Big Things Happen in Small Groups!

What do a former IBM executive, a business icon, an American cultural anthropologist, and the Lord Jesus Christ all have in common?  You guessed it!  They all know that big things happen in small groups!

Former IBM executive and business mentor Steve Evans knows building relationships in small group meetings is a key to success in the marketplace.  Hey says, “It’s all about connection I tell people—it’s all about networking.  You’re not going to make this next step by sitting at home and looking at the Internet.  The only way you’re going to get engaged and sharpen up your resume is to start networking.  The worst thing you can do is sit at home in front of that computer.  You’ll never find anything.  People find careers, they find changes in jobs, they find opportunities by knowing people, by sitting down and having lunch with people.”

 

Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us that meeting together is an activity we should not neglect.  It says, “24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Reading John D. Rockefeller’s biography, Titan, I was struck by his daily luncheon habits. Each day, without fail, he’d sit down with his key people, have lunch, and talk.  At first, the meetings included only Rockefeller and the four co-founders of Standard Oil.  But as decades wore on and the company grew, the meetings came to include Rockefeller’s nine directors.  And yes, they continued to meet daily.

Consciously or not, Rockefeller understood that the word company meant “to share bread.”  He knew that by gathering his top lieutenants and advisors each day for a meal, their personal and professional relationships would be strengthened.  Fortified for another day, each could go out and do his share to conquer the oil industry or Wall Street or whatever the current target might have been.  Did it matter that the meetings occurred daily?  I’m confident Rockefeller would say an emphatic “Yes!”  (Verne Harnish, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits)

In Acts 2:42-47 we get a picture of what life was like for the early church.  Notice how frequently they met in the temple courts and in their homes.  42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  Acts 2:42-47

Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples.  He expected them to do what they had seen Him do.  Paul told Timothy to take what he learned from Paul and teach to others who would teach others (2 Timothy 2:2).  Paul expected his disciple to make disciples.  No one had the option of just being a believer in Jesus.  All Christians should be disciples and all Christians should make disciples.  The best way to start making disciples is to follow the example of Jesus by selecting a small group of potential disciples.  Jesus’ small group of disciples would go on to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6)!  Big things happen in small groups!

1 Corinthians 4:20 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”

We share and show the love of Christ.  The gospel of Jesus Christ requires both proclamation and demonstration.  Both matter!  God’s people are called to live for Jesus’ kingdom mission.  The church is called to “make disciples” while also “teaching them to observe everything” Jesus commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20), leading all believers to lead kingdom-shaped lives.  This is done best in small group ministry.

How to expand the ministry by starting a small group:

1.     Include two or three others believers from your church who desire to make disciples by reaching the lost.

2.     Intercede for your lost friends, family and acquaintances.

3.     Invite friends, family and acquaintances to your church and small groups.

Ed Stetzer, President of Lifeway Research believes his small group is the most significant ministry activity he does for Christ during the week.  In his book Subversive Kingdom, he writes, “The way we (Lifeway Research) make our “biggest” difference is by thinking small, helping pockets and handfuls of Christian groups in churches all over the nation and world seek to live on a kingdom mission.  When I go home from work, I enjoy being part of one of those (small) groups in my own neighborhood.  Though I largely spend my day writing, doing research, or traveling to speak, I believe the closest thing I do for kingdom effort is what I do on Sunday night, leading a small group in my neighborhood, ministering and being in community with those who live around me, spending time with five or six families in close, intimate discussion about the things of God.” 

I’ll conclude with a quote from American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead.  While studying humans and their works she observed firsthand the power of a small group of people meeting together for a common purpose.  She said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

Big things happen in small groups!  Are you in a small group?