Spiritual disciplines help us to grow as learners and followers of Jesus Christ. Since small groups are relational by design, they help believers activate spiritual practices that mature them in Christ and further the mission of the Church. We will look at a list of key spiritual disciplines that can be exercised in community, result in life-transformation, and keep your small groups and church on mission. Emphasis will be placed on why community is integral to the actual nature and effective outworking of spiritual disciplines. Also, "growth tips" will be offered on how to strengthen the development of each spiritual discipline in small group life.
• Fellowship—A "church" is a gathering of 'called out ones', as the Greek word (ekklesia) suggests, so it is both physical and spiritual in nature. It is why the reference to gathering in Jesus' Name in Matthew 18:20 is viewed by many as the starting point for understanding the Church. Small groups help believers gather in Jesus' Name, and when they are gathered in His Name, He is present in their midst. When He is in our midst, there is power to exercise all the other spiritual disciplines so that we can respond to God's work in our lives, our group, and our church. Therefore, fellowship encourages the growth of all the other spiritual disciplines listed, which is why we are exhorted to not stop meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). We find encouragement to persevere and live in a way that is pleasing to God when we have the support of other believers around us. Faith is contagious. We experience more of God together than we ever could in our own individual experiences (Beckham).
Growth Tip: Allow fellowship to serve as book ends to your small group format. Pre-planned fellowship on the front end helps the group time feel less agenda-driven and more relational because it takes the edge off the start time and allows people to catch up. Fellowship at the end provides a time cushion and allows people to connect more and process through their insights and experiences in the group.
• Prayer – This practice, along with the next, are considered primary among spiritual disciplines. Prayer is communion with God. Like most of the spiritual disciplines, this can be done in private or public. The best historical account of the Early Church in existence, the New Testament book of Acts, gives numerous examples of believers praying together (Acts 1:14, 24; 2:42; 3:1; 4:24, 31; 6:6; 8:15; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 14:23; 16:25; 20:36; 21:5). Many of the psalms were private prayers in origin but were recorded to be used in corporate worship. When we witness a believer's communion with God, it can enrich our own. Furthermore, we need the prayers of others for our own spiritual well-being. In his book, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: "A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses." Oftentimes, prayer provides glimpses of people's heart condition in ways discussion does not always allow. Some of the most candid moments in my small group have come during a time of prayer together. Ministry is oftentimes embedded in this spiritual practice, and group prayer helps to unearth it. Prayer prepares the way for holy moments where our fellowship deepens and we are enabled to minister in power to one another.
Growth Tip: A couple of ways you can strengthen this spiritual discipline with your group members is to introduce prayer during different parts of your meeting. For example, do not always have it follow your Bible study. Include brief prayers in your discussion time and express prayer in different ways (thanks, adoration, petition, and ministry). The more your group gets to know one another, the more freely you can ask different people to lead out in prayer.
• Bible Study—Most of the New Testament was written in the midst of two or more and was created to be read aloud and lived out together in the new churches being planted throughout the Roman Empire. Additionally, the Bible study of the first century was communal in nature and provided a system of education and mutual encouragement for the emerging communities of believers. An example of a first century bible study discussion can be found in Acts 20:7a, which says, "On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion [dielegeto] with them…" (NRSV). Two of Jesus' most prominent and extensive teaching monologues—The Sermon on the Mount and The Last Supper—were delivered to a community of disciples and within a community of disciples (Matthew 5-7, John 13-17). Again, Bonhoeffer offers insight from Life Together :
"A Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without [distorting] the truth… The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother's is sure"
My learning of God's Word is accentuated when I hear the insights of others. Their perspective, added to mine, brings things into sharper focus.
Growth Tip: Acknowledgement encourages involvement. Find a way to recognize each person's input because this has a way of rolling out the mat for others to participate. The more people feel free to share, the more energy there will be to your discussions. Rotating leadership is also empowering for the group as a whole. The person leading develops their skills at facilitating discussion and demonstrates how others can do the same.
• Communion—This practice, along with baptism, is a primary sacrament of the Church and involves community. Though communion may be done in private, the biblical example shows this to be a communal event that involved the sharing of food (Acts 2:46b; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34). It is an expression of worship and an act of remembrance any believer is authorized and able to do. Receiving communion together honors Christ, communicates the Good News, and displays the unity of the church (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).
Growth Tip: Bring bread and beverage to your group, open by reading from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, distribute the elements, give thanks for Christ's sacrifice, explain what the elements represent, provide a time of quiet reflection, and close with a brief prayer of thanksgiving. Practicing communion in your group conveys how all believers are ministers and confers a fresh sense of authority in how your members minister to one another. It strengthens your group's bond and deepens the way your group worships together.
• Confession—Confession points out that we need one another for full healing. It holds such importance that we are advised to make it a common practice (James 5:16). Healing results from confession because the dark areas of a person's life where sin likes to remain concealed is exposed to the light of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:5-7). Confession breaks sin's power, enabling people to respond to God's transforming grace and to extend what they have received in Christ to others (Romans 8:5-11; Galatians 5:16-26).
Growth Tip: The small group leader sets the pace for vulnerability in the group. Vulnerability is a necessary ingredient for confession to become a spiritual discipline that is exercised in your group. The more real a group leader can be, the more free people are to be themselves and to receive the healing God wants to bring. When the group leader models confession, it empowers others to do the same. There may be times that are more conducive to breaking up into smaller prayer groups or same-sex breakouts, which can encourage more openness.Pray for discernment in how to introduce this spiritual discipline in your group.
• Ministry—Ministry is the outworking of our Christian life and involves the giving of our time, talents, and treasure in Jesus' Name. It involves the exchange of God's life-giving grace and takes on many expressions: Loving my neighbor, carrying the burdens of a fellow believer, exercising my spiritual gifts, and sharing the resources that God has blessed me with so I can be a blessing to others and advance God's purposes in the world. Ministry is relational by nature and has the effect of building community.
Growth Tip: Aim to create an interactive environment in your small group. When somebody shares how God is doing something transformational in their life, pause the discussion and affirm what the Lord is doing. If somebody is sharing a struggle, lay hands on the person and pray. Invite others to do the same. Allow prayer and bible study to ignite ministry moments. Then model care and demonstrate how ministry is a priority over your group's meeting agenda. To paint a picture of what in-group ministry can look like go to www.biblegateway.com and do a quick search of the phrase "love one another."
• Outreach—If I am to encounter God, I must meet my brother in need (Matthew 25:40, 2 Corinthians 5:19). I cannot ignore one command and follow the other. I cannot walk with Him and leave my neighbor behind. Evangelism is how I 'love much', which I am constrained to do since in Christ I have been 'given much' (Luke 7:47, 12:48). God commands us to reach out and invite others to follow Him (Luke 14:23), which is an act of obedience that is inherently relational. It is our purpose as the people of God, His Church (2 Corinthians 5:13-21;Ephesians 3:10, Matthew 28:19-20). Relationships fuel disciple-making, which enlarges the family of God.From beginning to end, evangelism involves community. There are things we just would not do without the encouragement of other believers around us. Our evangelistic potential is multiplied with the addition of just one other Christ-follower by our side. This is why Jesus sent out His apostles and other disciples two-by-two (Mark 6:7-8; Luke 10:1-2). Partnerships are essential in outreach because they enable usto see more possibilities and to share the Good News more effectively. We are stronger together.
Growth Tip: Three simple steps small group leaders can take that develop outreach in group life are: 1) Set the expectation 2) Pray for the lost 3) Appoint members to ministry roles. It refreshes the group to discuss its purpose at the outset of each new season. Before you enter a new study, share with the group that one of the reasons your group exists is to share the Good News with others. Then, in your times of prayer as a group, be sure to pray for those beyond the group and for your church's outreach efforts. This fosters an external focus and plants seeds for future outreach. Gradually appoint people to fulfill ministry roles in the group that are in keeping with their passion and gift-mix. Invite them to try out roles for a limited duration at first, and start them off with small tasks before graduating them to larger group projects.
• Worship—Worship is directed to God alone and is all about Him! As with the other spiritual disciplines discussed, most references to worship in the Bible involve a 'community' of believers. It is the expression of our love, reverence, praise, and thanks to God for who He is and all He has done by His amazing grace. As with the other spiritual practices, our own worship can be enhanced in the company of others. Worship enriches my relationship with God, it encourages my spirit, and it can communicate God's life-changing grace to a world that has yet to meet the Creator of heaven and earth (Acts 2:46-47).
Growth Tip: Before you introduce worship to your small group, learn what forms of worship are the most meaningful for your group members. This will increase the likelihood of being successful at weaving this spiritual discipline into your group life and of expanding each member's understanding of worship. Begin by asking your group members to share their definition of worship and what the most meaningful forms of worship are for them personally. For some it will be singing, while for others it might be quiet thanksgiving, writing, or some other artistic expression. Validate each one, and discuss how it reflects a biblical injunction or the creativity of the Holy Spirit.
A church's purposes or core values usually reflect the disciplines they want to encourage in the lives of their members. If your small group format is structured around your church's purposes, you will be more effective at weaving these essential spiritual disciplines into your small group life. This is critical because small groups provide the community that transforms lives and enables your church to be transformational in its own community.
The bottom line is that discipleship (learning and following Jesus Christ) is a plural activity. The disciples were always together in the Gospel accounts. In fact, in every instance reference is made to the presence of a disciple, he or she is with other disciples. There are 266 references of 'disciples' and 28 occurrences of 'disciple'. Almost every reference of the word being in the singular notes how another disciple was with him or it is Jesus making a point in an illustration He is sharing. There is only one case when there is talk of a disciple being alone and that is Peter when he was in the process of denying Christ. What do you think this says about the importance of community for believers?
The heartbeat of our Christian life emanates from community. My life with God and my effectiveness as a part of the Body of Christ hinges on my relationships with other people. If I am to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, I must be walking in the most excellent way of love with my neighbor (Mark 12:29-31; 1 Corinthians 12:31b). If I am to obey the dozens of 'one another' commands in the New Testament, grow in Christ, and show lost people the way home, I need relationships (John 14:21, 13:34-35; 1 John 4:7-12, 20-21). There is no more effective way to ensure the outworking of spiritual disciplines in my life than through genuine involvement in Christian community through a small group.
