This Sunday, January 22, we begin our sign-ups for Oasis Groups. These are times where we meet on a weeknight, in either a home or a Starbucks type location, for the purpose of reading God’s Word and praying for each other. This is one of the main ways that we are able to fellowship and show love for each other… the way we get to connect and be the body of Christ!
A couple of weeks ago, I came across some reasons to join a group from an email that I believe was from Rick Warren… let me share a few reasons why you should join a group this winter…
1. A small group moves me out of self-centered isolation… or as we say it at Oasis, No One Stands Alone. It’s the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family. It’s a lab for practicing unselfish, sympathetic love. You learn to care about others and share the experiences of others and only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect believers can we learn real fellowship and experience the connection God intends for us to have — Ephesians 4:16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
- REAL fellowship is being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ: “Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (1 John 3:16). This is the kind of sacrificial love God expects you to show other believers—loving them in the same way Jesus loves you.
2. A small group helps me develop spiritual muscle. You’ll never grow to maturity just by attending worship services and being a passive spectator. One of the main tools of spiritual growth is participation in a small group, where your spiritual muscles get a regular workout.
Over fifty times in the New Testament either the phrase “one another” or “each other” is used. We‘re commanded to love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, admonish each other, greet each other, serve each other, teach each other, accept each other, honor each other, bear each other’s burdens, forgive each other, submit to each other, be devoted to each other, and many other mutual tasks! These are your “family responsibilities” if you claim to be a part of God’s family. Who are you doing these with?
- We need more than the Bible in order to grow; we need other believers.
- When others share what God is teaching them, I learn and grow too!
3. A small group confirms my identity as a genuine believer. I can’t claim to be following Christ if I’m not committed to any specific group of disciples. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35 NLT). When we come together in love as a small group from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and social status, it’s a witness to the world. You’re not the Body of Christ on your own. You need others to express that. Together, not separated, we are his Body.
Check back tomorrow for more reasons to join an Oasis Group… and then follow through, and get connected to a group this Sunday!
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