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“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.… Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart…” Acts 2:42 & 46

This model of the early church is as valid today as it was in the first century. In many ways it may be even more so considering the mobility we enjoy and the demands that compete for our attention. Being able to gather together with one another in true fellowship to encourage, nurture, worship, and be on mission together is life giving.

Without a doubt, we are blessed every Sunday at Mountain Christian with excellent teaching and uplifting worship. Having attended many different churches over the course of our lives, we love the ability to celebrate communion each week. We are grateful, Mountain Christian calls us to this remembrance regularly, just as Christ commanded.

Small groups are inherently different. As we gather in our home, we are able to experience life together in a more intimate setting. Sharing a meal together, worshiping in prayer and singing, growing in our knowledge of God’s Word through interactive inductive Bible study, and finding opportunities to serve the church and community together are all elements that bind us more closely together. We love one another and demonstrate that in coming alongside with help when needed, whether it is serving each other with meal preparation or helping with auto repairs or household moves. And we love one another by praying for our needs, concerns, and burdens.

Small groups have been an important element of our Christian walk since our introduction to them in college ministry. Rarely have we not participated in or led a small group. They have been instrumental in helping us to mature as believers and to develop deep community in the churches we have found ourselves in across the country, from Wyoming to Virginia to California to New Mexico. When we think of these church bodies (most of them quite large), we do not necessarily remember the pastors. But we remember vividly Rye and Cathy, Lissa, John and Lori, Kevin, Dan and Dolly, Brenda. These individuals walked with us through major life changes, times of disappointment and struggle, as well as moments of victory and celebration. They admonished and encouraged us and shared their lives with us.

We love the small group we are blessed to lead now and the beautiful people we call brothers and sisters who join us faithfully. (You know who you are.) We love watching and experiencing the Lord revealing Himself anew as we study His Word. We love hearing, knowing, and participating in the work He is doing in each of us.

If you do not already participate in a small group community, may we encourage you to seek one out or start your own.

Several years ago, I decided I wanted to do some in-depth Bible studying. At that time, my mother introduced me to some great material that helped me study better individually. I shared this information with my dear friend Bernadette Gutierrez and she mentioned a Community Group at Mountain Christian Church and the Bible study they were doing at that time. During that time period, the group met in members’ homes and Bernadette was hosting when I first checked them out. 

I was also having a lot of questions and searching because of changes in the church I was raised in. Bernadette mentioned that meeting with Pastor Frank might help me with those challenges. We met and his help was invaluable and continues to be so. Shortly after checking out the Community Group, I became a frequent attendee and am now very involved with that group – that was about four years ago. As a result of getting to know the families in that group and my discussions with Frank, I also started coming to Sunday services and became more active in the church. 

Next this led me to joining Pam Cravens’ Women’s Community Bible Study group. The ladies in this group have become sisters in Christ for me and we stay in contact throughout the year (not just during active studies). Our group has grown in the last year and I feel like God has put us all together to support each other in challenging times and times of praise.

The next group I found was the Women’s Discipleship Group and I have now been with them for about two years and found the same sisterhood with them. 

One of the things that the Community Group, also known as the Wednesday Warriors, has done for the last several years is support the Shine winter food boxes. This experience brought my husband and me ways to be more involved in various outreach programs at MCC. One of the things that draws us to MCC is how much the church family supports the local community and we love being part of this. This led to us being involved in the preparations for VBS this year. 

Thanks to all the wonderful people I have met through these three groups I have found the following answers to my prayers:

• the church family that I have been seeking most of my life
• a wonderful way to continue my study of God’s Word (both individually and with my three small groups)
• a wonderful way to be more involved in outreach for our East Mountain Community and the opportunities to “pay it forward”

Our dear Lord and Savior is wonderful and has brought us so many blessings through the wonderful small groups and church family at Mountain Christian Church.

If you'd like more information on the small groups offered at MCC, contact Cruz Talamantes. 

Why should you belong to a small group at church? Some common answers spring to mind.

Because that’s the expectation set by your church. In many churches, to be a true-blue member you’re supposed to come regularly on Sunday, give money and go to a small group. This is actually not a bad rule of thumb by which to recognize committed church involvement, but is it really an adequate reason for going to small groups? Because I kind of have to in order to belong to the club?

Because it’s a great way to get to know people and feel part of the church community. This feels better, and at least has a bit of relational zip to it. It is indeed hard in a church of even moderate size to really get to know people over a quick cuppa on Sunday morning. Small groups usually help with that.

Even so, I’m not sure any of these reasons are going to motivate us consistently to drag ourselves out the door every week at the end of a long day to engage in chit-chat with a bunch of other tired people. Not to mention the fact we still haven’t said anything related to … you know, God.

Does God have a why for us to join a small group?

He does as it turns out.

Does God have a why for us to join a small group? He does as it turns out.

The reason God gathers us together in Christian communities is not just so we get to know people or feel the warmth of being part of a group of like-minded people—it’s for a specific purpose.

Of the many places we find this purpose in the Bible, one of the clearest is in Colossians 3. This extraordinary chapter starts by summarizing the foundation and essence of the Christian life: “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (vv. 3-4).

Our new life is summed up in one word: ‘Christ’. We’re united with him in his death and resurrection. His life is our life.

The rest of the chapter is about living in light of that stunning truth—that is, killing off every vestige of our old fleshly life (anger, lies, malice, that sort of thing) and clothing ourselves instead in the new Christ-like life that we’ve been given, “which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (v. 10).

The punchline is in verse 17. Since our life = Christ, then everything we do—every word and every deed—should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

What does this have to do with why God gathers us into Christian communities, including the little communities we call small groups?

Everything, and it is spelled out in verses 12-16. This new life in Christ is essentially and unavoidably a team life. It’s something we do together as God’s chosen and beloved people:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Three things stand out in this paragraph:

1. Our [community] life is complicated by the ongoing sinful vestiges of our old selves. There’s a constant need for humility and kindness and forbearance. We all have growing to do.
2. The over-arching characteristic of our community life is love—which isn’t so surprising, given that it is a life lived in the name of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us.
3. Our task—in love, and with much patience and kindness—is to increase the rich presence of the word of Christ amongst each other by speaking it to each other. The word of Christ is what grows and changes us to be like Christ. The more it permeates our lives, the more each word and deed of our lives will be done in his name.

*Come back next week to read the rest of why God calls us to community….

TheGospelCoalition. Why Be a Small Group Member. February 20, 2022. Tony Payne.

https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-be-a-small-group-member/