Life groups. Connect groups. Small groups. Cell groups. Whatever the name...the importance cannot be captured. The titles do NOT do the justice that the LORD our God intended for the church.
Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord PAID ATTENTION AND HEARD THEM, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. They shall be mine, says the LORD, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them. THEN YOU SHALL SEE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and one who does not serve him. Malachi 3:16-18
We're built for relationships. Healing, life-giving, restoring, building, sharpening relationships. Moments like those aren't forgotten and often times can be tied with significant memories that stay with you forever and directly coincide with a launch of new season the LORD is bringing you in.
I don't believe the church will be what it is called to be without sustainable, encouraging, RELEVANT, passionate, prayer-saturated, Holy-Spirit annointed, TRUTH speaking, HEART POURING life groups.
Church are you not sick of the world consuming your heart? Are you satisfied? Are you not hungry to live your best life?
There is no growth because there is no true confession. There is no true confession because there is no solid relationships to have the 'safety' and 'confidence' of truthful confession...and there's no relationships because were all doing life SAFE and ALONE.
Whoever conceals his transgressions will NOT prosper, but he who confesses AND forsakes them will obtain mercy. Proverbs 28:13.
It's not comfortable to share your sin - it's not suppose to be - BUT it is freeing and there is mercy.
I love Proverbs 28:13 for so many reasons. 1. To be in a position to have relationships with people and with the Lord that you can be transparent. Confess. And move forward. That's real LIFE. That's a healing life that CHRIST DIED FOR! 2. To confess and have relationships that keep you accountable to remove that sin from your life - that you may never revisit it and move ONWARD with the LORD...that is FREEDOM!
ONWARD! Isn't that what we all want!?!? To wake up in the morning and know we're moving onward....that we aren't stuck..in the same thing, in the same season...
ONWARD! Don't we all want something new and fresh?!? Not coming back to the same thing. Who wants the same meal everyday? Better question: Who wants to keep coming back to what's NOT working, rotten and old?
A fool who repeats his foolishness is like a dog that goes back to what it has thrown up. Proverbs 26:11
Frick NASTY. That's what a repeatitive, unrepented sin life-style looks like. Gross. I want fresh food, fresh moves and a refreshing life. NOT what I've ate, hated and thrown up.
I believe the small group of 12 that surrounded Jesus saw new things EVERYDAY. New miracles, NEW spiritual food, NEW insight..NEW..And I believe they were convicted, enlightened and refreshed everyday....EVERYDAY! Jesus walked with them though they were sinners and would continue to sin and make mistakes...even to the point of denying knowing him and getting him arrested and put on a cross...But HE walked with them still...STILL.
We aren't a lost cause. You are NOT TOO FAR GONE..NOR WILL YOU EVER BE. Jesus washed Judas's feet. Judas made the choice.
We have a choice...
Choices...
The beauty of the LORD...He gives us the choice.
He provides love and grace to all who CHOOSE.
And with that CHOICE... We have the opportunity to share in life. To make a CHOICE..
To do life together. To be free TOGETHER. To grow TOGETHER.
Without doing life together - be CAN'T truly....TRULY.. be FREE and GROW.
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