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The Presence and the Presents
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When the conversation related to the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, the Apostle Paul never seemed to lack for words. He wanted people to be informed about how God worked in and through his people. He showed no reticence in addressing this topic, as it seems that he experienced the presence of God’s Spirit in ways that we might label today as unusual. It is somewhat remarkable to me how comfortable we have become with doing church without an expectation that God might show up.
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Community in the Power of the Spirit
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Did you know that God has brought you to our church for a purpose? Did you know that you have a purpose to fulfill that nobody else can fulfill in the same way you can? You are called, uniquely gifted, and needed to accomplish the plans the Lord has for our church body. Did you know that being connected with others allows you to live your life in a way that you would not have otherwise been able to live with it? How can a hand function if it is not attached to an arm?
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Small Groups … Just as God Wants Them
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Have you ever wondered what Jesus was doing during those 40 days in the dessert? Unfortunately, the Bible does not provide lots of details, perhaps because Jesus was alone. We know that he was fasting, and one thing that is always connected with fasting is prayer. Jesus was a man of prayer, and he never did anything or taught anything without first consulting his Father. I think we can assume that Jesus was spending at least some of this time (if not most) talking and listening to the Father about the start of his impending ministry, a large part of which was the selection and discipleship of His small group of followers—the 12 apostles.
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Group Graces
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Now, a key thing to remember about “little graces” is that they have no meaning outside the context of community. Without community, there is no need for spiritual gifts. God gave them to you as an expression of love for the sake of investing in the lives of people around you. That is why in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about how ridiculous it is for a person with one gift to look at someone else with another gift and say “mine is better than yours” or “I don’t really need you”. It makes no sense. There is no “I” in spiritual gifts outside the context of “we”. You see, God himself is present in places where each person uses his or her spiritual gifts as part of the team to bless others.
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Gift-based Groups as a Catalyst for Life Change
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Imagine calling out everyone with the gift of evangelism to begin a “Going Group” that would encourage other groups in your church to share their faith! Imagine calling out everyone in your church with the gift of mercy or service to begin a group-based “Helping Hands” ministry! The possibilities are limitless! A small group ministry is a strategic means of unleashing the latent power of the spiritual gifts that God has placed within your church body.
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Not All Small Group Leaders Are Shepherds…and That’s OK!
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Over the years, dialogue about small group leadership has revolved around the gifting of a “shepherd.” This thinking has been so pervasive that it is often assumed the best small group leaders are people with the spiritual gift of shepherd. The role, or gifting, of a shepherd will always be a major factor in how we view and discuss small group leadership, but it is time for the mold that has been cast around the spiritual gift of a shepherd to be broken.
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Discovering Spiritual Gifts in the Small Group Setting
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Small group gatherings highlight multiple aspects of the spiritual community, and none more so than the unique gifts given by God to individual people for specialized roles and responsibilities.
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Getting Every Member into the Ministry
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My experience is that most Christians DON’T KNOW about their spiritual gifts. That’s because in the typical church there really isn’t much opportunity to practice them unless yours is one of the few public gifts.
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Spiritual Gifts and Small Group Life
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"Joel, you’re placing too much emphasis on small groups," the board member insisted. "I believe we should focus on developing more ministries in our church--
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How Small Groups "Discover" Spiritual Gifts
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I have a number of different gift assessment tools at my disposal. I have used an eight-week curriculum that utilizes video, overheads, a nice book, and a leader's guide in classes and small groups.
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