Been Reed - Life and Theology. The musings of a young pastor.

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Tiger Woods needs a coach?

With The Master’s PGA tournament going on, I thought it fitting to write about Tiger Woods, who, in my estimation, is the greatest golfer of all time. If asked who the greatest golfer in the world is right now, 99.99% of people would say, “Tiger Woods.” The other .001% of people don’t know what golf is. If asked who’s the greatest golfer in the world throughout history, most would still say, “Tiger Woods.” Part of that is that we oftentimes cannot look beyond the present, and forget that there were plenty of good golfers in the past, but the part that I would to look at today is that he is that good. When Tiger retires from golf, likely he will have blasted every golf record known to man, leaving past, present, and future golfers behind.

As good as Tiger is, he still needs a coach.

If Tiger played a round of golf with his swing coach, Hank Haney, Tiger would likely beat him every time. If you were to watch both of their swings on slow-motion video, you’d say that Tiger’s is better. Tiger’s got more money, more tournament wins, and more experience in the clutch moments. He can hit his drives further, his irons straighter, and his putts truer. Yet Tiger has elected to hire a coach. Not only that, Tiger has improved after having a coach. Why might the greatest golfer of all time need a coach? Can he not just coach himself? Does he really need to improve?

I began a team leader (coaching) structure last year for our small group leaders. One reason is that I cannot offer adequate care for our small groups, because I am only one person. Coaches extend my arms and hands to minister to more leaders. The second reason is that our small group leaders need coaching. They need somebody to come alongside them, encourage them, show them what they’re doing that needs improving, and help them to implement these changes. So what advantage does a coach offer?

1. Coaches notice things that you don’t notice. Tiger Woods can’t see his own golf swing. In fact, nobody can see their own golf swing. Tiger needs somebody else to watch the details of his swing. You, in your leadership position, need an outsider to coach you. By outsider, I mean that you need somebody who is not in your organization, in your circle of friends, in your small group, or one who reads the same books that you read. Those in your organization tend to be blinded, missing the same mistakes that you miss. Outsider coaches offer a different perspective than those on the inside.

2. Coaches offer advice that others may not offer. Coaches have your best interests at heart, not your best “feelings.” Coaches are not the ones who only tell you what you’re doing correctly. They’re not afraid to tell you that you’re falling flat on your face, because they want you to do your best.

3. You need to improve. If Tiger Woods, the best golfer in my generation, and possibly the best golfer in all of history, needs to improve, then so do you. Your leadership can improve. Your influence can increase. You can become more effective. You’re not going to get there by critiquing yourself. You are not perfect, and there is surely room for improvement in your leadership, organization, or ministry.

By surrounding yourself with coaches, you make the statement, “I don’t have everything figured out, and I need help improving.” Is that a suicidal statement in the leadership world? Just ask Tiger.

Do you have a coach? You need one. So do I.

You can also read this post here, on the site, Small Group Exchange.

Part 2: Guest Post: A Review of McLaren’s “The Secret Message of Jesus”

April 8, 2009 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

Yesterday I posted the first half of a review of Brian McLaren’s book, The Secret Message of Jesus, from one of my friends, John Mark. You can read that post here. In this post, John Mark will continue to interact with the worldview of Brian McLaren. The reason that I find this helpful is that I evaluate curriculum a lot as small groups pastor. I want to make sure that I find the most Biblical, relevant, and helpful curriculum to put into the hands of the small group leaders at Grace Community Church. John Mark has done a masterful job evaluating McLaren’s book, fairly interacting with McLaren’s view, and showing where he feels it is strong and where he feels it is weak. We need to be careful when we recommend books and/or curriculum to others, and John Mark’s careful eye will help you think critically about The Secret Message of Jesus. To read more of John Mark’s thoughts, check out his blog.

The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren, Review part 2

How are we to relate to people with whom we have (sometimes serious) disagreements?

In the case of conversations and most lectures, I think too much important information is either tacitly assumed by the speaker and/or forgotten and misunderstood by the listener(s). I think McLaren probably spent most of his talk in the outermost ring of the target – on issues that he believes are contemporary implications and applications of Jesus’ message about the kingdom. He could assume much of the important interpretations of Scripture passages or mention the center and an arrow or two in order to justify his focus on caring for the poor (which was a/the major theme of the lecture).

Since McLaren did us the favor of putting his interpretation of Jesus’ message in writing, here is where we find the important beginnings (avoiding the metaphor of “foundation” out of deference to McLaren) of his worldview. There is plenty of lucid expression of important biblical teachings and relevant historical background to the Bible in this book. McLaren expresses appreciation for the writings of NT Wright several times during the book, and I noticed that influence during sections about competing Jewish sects during Jesus’ day, as well as in the chapter on the storyline of the Bible and the McLaren’s ubiquitous emphasis on the here-and-now transformative power of the good news about the kingdom of God.

McLaren’s defense of Paul as translating Jesus’ message into new imagery for the Gentiles, (and so) agreeing with Christ essentially is succinct and generally good (ch. 11-12). His chapter on conversion (“Getting It and Getting In” ch. 13) explains that process in five “moves” that admirably describe how to become a follower of Jesus (without using church language!). These strong points must be noticed as I evaluate the book; though I disagree with McLaren’s views at some major points, there is much that is good here.

I wrote notes in the book as I read and reviewed, so I could be nit-picky about everything. I’ll mention three major points that, if McLaren altered his views on these three things, would dramatically overhaul his worldview. First is the center of your diagram: what did Jesus (and the Gospel writers) mean by “the kingdom of God/heaven”? McLaren discusses it so much that I can only summarize his view. The kingdom of God is the inclusive movement Jesus began and the community it created. Jesus’ teachings, if followed, “would give birth to a new world” (4). The diagram you drew shows that Jesus and his disciples want to reorient people around Jesus’ teaching, and so change the way this world works.

In contrast, I think the kingdom of God is the active work of God through Christ and the Holy Spirit to bring creation under the authority of Christ (and his Church). McLaren makes an ancient interpretive mistake when we makes God’s reign equivalent to the sum total of Jesus’ disciples (most often) or to the disciples’ efforts to promote Jesus’ teachings (a few times in the book). Clarifying what I mean: when Christians obey the Great Commission (Mt. 28), we’re not “expanding the kingdom” – we’re calling on rebels and traitors (among whom we were born) to acknowledge that the King has already begun reigning and subduing his enemies. He grants clemency (forgiveness) to rebels who will switch their total allegiance. The Church expands.

The second major issue falls in the inner ring that touches the center of your diagram: how McLaren understands Jesus’ vagueness and use of parables. These elements are present in the Gospels. Yet they are not the total picture of Jesus. For instance, take Matthew’s Gospel. Other than the parable about forgiveness (ch. 18), the parable about laborers and reward (ch. 20), and those about the “end of the age” (ch. 25), most all the parables are spoken to the general public (esp. ch. 13, 21-22). Jesus tells his followers (13:10-17 and parallels) that he uses parables to intentionally exclude the masses and include his disciples. McLaren suppresses this explanation for Jesus’ use of parables. Other public parables were usually very clearly understood (21:45). Besides the parables, Matthew records long sections of direct, clear teaching from Jesus (ch. 5-7, 10, 12, 16, part of 18, 23-24). The times that Jesus was vague and used parables had purposes to them (that can usually be understood in their written context); we should follow the example of the disciples who understood Jesus’ message and were clear and direct most (or all) of the time.

The third major issue surprised me the most when I found it in ch. 8 of The Secret Message of Jesus. After observing that exorcisms as recorded in the Gospels may not be palatable to some worldviews today, McLaren says those exorcisms might point to larger problems. “What if it [practice of exorcism] is yet another sign and wonder pointing to his larger, less obvious strategy: to draw corporate or even cosmic evil out from the shadows and into the broad daylight, so that it can be seen and named and rejected and banished?” (63) McLaren lists some of the habitations of corporate evils spirits: government, political movements, religious parties, religious structures and hierarchies, professions, and family systems (65). Jesus particularly confronted the Roman Empire and the religious establishment of his day, says McLaren, the doing of which got Christ killed. In so doing, Jesus exposed the systemic evil in those institutions and was vindicated for letting himself be killed by rising from the dead. In effect, the cross of Jesus accomplished (or was intended to accomplish) a big, “scandalous” exorcism of corporate evil (ch. 8) and became God’s “repudiation of violence” (153). Suffice it to say that I don’t think this is a defensible interpretation of exorcisms, and it plainly is far from Jesus’ and the apostles’ interpretation of the cross.

It’s just a small step from McLaren’s abstracting of individual exorcisms on a corporate scale into a plan for nonviolent confrontation with any modern institutions or groups (the discussion guide encourages readers to find analogies to the political and religious factions of Jesus’ day). McLaren finds in Jesus a prophetic voice (ch. 3) that would encourage his followers to challenge the status quo of our day. Especially in view of the interpretation he gives to the cross of Jesus, I can understand how McLaren promotes the sorts of political and social activism I’ve heard he does. How would your views look on the diagram?

Guest Post: A Review of McLaren’s “The Secret Message of Jesus”

April 7, 2009 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

John Mark is one of my good friends. I served on staff with him in Taylorsville, KY, for a little over a year. He still serves there, in a small church, in a hard place of KY. I am thankful for his faithful preaching of the Word and his belief that the Gospel changes lives. I am thankful for the investment that he made in me, and the risk that he took in bringing on a young seminary student to lead the student ministry for the church whom he served.

John Mark is a thinker, and I highly value my time when I get to connect with him. He helps me categorize difficult things, and make those difficult things seem…well, not so difficult. One thing that I love to do is read. I enjoy reading a broad variety of content, and so I often read books whose authors I disagree with. John Mark has written a review of Brian McLaren’s book, The Secret Message of Jesus, in which he fairly critiques McLaren’s worldview. He disagrees with McLaren, but I hope that you can see and appreciate how John Mark picks out the helpful content of the book, yet disagrees in a non-attacking way with the overall philosophy. I hope you find this helpful. To read more of John Mark’s thoughts, visit his blog at http://jmandlaura.blogspot.com. I’m going to post his review in two parts, so make sure to check back tomorrow for the rest of his review.

The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren, Review

The Secret Message of Jesus is Brian McLaren’s attempt to help people look at the message taught by the historical Jesus, so that people can then look through Jesus’ message to see how it can change everything (xviii). In the introduction, McLaren asks critical readers to keep in mind that he is not writing an exhaustive, technical, or even systematic book. Even so, I have tried to diagram the connection between the different chapters (each chapter seems to present one idea – sometimes two chapters present one idea together). I could not put all the pieces together until I drew it all with bubbles and arrows. I’ll describe my diagram as I go, but remember that McLaren does not endorse our graphic summary of his thought (He might disapprove of even trying to systematize his thought!).

Draw a target with at least three rings around the center. In the center is “the kingdom of God,” the major theme of Jesus’ teaching and his actions. In ch. 1 McLaren asks “troubling questions” that turn out to be modern implications and applications of that central theme; (Hint!) these areas would go just inside the outermost ring of your target diagram. His playful, original title tells you where he believes Jesus’ message will change everything: The Secret Message of Jesus: His Surprising and Largely Untried Plan for a Political, Social, Religious, Artistic, Economic, Intellectual, and Spiritual Revolution (4n1). The idea McLaren finds in Jesus’ teaching is something that could change our world today, giving “birth to a new world” (4) in our day and time. It is a realizable goal for the future derived from the Bible (=eschatology).

Draw arrows from the center to the words political, religious, and spiritual, because these three are the themes of ch. 2-4. McLaren says Jesus challenged the political & religious status quo of his day with his kingdom message. Jesus consciously fulfilled the storyline of the Bible, which addresses the problem of evil in the world (per McLaren) – a revolutionary, spiritual solution.

diagram1

Write these phrases in the inner ring that touches the center: vague metaphors, parables, signs and wonders, and exorcisms; draw arrows from them into the center and label them interactive relationship; draw lines from them outward to the other two rings and label those arrows confrontation, reconciliation, and cross/pacifism. McLaren says Jesus’ ministry both exposed people to the kingdom of God – the inclusive movement he started – and actually did the work of that movement. “Jesus resists being clear or direct” (39), and he never explained the kingdom in clear terminology (51). Jesus’ vague words draw people into conversation with him, and his inclusive and wonderful actions clearly demonstrate what the kingdom community should do by confronting the status quo.

diagram2

Write these phrases in the middle ring: disciples, Paul the Apostle, and expanding movement; draw arrows from this ring toward the middle and label them conversion and learning Jesus’ message; draw lines from the middle ring to the outer ring and label them different metaphors, new imagery for kingdom, prayer, longing, conversations, and realizable success. Paul in particular translated Jesus’ message into new figures of speech, but McLaren does not agree with scholars who think Paul started a different movement from Jesus. The disciples continue Jesus’ movement by picking fresh illustrations, by including anyone who is willing to radically rethink his/her life according to Jesus’ teaching, and by nonviolently confronting the status quo.

Now write harvest = consummation around the outside of the outer ring. McLaren believes Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God is “a glorious present reality that expands into an even more glorious future” (183n1). This includes the resurrection and the establishment of “God’s domination-free order” (190, from Walter Wink’s The Powers That Be, 64). **You have completed the diagram!

diagram31

A week ago a friend described a lecture by Brian McLaren that he recently attended. The crowd seemed to be largely favorable to McLaren’s view of Jesus (my friend was not among McLaren’s sympathizers), and my friend said one unsympathetic question toward the end did not receive a satisfying answer. How are we to relate to people with whom we have (sometimes serious) disagreements?

Check out the rest of John Mark’s review tomorrow!

Grandpa-isms

April 2, 2009 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

Laura’s (my wife) Grandpa has lots of “Grandpa-isms.” You know…things that only Grandpa would say.

Things that he has said tens of thousands of times. Things that he has said so many times that, when he begins to say them everybody around him can finish his sentence.

Things like, in speaking of children picking up toys,

If he sees it, he’s got to touch it, if he touches it, he’s got to tote it. To tote something means to take it with you.

When I grew up in Memphis, I would eat anything. I was never finicky. If you’re finicky you will starve to death!

Children…they’re the most precious thing you’ve got.

If he saw a piece of paper on the floor, he would repeatedly point to the paper, then to the trash, saying,

Paper…trash…paper…trash…(repeat 10 times).

When somebody would fall down, he’d say,

You gotta hold on with those prehensile hands.

All male under 5 are greeted with

Hey hardrock!

Finally

There are 4 P’s that I do for my family: provide, procreate, protect…and make memories.”

I know…there are only three P’s…that’s ok, we just don’t point that out to him. If you hear these once, you hear them 10,000 times…and I’m not kidding. When he starts with just one part of one of these phrases, the rest of the family can finish them for him. He says them exactly the same way every single time.

Part of his repeating things like this is just his personality. The family sometimes jokes about this, but in a loving way. They love him, and respect the way that he has led his family and loved his wife. And there’s a great lesson we can learn from this.

Find your own “isms”

You know that people have truly caught the vision of your ministry or organization when they can repeat it to others. It’s so important to have these defining sayings, goals, and values. These values need to be repeated until you’re tired of hearing them.

Are there any “isms” define you and your ministry? What idea is repeated so often that your area of leadership becomes it? What characteristic, or action, or vision, needs to be repeated until people can finish your sentences when you begin to talk?

How can you instill in others the values that you are aiming for? What opportunities do you have to repeat your core values, even to the point where people begin to roll their eyes because they know exactly where you’re headed?

If you don’t yet have anything that is so engrained into you and those you influence that it has become your DNA, what would you like for your “isms” to be?

Here’s a video of Grandpa I put together. Everything he says here would also be included in his “Grandpa-isms,” and our family can attest to that.

One year of being a parent

April 1, 2009 / Ben Reed / 2 Comments

One year ago today, I shared with the GCC staff that my wife and I were pregnant with our first child. I remember this exact day because it was April Fool’s day, and there were some who thought I was playing a mean joke on them. Well, turns out I wasn’t. Now, one year later, I have a 5 month old son, Rex, of whom I am incredibly proud. This last year has been unbelievable, experiencing 8 months of pregnancy with my wife (well, I can’t take much credit for that, but thought I’d throw that in there), paying hospitals and doctors SO much money, going through the stressful event of my son 4 weeks before his due date, then having to have surgery before he was 3 months old, finding out what it means to be a parent and not get more than 3 hours of sleep per night for months on end, experiencing joy like nothing else at coming home and having my son smile at me, and falling in love with my wife all over again as I see her growing into a God-honoring mother.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds for our family. I’m confident, though, that if we continue to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and founder of our faith, God will work all things for our good (Hebrews 12:2, Romans 8:28-29). My prayer is that our marriage and parenting might point others to the life-transforming power and love of the Gospel.

Rex cheering for the greatest college, UT!

Rex and his friend, Story Vaden, hanging out

3 Things your Church Needs to be Doing

March 23, 2009 / Ben Reed / 0 Comments

I delivered a talk (what are you supposed to call something like that when it’s not a sermon?) to a group of pastors the other day on the value of small groups. I wanted to give them a snapshot of what we do at Grace Community Church, and introduce them to the world of small groups (they all come from churches who have on-campus Sunday School as their form of small groups). It was not my goal to convince them all that they needed to abandon their way of doing groups, but to challenge them to think strategically about their system, and whether it was accomplishing what they were wanting it to accomplish. Whether you’re in a Sunday School environment, a small group/home group culture, or a mixture of the two, here are three things your church needs to be doing:

1. Cast the vision. Seek to answer the questions, “Why do we need each other?” and “Why are we deficient without small groups?” Use any of the 38 one-another passages found in Scripture (e.g., 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Ephesians 4:1-3, James 5:16) to point out the fact that we need each other. Sunday morning, large gathering services alone are not enough for your spiritual growth. This vision must be cast from the pastor on stage on Sundays. The vision must be cast repeatedly, with the pastor sharing both theologically and practically (the pastor himself must be involved in a small group, so that he can share what God is doing in his own heart, and how God is changing the hearts of those in his small group as well) the value of small groups.

2. Recruit leaders. How do you count a person as qualified? Instead of looking at spiritual position, I look at spiritual velocity. I also don’t lock myself into looking for the gift of teaching. I’m not asking small group leaders to teach, in the way we traditionally understand teaching. I’m asking someone to facilitate, lead, shepherd. That frees me up to recruit tons of more well-qualified people to be small group leaders. I look for spiritual maturity in the way Jesus defined it in Matthew 22:36-40, as an increasing love for God and others.

3. Define your church’s win. If a win for you is increasing numbers, don’t be discouraged if disciples aren’t produced. If you count it a win to see giving increased, don’t scrap your system if numbers decrease. Know what your win is, define it clearly, and be ready to use that as your measuring tool. I count it a win when a person takes a step towards becoming a more faithful disciple, and that looks different for every person. For some, it looks like committing to attend church regularly. For others, it may look like forgiving their spouse. For another, it may look like pursuing reconciliation with their mother. God rejoices in small steps in the right direction, and so should we.

What is your church doing to make small groups a place of dynamic spiritual growth? If they’re not doing any of the above, maybe it’s time to start.

Diapers

March 19, 2009 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

I feel a bit like a hippy, now that my wife and I have switched over to cloth diapers. For a few reasons, we decided to make the shift, and it’s honestly been a pretty good one. I saw this clip on Saturday Night Live, and immediately was grateful that we only made the switch to cloth. If you’re eating lunch right now, do yourself a favor and put it to the side. Trust me.

Who's your hero?

March 5, 2009 / Ben Reed / 7 Comments

Who is your hero? Do you have a person you look to who has displayed courage in the face of danger, and after whom you can emulate your life? What is it about that person that is hero-worthy? What have they done, or are they doing, that causes you and others to take notice? If you don’t have a hero, find one. Is there someone in your sphere of influence that you can and should be learning from and following? If not, then who, throughout your life (maybe even looking into the past), can look to?

Once you find one, be one. Be a person who lives a life worthy to be repeated. Paul says it like this, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Ephesians 4:1) Live a life that looks like the God of the universe has saved you. Live your life in such a way that others cannot help but say, “Wow, that guy’s different, and I want to be like him.” What does this “different” life look like? Does it look like a monastic society, removing oneself from the “comforts of the world” in favor of living in communities that are separate from the rest of society? Does it mean listening to only Christian music and watching only Christian movies? Does it look like never smoking or drinking, going to a Christian school, wearing Christian t-shirts, drinking Christian water, and being known more for what you are against rather than what you are for? Let me offer you a different perspective, one that I think Paul (who said, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” (Philippians 4:9)) would agree with, primarily because he wrote it. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” (Ephesians 4:2-5) and “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). This, by no stretch of the imagination or search of Biblical texts, exhausts what it means to be a follower of Christ. It does, however, paint a picture of what a “hero” of the faith looks like. Need more examples? Check out Hebrews 11, where you’ll find tons of heros of the faith.

Are you becoming a hero?

If you need another example of a hero, watch this video of a “true” hero. Laughter is a good thing.

Are you accountable to anyone?

March 3, 2009 / Ben Reed / 0 Comments

I just had lunch with a guy in our small groups ministry, and we talked about the importance of accountability. We talked about the fact that we all need to have those people in our lives who know everything about us, and are not afraid to ask us difficult, awkward, yet ultimately Christ-honoring, sin-defeating questions. We need those people who know all of our junk, yet love us still the same. They don’t love our junk, but they love the chance to help point out the sinful habits and blind spots that we have, and those things (whether good or bad) that ensnare us. They’re not satisfied with letting us continue in our sin because they “know that he (Jesus) appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” (1 John 3:5-6). We are sinful creatures, and our sin loses its power when it’s confessed, and brought into the light.

How do you make sure you’re held accountable? Are you accountable to anyone other than God? Are you accountable to anyone other than your spouse?

How can you, as a group leader, help those in your group be accountable to each other?

1. Foster an environment of authenticity and vulnerability. Be real with your struggles, failings, and sinful tendencies. You’re not perfect, and your group members know that. When you mess up, confess it!

2. Divide your group based on gender for times of prayer. I don’t like to air out my dirty laundry in front of another man’s wife, and I’m sure that you feel similarly. Guys can be more openly honest when it’s just guys in the room. We understand each other better, know how we think and operate, and often know how to minister to each other and hold each other accountable better than you do. The same holds true for girls.

3. If you’re the leader, meet with group members (who share the same gender with you) outside of the normal group meeting. These times are great for building relationship, and opening up with areas of your lives that are not as easy to bring up in a larger group setting.

4. Choose curriculum, and ask questions in the group, that cover a wide variety of Scriptures and topics. You won’t know what areas people in your group struggle with until you ask.

5. Encourage group members to find somebody that can hold them accountable. It can be another person in the group, or a believer outside of the group, but it does not have to be you, the leader. Your role as the leader is to encourage others to put themselves into relationships full of confession, love, and vulnerability.

Accountability, just like spiritual growth, doesn’t just happen. You have to desire it, and you have to seek it. Accountability is crucial to your growth in Christlikeness. How much do you care about your growth?

Gospel-focused small groups

February 23, 2009 / Ben Reed / 4 Comments

Like I said in the last post, I fully believe in our system of creating followers of Christ. However, I would be ready to throw it out today if the system were the problem. I never want to be so connected to community groups, and the way that we do them at Grace Community Church, that I am unwilling to abandon them in favor of true discipleship. My goal in ministry, in a broad stroke, is to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) My goal is not to start 5,000 community groups and train 10,000 leaders to host a group in their home. I want to make passionate disciples of Christ! Right now, the way that I do that is to start new community groups, shepherd our current community group leaders, and recruit new leaders. Though these activities may seem mundane, I believe that true growth in godliness happens best in the context of community. So, I willfully and joyfully take on the administrative burden and the difficulties that go along with assimilating people into group life at Grace.

Why are we not making disciples more quickly at Grace? There are a variety of reason. Here are five:

1. Not everybody who hears the Gospel becomes a disciple the first time they hear it. I know that I sure didn’t! Did you? Then why should I expect vastly different results from those in our community groups? God didn’t give up on me when I rejected His call. Instead, He continue to pursue me.

2. The devil is real! “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Satan loves to distort the Gospel, remind us that it’s not relevant to us today, and snatch it from our hearts before it has the chance to take root. In short, he’s vying for the worship of our hearts, and this is true whether the Truth is coming from the pulpit or from a couch in somebody’s living room in a small group setting.

3. I need to take it upon myself to apply the Gospel to my life every day. CJ Mahaney, in The Cross Centered Life, says it well,”If there’s anything in life we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel. And I don’t mean passionate only about sharing it with others; I mean passionate in thinking about the gospel, reflecting upon it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world and all of life” (15).

4. Our group leaders need to take it upon themselves to ask difficult questions that drive their group back to the Gospel. “How are you living out the Gospel today? How are you more like Christ today than you were 12 months ago? What part does the Gospel play in your everyday life? What is the Gospel? Why did Jesus have to die? How is the truth that you are a sinner saved by grace affecting the way you parent your children, or love your spouse, or work at your job, or serve in your church?”

5. Group leaders need to be reminded that they are the shepherd leaders of their group, and as such, should concern themselves greatly with the eternal state of the souls in their group.

Based on that, here are 5 things I resolve to do:

1. I will not give up on people.

2. I will create an atmosphere of openness and vulnerability in our groups. It is only when group leaders, and group members, are open and honest about their struggles, that the more reluctant folks will feel the freedom to open up their lives, and the struggles they are facing.

3. I will apply the Gospel to my life every day. I need to preach to myself, reminding myself that I am a sinner saved by grace, that Christ died to free me from my sin, and that Satan wants to destroy the Gospel in my life.

4. I will develop Gospel questions to put into group leaders hands that help them have intentional, Gospel-focused discussions that are laid back enough that everybody feels comfortable asking even the most “simple” questions (though these tend to turn out to be some of the most profound questions).

5. I will pray for all of my group leaders, that they will shepherd their group in a way that honors God and holds high the banner of the Gospel.

Are your groups structured so that basic Gospel questions and concerns can be brought to the table? Or are you so laid back that the Gospel is never discussed? Or are you so “holy” that you jump to “deeper” questions (as if there is anything more life-changing and “deeper” than the Gospel!) Are you group leaders ready and willing to ask these questions?

Do you or your group leaders make the mistake of assuming that, just because a person is attending your church and frequents your small groups, he or she is saved? How are you giving your group members the freedom to explore faith?

How are you living out the Gospel today?