Sunday, October 7, 2012

Three Reasons to Join a Community Group!


When you hear an invitation to get into a Community Group, maybe you feel like you’re too busy and can’t add “1 more thing” to your life.  So why does it matter anyway? What’s the big deal about being in a Community Group?
I’m glad you asked! Here’s a few reasons that I think a Community Group should be a high priority for every follower of Jesus:
1. God created you for authentic community relationships
Five times in Genesis 1 it says that after God created, He “saw that it was good.” At the end of the chapter it says, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” Then in the very next chapter, the story line changes to something not good!
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone…”  Gen 2:18a
Isolation isn’t part of God’s plan for your life. His solution to the problem of isolation was family; God created Eve to be Adam’s wife and fill the void of being alone. God made every human being with an internal need for authentic relationships, and when we don’t have them, we experience loneliness.
In the New Testament, both Peter and Paul refer to the church as the “family of believers.” God provided you with a spiritual family, and in that family you will find the relational connections that defeat the discouragement of isolation.
2. We grow and change best in accountable community
If I were to ask you if there are areas that you need to grow in, chances are, you’d say “yes” and know right away what needs to change. If you’re serious about growing to be more like Jesus, then you’d better seriously considering doing it in a community of friends!
In a couple of studies on heart patients, it was discovered that:
  • Only 1 out of 10 people were able to change to a healthy lifestyle when they were on their own
  • 8 out of 10 people made significant and lasting changes to their diet, exercise, and habits when they were in an accountable community group that met weekly for one year
 
So what do heart patient studies have to do with the Christian life? Those studies exposed a principle of human nature that I’ve seen to be true in being able to stay the course in following Jesus. That’s what the writer of Hebrews was talking about when he wrote these words:
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:12-13)
We might think that some sins are “no big deal” or that “it doesn’t hurt anyone.” But as this verse describes, when we dabble in sin, it causes us to grow cold toward God and we turn away from him as a result. When we’re in accountable community with others who are also on a spiritual journey toward Jesus, they encourage us and help keep us from being ensnared by the deceptiveness of sin.
On the other side of the table, your Christian brothers and sisters need you to be there to encourage them to keep walking with Jesus and not be deceived by sin! You need your brothers and sisters, and they need you.
3. You’ll have a blast with your new friends!
Every Community Group needs to include a good dose of food and fun! And if you start going to a Community Group and they’re not having any fun, maybe God sent you to the group to liven it up!
So… what do you think? Is your spiritual life worth the time and effort needed to be in a community of friends? Invite a friend to join you and go find a group this week!
http://www.sdrock.com/communitygroups & click on “Find a Group”
“Bringing Pervasive Hope to San Diego as we grow closer to Jesus
in a community of friends”

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