Week One sermon notes for series: “Jesus is in a Small Group…Are you?”

Today, we have a gathering of people who are interested in Jesus. Some of you love him. You follow after him. Others are newer to this church or perhaps brand new (first timers). Regardless, the central theme of all the songs, scriptures, dancing, shouting, preaching, praying is JESUS.

We are looking to HIM for our salvation. We are wanting him to be an active part of our life.

I have a secret that I want to share with you. Many of you might not know.

I know where he meets with people.

I know how you can get to know him better.

I know where Jesus hangs out.

AND I WANT TO LET YOU IN ON THIS SECRET, and so I have titled this message series:

JESUS IS IN A SMALL GROUP. Are you?

Jesus taught 5000 people and then fed them (Mark 6).  He led 120 to the upper room (Acts 1).  He sent 70 out in the Gospels to teach (Luke 10).

However, the reason that we are sitting here today is not because of the 5000 or the 120.

The reason that the gospel message is alive and well and continuing to bring freedom to people 2000 years after Jesus walked on the earth is because he spent the majority of his time with 12 men and a few women.

Mark 3: 13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons.

Jesus MADE DISCIPLES in a Small Group!  Jesus lived with them, ate with them, traveled with them, knew them personally and intimately.  It was in his small group that the world was going to be changed forever.

Jesus was intentional about his relationship with these 12 guys. He asked them to go on a journey with him. They said yes.

So, in present times, there are many ways to do this. You can do this on your own. Get some folks together and intentionally relate and hang out with Jesus together.  Jesus is here on Sundays and First Wednesdays. He is in the preaching and teaching and singing.  But Jesus doesn’t really get into your business until you get into his small group.

On Sept 7, we are going to launch around 50 groups here at PromiseLand. These groups will meet for the next 4 months. When you join one of these groups you are saying that you are intentionally trying to grow closer to God and other believers.

It is within the context of 4 to 12 people that you start uncovering and discovering an intimate Jesus who applies directly to your everyday life!

Why does this happen? 

1. You and Jesus are FOUND in a Small Group

Small Groups keep the church small. This church has grown exponentially since 2003.  Now, look at this place. It is getting BIG and beautiful. It is easy to get lost in the crowd. It is easy to go unnoticed. It is easy to hide. You can hide in the 5000, but you can’t hide in the 12.

When you start to be distracted by the lies of the devil, there is someone there to immediately to pick your chin up and encourage you. To point you back to the cross. To get you back on your feet.  We call this accountability.

It’s not just about you hiding. It’s also about Jesus not hiding. Luke 5 talks Jesus would often be worn out from the pace of ministering to the crowd, but he was always accessible to the small group.  You see Jesus in a Small Group more closely and intimately than you do when you are sitting with the 5000.

James “Tbear”, our youth pastor, goes to the local schools almost everyday and takes pizza. He sits at one of the tables and has a small group. There are a core group of kids that sit with him everyday and he shares stories, prayers, scripture, life with them. There are always other kids that come and sit on the sidelines and eat the free pizza. Many of them never come to church. Chance sat on the sidelines off and on for 2 years, ate pizza and talked to Tbear about life. Chance graduated and went off to live his life, but things got really tough for Chance and he started to be depressed and suicidal. He was at the end of his rope and remember somewhere he could go. He remember someone he could talk to. He remember Jesus sitting at the lunch table at the high school. He called Tbear, came to the church and gave his life to Jesus! We baptized him right in the middle of church in January.

Jesus is in a Small Group.

2. We Learn From Each Other

The most important part of the small group is not the meeting. Not the activities planned. Not the food eaten. Even the subject of the discussion or lesson is not the most important thing.

The most important lessons are learned IN the relationships you have with the people in the group. The subject or lesson is an excuse to get you there. You will learn some things.

It is like when I got my bachelors degree at Texas State in Marketing. Out of all the things I learned in college, about 30% was about marketing. 70% was about how to work with deadlines, how to work with a team, how to study, how to research, how to work with an impossible project. I remember taking the history of Art when I was a sophomore in college. The history of art. I don’t remember 1 thing about the history of art that I learned in that class. However, I can tell you a whole lot about the relationship that I had with Hope McGee who sat next to me in the history of art.

It is in our relationship and conversation, the way we live life together that we learn the most about Jesus.  The most powerful lessons that Jesus teaches in the Bible are not sermons, they are hands on application while eating or walking with the disciples.  They are in the natural rhythms of life. We need to be in relationship with each other so that Jesus can show up in our conversations and everyday life.

Some of the deepest lessons I learned as a son is when I was riding in the car with my dad and he would make a simple statement about something we saw passing by.  I remember him saying one sentence, “Robin, if you say you are going to do something, then you need to keep you word. Your word is your bond.”

PROMO for Leader Training

A few weeks back, we presented the idea of some of you leading a new small group. Some of you have never done this. It seems intimidating to lead a group.

It is not that hard. Jesus is the leader of the group, he simply needs you to be available to gather folks.

We want to teach you how to lead a small group. We have two sessions this week

Wednesday 6:30pm and Thursday 6:30pm. These are identical training nights. You simply pick one that fits your schedule best and show up. Even if you haven’t signed up yet, you can attend one of these meetings.

We will get you ready in this 90min session. We will get you on the right path.

• You can lead a discussion group based on the Sunday sermon
• You can lead a discussion group based on a book.
• You can lead a group based on common interests (bowling, fishing, crafts, golf, writing, etc)

Let’s pray now! Stand with me and let’s talk to an intimate and personal Jesus that is ready to relate and connect with you right now.

Let’s confess our sin and ask him into our lives. Let’s commit our life to him.

Let’s ask him to lead us into a group of other believers that will help us grow!