Creative Community

What is the most unbelievable experience you have ever had? Would you want to do it again? Why or why not?

Read Luke 1:26-35.

Have different group members tell what is (in their minds) the most unbelievable part of this story.

Read verse 29. Why do you think Mary was troubled/confused? What do you think were the thoughts racing through her head?

Time-Out for Doctrine: (More about Mary in a minute) Why do you think it was important that Jesus was born through a normal pregnancy? Why do you think it was important that He was born from a virgin? (warning: these issues have been debated by theologians for centuries!)

If you were Mary, what is the first thing you would have done when the angel left? Why?

What difficulties can you imagine Mary faced during her pregnancy (check out Matthew 1:18-19)?

If God sent an angel to you to deliver a message that you were about to enter a 9 month trial which would be worse than anything you'd ever been through, how would you respond?

Read Mary's response in Luke 1:38.

Mary begins her response by calling herself the servant of the Lord. What do you think it means for someone to be the servant of the Lord? How can we live as servants of the Lord?

Mary's response is, "Let it be..." or "May it happen". Why do you think Mary was willing to give up control of her life?

We all know that God desires to have control of our lives. How do some people avoid giving God control of their lives?

What areas of control in your life do you need to hand over to God? How can this group help you?

Beginning today, I'm going to be posting a few times a week summaries of chapters from books I've read over the past few years. These are the books that have really informed my thinking on discipleship and small groups. Hopefully, they'll provide a good opportunity for you to think through some of these same thoughts.

Today, I'm looking at chapter one from the book "Why Small Groups". This chapter is an essay written by C.J. Mahaney entitled, "Why Small Groups."

He begins by discussing the centrality of relationships in the Christian life. Early in the chapter, he quotes J.I. Packer on this topic.

J.I. Packer writes, "We should not think of our fellowship with other Christians as a spiritual luxury, an optional addition to the exercises of private devotions. Fellowship is one of the great words of the New Testament; it denotes something that is vital to a Christian's spiritual health, and central to the Church's true life... The church will flourish and Christians will be strong only when there is fellowship."

C.J. Mahaney adds, "Genuine fellowship isn't practical in a crowd of 200 or 2,000. That's why I feel so strongly that churches must create small groups where Christians can develop intimate relationships, where they can 'know and be known.' A church following a biblical model will not just 'have' small groups. It will not merely 'offer' small groups. Rather it will be built with small groups."

Mahaney lays out four Scriptural goals that should be accomplished in small groups. These goals are

• Progressive Sanctification -- an ongoing work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives. (in regards to Sanctification, Mahaney later says, "Small groups are not primarily intended for teaching and preaching; those functions are the responsibility of your pastor. Rather, small groups are designed for application.")
• Mutual Care -- the practical outworking of our sacrificial love for each other which results in meeting one another's needs and carrying one another's burdens.
• Fellowship -- participating in one another's lives because of the unifying bond we share in Jesus. This is more than just friendship or social activity, it is an active pursuit to see and be Jesus in the lives of other believers.
• The Ministry of the Holy Spirit -- using the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit to enhance our fellowship together and to accomplish Jesus' mission together.

Mahaney closes his essay by writing, "This is why we are committed to small groups. By his grace, together we are being changed into the image of Jesus Christ through progressive sanctification. Together we are experiencing mutual care, genuine fellowship, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit... We no longer just attend -- we participate. We no longer selfishly consume -- instead we're carrying out God's purpose for our lives as we contribute to the building of the local church."

Use the following questions to think on this topic a little more. Discuss your thoughts with others, or give some answers in the comments on this blog:

• What comes to mind when you hear the word "community"? How are the different ways this word is used?
• How important are relationships in the spiritual development of a Christian?
• How are these similar to and different from the words we use to describe LIFEGroups at Calvary (formative, caring, missional)?
• What are some practical ways some of these things might be implemented in a LIFEGroup?

Who were your "idols" when you were growing up? What kinds of things did you do because you were their fan(wear their clothes, talk like them, go to concerts, etc...)?

Read 1 John 5:20-21.

Why do you think John ends this book with a command to "keep yourselves from idols?"

What idols do you think the Christians to whom he was writing were worshiping?

What do you think he means by "idols"? What kinds of idol worship do people in our society struggle with?

In verse 20, John seems to emphasize that God and Jesus are the "TRUE" God. What makes something a false god?

Talk about the following four statements from 1 John. What idols do these statements confront?

• "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we lie..."
• "Do not love the world or anything in the world"
• "Do not be like Cain, who... murdered his brother"
• "Whoever does not love does not know God"

John says "keep yourself from idols". How would you express that same idea in your own words?

What idols have you allowed to replace God at times in your life? What can you do this week to avoid idols?

When have you given up something you really loved for the good of someone else? What did you give up? What benefit did your sacrifice provide?

Read 1 John 4:10. In the middle of the verse is the word "sacrifice" or "propitiation". Use the following questions to discuss what Christ's sacrifice/propitiation really meant.

What did Jesus' death satisfy?
What did Jesus' death pacify?
What did Jesus' death alleviate?
What did Jesus' death settle?

What does Jesus' death teach us about true love?

According to this verse, God's act of giving up His Son is the definition of love. Can you imagine anything or anyone for whom you would put your child/children to death? What does this teach us about God's love?

1 John 4:7-8 make it clear that anyone who claims to be God's child must love like God does. Loving is not as simple as just saying, "I love you." What kind of sacrifices are required to love the people in your life (spouse, children, friends, neighbors, co-workers)?

Read 1 John 4:9. According to this verse, God sent Jesus to be like us so that we would understand how much he loves us. The theological word for this is to "incarnate". A more common expression would be to "connect with". (Read more in Philippians 2)

What does it mean to "connect with" someone?

When have you felt love because someone took the time to really connect with you or what you were going through?

What can you do this week to show someone love by connecting with them?