experience the miracle of reading and responding to God’s Word. By using the H.E.A.R. journaling method, you will be guided through Highlighting, Explaining, Applying, and Responding to passages, allowing for practical application throughout the year-long plan.

Foundations New Testament: A 260-Day Bible Reading Plan for Busy Believers

Based on the success of Foundations (described above), Foundations: New Testament uses the same H.E.A.R. method to provide a 5-day a week, year long devotional scripture reading experience that takes studiers through only the New Testament. You’ll also be guided with weekly scripture memory options for the duration of the study

For Your Group

Overcomer

With the recent Thanksgiving release of the latest Kendrick brothers movie, OVERCOMER, you can launch your group into thinking through themes of identity and overcoming difficulties this Christmas and New Years season. Many people feel they are less than who God says they are. We get our identity from our careers, our political positions, our roles in the family, and a number of other lesser things. However, when we understand who God is, we more fully understand who we are. This new small-group Bible study uses clips from the Kendrick Brothers film OVERCOMER to examine how we determine our identity and how we can find our true identity in Christ. (5 sessions)

Momentum

Most Christians want to make real, noticeable progress in their walk with Christ. We long to forgive, to have a pure heart, and to find peace, but we just don’t know how to get there. It’s time to get unstuck and build momentum toward a more godly life. The understanding and strength we need to pursue holiness are available through the path Christ laid out for us in the Beatitudes. Find out what it really means to be poor in spirit, to be meek, and to mourn, and discover how those qualities will help you live a life in which God’s blessings are abundantly clear and present. (8 sessions)

Something Needs to Change

Christmas and New Years is a time of reflection, so why not direct your group to reflect towards eternal change? When David Platt took a trip to the Himalayan mountains, the staggering hardship he witnessed transformed the trajectory of his life. Now, in this study, he’s inviting you to reflect and wrestle with him as he describes his life-altering trek through the Himalayas. You’ll ask hard questions alongside Platt about human need, suffering, faith, the gospel, and our role. For Christians, ignorance of profound human need is not an option. Neither is indifference. It’s time to explore what it means to follow Jesus in a world of urgent physical and spiritual need.

You can have the first two sessions of this Bible study for free here! And you can also find a 7-Day guide, showing you how to pray for the unreached people of Asia for free here.

Gospel Foundations: A One-Year Journey through the Storyline of Scripture

The Gospel is foundational to all aspects of the Christian life, so why not finish out a Christ-centered Christmas by keeping the momentum towards seeing Christ in all of scripture continuing throughout the entire next year? From cover to cover, the Bible is the story of God’s plan to redeem sinners through Jesus—the gospel. Gospel Foundations tells that story. From the creators of The Gospel Project, this six-volume resource is comprehensive in scope yet concise enough to be completed in just one year. Each seven-session volume is video-enhanced to help your group engage in discussion with a clear understanding of how each text fits into the storyline of Scripture.

See the first two sessions of this Bible study as well as gain access to wallpapers, sermon guides, and more here.

Christmas doesn’t have to be the most stressful time of the year. Here’s to keeping the focus on Christ and to helping others do so as well.

Group Answers Podcast

December 4, 2019

Church Leadership

December 2, 2019

3 Realities of Sin

By Group Ministry

This article is excerpted from Content from Matt Carter’s Prodigal Son: Discovering the Fullness of Life in the Love of The Father.

We all make mistakes. We might seem to be making right choices, but then things can start to happen. We slip, and we begin to fall. How? How do we go from strongly walking in the Lord to being tempted and pulled into sin? Matt Carter, in his newly released Bible study Prodigal Son: Discovering the Fullness of Life in the Love of The Father describes just this (partially excerpted and adapted below):

The Anatomy of a Fall

So far we’ve talked about how the prodigal son has become convinced there is a better life for him outside of the love of his father. But before we continue on our journey with the prodigal, let’s take a closer look at what causes us to make the decision to turn our backs on our heavenly Father and walk away. Every sin starts with a first step. We’ve already seen how Satan loves to deceive us into believing there is happiness outside of the love of the Father. Now let’s dig a little deeper into the deceptive nature of sin by turning to the letter of James where he urges us to overcome temptation by remembering the goodness of God.

Temptation

Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God[a] has promised to those who love him. No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. – JAMES 1:12-15

According to James, where does temptation come from? Where does it not come from? Why are these important distinctions to make?

James connects temptations to trials. How do our temptations often come out of our trials?

We can’t see inside the mind of the prodigal, so we can’t know for certain what made him decide to walk away from his father’s house. Jesus doesn’t tell us. However, James teaches us that our temptations are often related to our trials. For instance, if you are experiencing financial difficulty, you might be tempted to steal. If you are lonely, you might struggle with seeking company in inappropriate relationships. Yet, James is clear on one point; God never tempts us. God is never at fault when The Step we walk away from Him and choose sin. While it’s true that God does test us, He always does so to strengthen our faith, never to tempt us to sin. Sin is always our choice. We fall into the allure of sin, because sin is enticing.

The Allure of Sin

Why is it helpful for us to realize sin is “alluring”?

What does it mean to be “carried away” or “enticed” by our own lust (v 14)? When have you seen this process play out in your own experience?

“Alluring” isn’t a word you hear very often. It means “powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating; seductive.”1 James is creating a picture of a fish who is attracted to a lure in the water, but the fish is unaware that the lure will actually kill it. Temptation becomes a problem when it entices us into sin, because just like the fish, when sin reels us in, death is always waiting at the other end of the line.

What lies must we believe before we give in to temptation?

How has experience taught you that temptation is misleading and never delivers on its promise?

A fish wouldn’t take the bait if it realized the inevitable outcome. When Christians embrace temptation, they have forgotten that sin leads to death. They were enticed by the promise of life where there was only death. God is the only One who can deliver on every promise, and He does every time. We’ve already seen that God doesn’t tempt us, now let’s look at what God does.

Grace in Temptation

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. – JAMES 1:16-18

According to these verses, what can God give us that temptation and sin never can?

Why should this be an encouragement to not succumb to temptation?

James contrasts the emptiness of temptation with the goodness of God. When Satan tempts us, he is hoping that we believe the lie that embracing temptation leads to blessing. But temptation is always a bait and switch. James tells us every good thing comes from God. Paul stated it more directly.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ROMANS 6:23

Sin always brings death and God always brings life—the kind of full and abundant life that is worth having. With Jesus there is no bait and switch, but only grace, love, and life. Jesus delivers on every promise

How did James refer to the people he was writing to in verse 16? How can we prevent ourselves from being deceived?

n verse 16, James addresses the church. In fact, the entire New Testament was written to the church—a group of people seeking to follow Jesus together. Temptation and sin isolates us from God and from other people. And that is exactly what Satan wants. God intends for His children to live in biblical community. We’re meant to wrestle with our temptations together. Imagine what might have been different for the prodigal if he had a wise friend able to provide good advice.

With which friends can you be honest about your temptations and struggles?

Look up James 5:16. Why should we desire the kind of relationships where we can share our struggles and sins with one another?

End your time today being honest about your temptations. Write them down below. Then make time to talk to someone about your struggles.

_______________________

End today by asking God to deliver you from your temptations, knowing that He will provide a way out.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. – 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13

Group Answers Podcast

November 27, 2019

Church Leadership

November 18, 2019

The Cost of Opening Your Home

By Group Ministry

by Jared Musgrove

Place matters. A person and a people’s story is impossible to understand apart from their place of origin and life lived in a place. They learn their way in a place, they show their way in a place, and they make decisions to be in a place. We see this in the Lord Jesus Christ. He himself was like us in every respect (Hebrews 2) including His attachment to and choice of place. So, it is important to consider what places the Lord Himself chose to spend His time. And what He did when he was in those places.

The Gospels record the ministry of Jesus occurring in three places: public spaces, the synagogue, and the home. Each has an obvious 21st Century counterpart. But in Jesus’ time it was the home that was considered the foundation stone upon which the rest of society was built. As went the home so went society. Considered rightly alongside Scripture’s teaching on the importance of family and home, it should stand out to us that Jesus placed a special emphasis on homes as a place of intentional ministry. There are over 50 instances of this across the four gospels. Even later in His ministry, Jesus began to move away from primary ministry in the synagogue and public spaces, moving more to homes.

I am not setting out to prove the home as a primary place of ministry and evangelism. I’m just saying that Jesus already did. His practice of proximity in the most personal of places matters for how we see ourselves and our ministry. If we model Jesus, we see that ministry is often best done in community that allows intimacy. And there are not many places more intimate than someone’s home. Home Groups at The Village Church are our effort to shrink the church from corporation to this kind of closeness of camaraderie centered in Christ. They are our effort to do the mission of God much like Jesus did in many respects.

Jesus used the home to build relationships and heal others, thus allowing Him to demonstrate the very power and truth He came to teach. It was His apologetic in many cases. He used the opportunities that were made available to Him through the relationships and miracles to teach on matters of faith, law, grace, and general truth on various subjects. If we were to say it in a way that includes the modern day believer living as Jesus did, we may see the home as a place set apart to build relationships and provide a healing presence so that others may be open to the truth of the gospel. That they would have a reason to wonder why we believe what we believe because we first lived our belief right before their eyes. And that place of intimacy and safety becomes a place of revelation.

In this, Jesus’ ministry in homes was a ministry of love. Such love in the most private of places was a most potent apologetic to an unbelieving world. It still is.

In Jesus’ day, homes were places of hospitality and intimacy where the host would, in a way, open up their heart like they opened up the physical door of their home to others. They were places for knowing others and being known in the context of family and friendships. They were a context for bearing burdens and in many cases the primary context for ongoing participation in Christian living and witness to neighbors.

The potential and potency of such a live parable still exists in our day. Jesus shared hard truths in homes. Could it be that in this context He might do so in a less confrontational manner where the persons present may have listened closer and accepted more readily the insight of the Son of Man? What does this mean for we who are being conformed to His image who have homes to open? Nothing but possibility, so far as I can see.

First Century Jewish homes were a place of belonging and hospitality known by other peoples/nations (i.e. Not God’s People), so anomalous was the practice of welcoming a stranger in those days. This was the first and final apologetic in ancient Jewish culture. It still could be. Should be. Jesus clearly took advantage of homes to instruct, develop relationships, and perform miracles such that everyone present in the home left saying, “we’ve never seen anything like this!” So too is the possibility when we see our homes as a genesis in ministering Christ to the believer, to the lost, and to spiritual skeptics. That’s the possibility of a gospel-centered community that meets in a home. We won’t innovate a faithful way around this and we are fools to think we ever could surpass the Master’s plan of evangelism and ministry.

God sent His Son to dwell with His people. Jesus came in the midst of a culture that, unlike the peoples/nations around it, welcomed strangers and were hospitable to all. This is as it should be. God expects more of believers than He did or does of nonbelievers. God expected His people to be hospitable. He still does. And Jesus demonstrates it in acts that resonate to set the desire and direction across space and time. The incarnational God is revealed not only by Jesus coming to this earth, but in Jesus going into homes.

Whether or not the home is or should be the primary and most effective place for ministry in these postmodern times may depend upon context. Certain urban areas will have a difficult time with such home ministry because people may not want people in their space. There may be safety concerns. There may not exist a cultural memory of having someone in your home. If you have a home at all this week. In such very real contexts, the church building can be a sanctuary of a place. But this does not tend to be our context at The Village Church. We are sub-urban, we have dwelling places prime with such potential to affect for Christ.

It doesn’t take a program. It doesn’t take a budget meeting. It starts personally and starts in your homes and Home Groups. Begin by opening your home for a community to be affected by Jesus.

The Village Church’s community is costly. If you think what God has done here is easy then you don’t understand. We cannot be explained merely by the clear biblical truth that is preached powerfully and effectively; we cannot be explained by the fact that we have a staff of heavy hitter ministers, capable men and women working at the top of their game unto God; Those two things are important and they are a gift but The Village Church cannot be explained if you remove the third aspect. And that is there has been community here. And it has been costly community.

It is a costly thing to open one’s home. My wife and I have lost wedding gifts and family heirlooms because of it. We’ve personally welcomed people — even pastors — who struggle with their faith in God, who struggle with sexual attraction to their same gender, struggle with being a minority person of color, struggle with deep grief and health defects. We’ve lost sleep and time and money; we know members of this church who’ve lost so much more than that but gained a brother or sister in Christ because of it. It doesn’t take a program to minister the gospel like Jesus did. You don’t have to convince the elder board. All you have to do is open your home. Francis Schaeffer writes, “And there is no place in God’s world where there are no people who will come and share a home as long as it is a real home.” A compassionate, open home is part of Christian responsibility, and each family should practice it up to the level of their capacity. Jesus made no distinction between home or foreign missions — it was all evangelism to Him. Home Groups are our attempt to regularly emulate this practice as a people after Jesus.

Place still matters. It did to Jesus and it should to you. The home as a primary place of ministry mattered to Him. That’s why Home Groups matter to this church body. When evangelism and ministry happen in homes it seems to Scripturally and experientially be more effective than not. That’s the plan. That’s the place. That’s the why, what, and wonder of Home Groups.

Jared Steven Musgrove serves as Groups Pastor and elder at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The University of Oklahoma, a Master of Divinity in preaching from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry in leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the husband of Jenny and the father of two sons, Jordan and Joshua. You can follow him on Twitter @jsmusgrove

Church Leadership

November 7, 2019

10 Ways to Optimize Small Group Bible Study

By Group Ministry

by Reid Smith

As a small group leader, there are things that you can do in your preparation for your gatherings that can optimize the impact of God’s Word on people’s lives (Hebrews 4:12). These practices will actually help your group members get the most out of your Bible study together and become more responsive to the transformational work of the Holy Spirit in their lives:

1. Pray for it – Give each gathering over to Jesus. Pray for each group member by name. Ask for specific break-throughs and invite the Holy Spirit to have His way.

2. Preview it – It is well worth taking 15-minutes before each meeting to…

Read the key passages in at least two different translations (bible.com or biblegateway.com)
Refer to cross-references and commentaries to give yourself a good feel of the context.
Review the questions that are a part of the study you are using and select ones you sense your group will grab onto the best.
Reduce the volume of material given by 50%. This helps the group time feel more relaxed and more focused, which increases overall participation.
Rephrase the questions you decide to use in ways you think will spark further dialogue. Restating the same question in different ways helps some people formulate their thoughts.

3. Facilitate it – Don’t get into ‘teaching mode’ or feel like you have to have all the answers. You want your group’s Bible study to be a peer-to-peer learning experience where every person’s insight and personality influences the discussion. Here are some reusable questions that can enliven the dynamic of any discussion:

- What stands out to you in this passage? What impacted you during the reading?
- Was there something read that is new for you, reaffirming, confusing or challenging?
- How can we apply this to our lives today?
- How could this be shared with people who do not yet know Christ?
- Be patient with moments of silence. If nobody shares after a few seconds, put the question in another way. Here are a few other facilitation tips that will help to accelerate spiritual conversations: 1) Be ready to answer questions briefly and naturally if nobody initiates after giving a prolonged pause 2) People think primarily in pictures so try to portray a topic visually by applying questions to personal stories or hypothetical situations 3) Provide guardrails to keep the discussion on track so you don’t drift too far off topic.

4. Include them – When people feel included, they feel like they belong. When people feel like they belong, they want to engage. When people are engaged, they grow. Time may not allow for every person to participate in the way they would like, but you can help them feel more included by…

- Giving each person a purpose to fulfill in the group that corresponds with their gifting and passion – start them off with small tasks that have a shorter-term commitment.
- Circling back to people who have not shared, but looked like they were on the verge of saying something.
- Make eye-contact with those who share, acknowledging their input with simple affirmations like, “Thanks for sharing” or “Good insight,” and then try to relate it back to the passage being studied or keep the momentum going by inviting others to add their thoughts.
- Expressing your love for them, e.g. “I’m so glad you’re a part of our group!” Simple acknowledgements go a very long way in boosting people’s sense of belonging, which optimizes group Bible study in the future.

5. Open up – Not enough can be said about the importance of authenticity. This is essential to healthy leadership and Bible studies. The more open you are, the more open others will be. You make the group feel safe when you are real and it frees people up to be themselves, which is the kind of community everyone wants.

6. Listen up – One of the best ways you can love on the people in your group is to listen to them. This will probably mean you lay aside your own interests, agenda, or things you would like to say. Give people your full attention and reflect back to them that you understand by nodding or putting what they said into your own words to make sure you heard them correctly. When people see that others are being heard, they will feel more secure about opening up and sharing things on their heart.

7. Lighten up – People tend to be more reserved when there is a serious edge to the study. A light-hearted atmosphere actually encourages more involvement. If you have fun with it all, others will too.

8. Wrap-up – Summarize what happened in your group and give a teaser for what’s next before you end your group on time.

9. Follow-up – If somebody asks a question or shares a personal prayer need during your group study, be sure to follow-up with them. Also, don’t hesitate to contact people who said they were going to be at your Bible study, but were not. Let them know they were missed and see if there is anything they need.

10. Offer up – The way a group stays healthy in the long-run and goes deeper in their Bible study is by letting the grace of God flow outward. He wants to use our Christ-centered community to engage the world, not insulate ourselves from it (Acts 2:47; Rom 1:16, 10:14-15). God always makes room for the lost so expand your group circle as much as possible (Luke 15). He will provide the time and space for additional members if our hearts are seeking to extend His grace to those who have yet to come home. Practically-speaking, you can offer up your group by…

- Turning your group’s attention to lost people during your time of discussion and prayer.
- Telling members that you would LOVE for them to invite people they know to your group.
- Thinking together about how your group can share God’s grace with spiritually empty people.
- Traveling to locations beyond the home where you meet, e.g. hold your study in a public space or go on a mission trip together.
- Transitioning your group into new seasons of study by empowering people to look after different aspects of your group’s life together or handing off more responsibility to a person who could co-lead with you. This will prepare your group to multiply so that more people can be impacted by the love and message of Jesus Christ.

You know you’ve been successful at optimizing your small group’s Bible study if your group members love more: Love God more, love people more, love the lost more, and love Scripture more!

Reid Smith has been equipping leaders in churches of all sizes and stages of growth for effective disciple-making since 1996. He currently serves as a Pastor of Groups at Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach County, FL and has been a contributing author for various publications, including LifeWay’s Ministry Grid. Learn more about how to start and multiply healthy groups throughout your church at www.reidsmith.org.

Church Leadership

October 21, 2019

Seven Indicators Your Group Is a Disciple-Making Group

By Group Ministry

by Rick Howerton

There is much discussion about disciple-making and small groups. It seems to me that, for a period of time, the small group movement elevated community and diminished disciple-making. While the two go hand-in-hand, there are some elements of disciple-making that must be in play if we’re going to grow mature disciples who then make disciples. Use the list below to indicate whether or not your groups ministry has as its primary agenda focused on making disciples.

1. The goal of the group is to learn and obey God’s expectations (Matt. 28:20), not just to gather for meetings and be there for one another in difficult times.

2. Group members are aware of and encouraging one another to come out of their comfort zones when God’s expectations demand it.

3. The person leading the group has been trained in the disciple-making process and realizes their role is much more than just hosting meetings and fellowship experiences.

4. Group members are fully aware that the group leader is their personal disciple-maker and allow the group leader to encourage them and hold them accountable.

5. The person leading the group knows the stages of spiritual transformation, is aware of the level of spiritual maturity of each group member, and is moving each group member toward the next stage.

6. The person leading the group expects and holds group members accountable to read and study the Bible daily and spend time in prayer, as these two disciplines are the primary disciplines necessary for spiritual growth to occur.

7. The person leading the group takes very seriously modeling the lifestyle of Jesus for the growing disciples they lead.

Rick Howerton is the South Central Regional Consultant for the Kentucky Baptist Convention. He has authored many small group studies, is a highly sought-after trainer and speaker, and is the author of Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual as well as A Different Kind of Tribe: Embracing the New Small Group Dynamic. He is also the co-author of Disciples Path: A Practical Guide to Disciple Making and Countdown: Launching and Leading Transformational Groups. But Rick’s deepest passion and his goal in life is to see “a biblical small group within walking distance of every person on the planet making disciples that make disciples.”

Church Leadership

October 4, 2019

The One Thing We Don’t Do

By Reid Patton

In a recent sermon on guilt, my pastor said to the church, “I know you people. You come to my office for counseling, and most of the problems you have come because y’all don’t deal with your stuff.” What my pastor was saying is that most of us are not great at dealing with the sin in our lives. Even though we believe the gospel, that our sin has been taken care of at the cross, we still need to deal with the indwelling sin still lurking in our hearts. My suspicion is that the local church where I am member is not alone here. In fact, this problem goes all the way back to the garden.

When God did not accept Cain’s sacrifice, and Cain was sullen, God said, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent. If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:6b-7). The great Puritan pastor John Owen put it this way: “be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Because Cain did not deal with his sin, his sin dealt with him, and he killed his brother. We need keep watch over our lives because sin looks for any opportunity.

What my pastor, the Book of Genesis, and John Owen are all saying is that it is the duty of every believer to confess their sin and repent of it. Sin keeps us from fully experiencing the joy we were designed to have in Christ and damages our relationships with God and with other people. The mechanism God has given us to deal with our sin is confession and repentance (1 John 1:9; Mark 1:15). Repentance is not simply what brings us into faith with Christ, but it sustains our faith in Christ as we grow. We say no to sin and yes to God. That is what Owen had in mind when he wrote about killing sin—we continually repent of sin throughout our Christian life.

Our small groups are the ideal place to invite people into your personal battle against sin. Yet how few of us ever confess our sins to another believer as James suggested we should (5:16)? No, we typically do the opposite. We try and hide our sin from other people, afraid of what they might think of us. But guess what, everyone in your church and in your small group is a sinner. Therefore, after confessing your sin to God, the community of faith is the next best place to express your struggle with sin and find encouragement.

In her book Openness Unhindered, Rosaria Butterfield writes about the grace of confession in the community of the church: “After Pentecost, believers were ‘continually devoting themselves…to fellowship’ (Acts 2:42). In a real Christian community, there is no shame in repentance. Real Christian communities view repentant sinners as God sees them: cleansed and robed in Christ’s righteousness. And we know that that battle with sin is not finished until we die or Christ returns. For this reason, ‘from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh'” (2 Cor. 5:16).[1]

Butterfield’s point is that when we entered into the community of faith, we found a place where we are accepted despite our sin, because we aren’t recognized by our sin, but by the grace of God at work in our lives. Confession then is not a weight, but a freedom we can only find in Christ.

The people in your group should know about areas of your life where you are wrestling with sin. They should be aware of your struggle so they can pray for you and support you. They should know so they can hold you accountable. Confession is not an embarrassing burden but a great freedom secured for us by the blood of Christ.

All of this begins when you are open and honest about your own struggle and model what confession looks like. Lead from the front, and confess what is going on in your own heart. Be vulnerable to ask for prayer and accountability. Receive others confession with acceptance and grace while addressing it with prayer and pointing them back to the gospel. Make your small group a place where people can “deal with their stuff,” as my pastor suggested.

As small group leaders, you are on the front lines of ministry. You are the arms of the church and the first stop for pastoral care. Humbly embrace this responsibility and lead your groups to become a refuge where people can experience the life giving grace that comes from confessing sin and looking to Christ.

[1] Butterfield, Rosaria Champagne. Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ. Pittsburgh, PA: Crown & Covenant, 2015. Pg. 90.

Reid Patton is a Content Editor for the Custom Content Team at LifeWay Christian Resources, where he produces biblical small group studies for Discipleship In Context and SmallGroup.com. He is the thankful husband of Kristen and proud father of Ceile and serves with the Life Group leadership team at the Church at Station Hill in Spring Hill, Tennessee. In his free time, Reid likes reading and going to record stores. You can find him on Twitter@jreidpatton.

The Signposts of a Growing Disciple – Part 5

Top Bible Studies for Christmas

For You

For Your Group

3 Realities of Sin

The Cost of Opening Your Home

Seven Indicators Your Group Is a Disciple-Making Group

All Ministry Sites

Digital Resources

LifeWay Network