We were not made to do life alone.  We were made to do life in community with God and in community with other people.  Being in community requires intentionality.  It is not God’s desire or design that we live unto ourselves.  Doing life together in the context of intentional and purposeful community is God’s intent.

I am convinced that community is best realized in the small group setting of eight to twelve people where the core purposes of God’s design are lived out and practiced; in community, together. These core purposes may be articulated as connecting, worshipping, growing, and serving.  Together.

In the local church, living these out in the small group setting can make all the difference in your faith journey.  Call it a Small Group a Life Group a Cell Group or a Community Group.  It’s still a community of people doing life and faith together.  And it matters that you connect.

Have you ever felt disconnected?  Have you ever felt isolated?  Have you ever felt like people could care less if you’re plugged in or not?

I have.

I call it Relational Drift.  And it happens to all of us.

And it goes against the grain of God’s desire.

I find that when I’m not intentional and purposeful about cultivating a relationship with God, my outlook on life wanes.  My interaction with my family suffers.  And other things in life begin to take the place and priority where God wants to be.

I have learned that to ensure an ongoing vibrant relationship with God, I have got to be intentional.  I have got to be relentless in the pursuit of fulfilling my purpose for my existence.  Bringing glory to God. 

It starts there.  Moving away from life about me and towards life about God.

It is the development of the desire, passion and willingness to allow God to work in me and through me to bring the myself and those around me infancy in Christ to maturity in Christ.  It is the idea that people must move from isolation to connection and from loneliness to love.  This is a passion that God has given everyone who bears the name of Christ.  It is the desire of a heart surrendered to God that cries out and conforms to Christ and becomes part one of the greatest ministries on the planet.

Doing life together.  In Christ.  In community.

Jesus made it clear what our mission is (Great Commission) and he made it clear how we should go about that mission (Great Commandment); the next step is to apply the “what” and the “how” to our lives and to our LifeGroups.

Connecting.  Worshipping.  Growing.  Serving.

The effectiveness of this application can be measured in nothing less than life-change; the ongoing transformation into the likeness of Christ

Our faith-journey.  Our spiritual maturity.   It’s a process and not a destination.

Bringing glory to God is what doing life together in healthy community accomplishes. 

It is when His intention for humanity, becoming fully devoted followers of Christ, is realized.  It is the theme of discipleship recurring throughout all aspects of our life and most fully realized in the context of a healthy small group.

The reason to develop as a disciple and the reason to develop other disciples is to ultimately bring as much glory to God as possible with one’s life.  The LifeGroup is uniquely positioned to allow God to use them to make a difference for the Kingdom for no other reason than to bring glory to God.  They become the gardener who removes all possible barriers for maturity to take place.

The leader seeks to “create the right ‘ecosystem’ for spiritual growth to take place.  As the spiritual growth continues, intentionally and purposefully, the group continues to see that the group must expand beyond the members currently connected in the group itself.  As the leader, you should make it abundantly clear that your group was formed to minister to one another and reach out, resulting in the birth of new leaders and new groups.  A healthy maturing group understands that being more like Christ means multiplying that group.  It is intentionality and purpose of replication.

Will you consider being intentional about a growing relationship with God and with others?

I don’t have it all figured out.  But at least I’m on the journey.

What about you?