Colossians 3:12-17 Home Group Sermon

Introduction:

Last week I began my sermon by asking the question, what is your vision of a healthy church. We then proceeded to look at Acts 2:42-47, and examined what the early church was like, and we saw that it was a church that:
1) devoted itself to the study of scripture
2) was committed to fellowship
3) that took seriously the call to worship
4) and that it was a praying church.
And we saw also the important role small groups played in the life of that church, and how they continue to play an important role in the life of the church because it is within the small group that
1) relationships are built and nurtured.
2) It is the place that allows us to go deeper in the study of the Bible.
3) It is the place where people can develop their own gifts and ministries in a safe and caring environment.
4) It is a good place to invite friends and neighbours who may not yet be Christians, so they can get to know people in a more informal setting.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose 12 disciples? Why 12, why not more, why not fewer? One reason is that there is clearly a link being made between the 12 Tribes of Israel and the Twelve Disciples.

The twelve tribes of Israel were the specially chosen people of God, by choosing twelve disciples Jesus is making a strong statement that what he is doing is something new. This is picked up in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, in which he writes to the Colossians: YOU are “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.” (3:12) Paul’s language of being chosen, set apart, and holy, is the language that had been used to describe Israel, but now it is being used to describe the church.

But I believe there is also another, more practical reason why Jesus chose twelve disciples. The word disciple means pupil or student, the twelve disciples were those chosen by Jesus to learn from him and follow him. Jesus, during the three years that he was with the disciples, modelled to them through his words and through his actions what it meant to be his follower. Jesus was able to do this much more effectively with a small group of close disciples than with a large group.

This is one of the reasons why small groups play such an important role in the life of the church, because they are here to help us grow as followers of Jesus through studying the Bible, praying and worshiping together and sharing our faith.

The home group is meant to be a place
Where we care for one another
Where we learn to serve one another
Where we are affirmed
Where we can learn together
Where we can get to know one another better.

Relationships form the fabric of the church. God uses small groups to strengthen a sense of community. God longs for unity and intimacy within the body of believers, and home groups provide the optimum environment for us to experience that closeness that God so wants for us. In these small group settings, we get to know one another and God better, our practical and spiritual needs are met, and those in our sphere of influence who don't have such a place can be invited to come.

In our reading from Colossians Paul writes that as God’s chosen, and holy people, we are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience. We are to act towards others as God in Christ has acted towards us. In the words of 1 John 4:11 “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Within the context of a small group, we begin to learn what this means.

He goes on to write that as Christians we are to demonstrate God’s family likeness, by ‘Putting on love’ (v14), to ‘let the peace of Christ rule in our lives’ (v15), and to letting the ‘word of Christ to dwell in you’ (v16). And Paul emphasises that this calling belongs to us all, that we all play a part in the ministry of teaching and encouraging one another in God’s word. It is the work the whole people of God, and not just one or two.

If we fail to do this, if the church doesn’t use all its gifts, it is like an orchestra that expects the conductor, the trombonist and the clarinettist to be able to play the parts of all the other instruments, and produce the same results as if all the instruments were playing.

Last week I mentioned the fact that one of the advantages of belonging to a home group is that it provides an environment for people to develop their gifts and ministries, as well as being a place for us to minister to one another. One of the things that can sometimes keep a Christian from growing is they lack confidence, and undervaluing or failing to recognise the gifts God has given them. When I was in my last parish, there was a group that met regularly called ‘prayer pause’, the purpose of this group was to pray for the church. It was set up by a wonderful Godly lady called Rosemary, who was in her mid late 80s at the time. When this group first started, very few people were felt comfortable praying in front of others, in fact many of the group found praying quite difficult. But over time, with the loving care and guidance of Rosemary people grew in confidence and ability, and it was a joy to see them really blossom in their Christian faith as they prayed for one another, and as they saw answers to prayer. At the start this group was totally reliant on Rosemary to lead the meetings, but when Rosemary moved to North Yorkshire to be closer to her family, there were lots of people in that group who had the ability to lead the group, and not only this, but were also confident enough to lead prayers in church, and to pray with others. The point of this story is that this only happened, because they belonged to a group, where they had the space and freedom to discover their gifts and ministries.

We shouldn’t just see home groups as yet another meeting to go to, but something that people enjoying coming together for, because they are meeting friends and there is a clear purpose in their gathering. What I want to encourage each of the home groups in St Martin’s to follow the ‘Four W’s’ pattern, so that each meeting has a clear structure.

The 4 Ws stand for:
Welcome
Worship
Word
Witness

Welcome - gathering
Each meeting will begin with some form of welcome, with the aim of gathering and helping the whole group gel together. Rather than allowing time to slide and eventually stumbling into the programme, the welcome is designed to give a focused start and sense of direction to the meeting. For example it may be a question or some form of icebreaker, that connects with the theme of the evening. The purpose of the welcome to is provide a common focus to draw everybody into the discussion at the beginning of the meeting, it is to help relax people, and it also helps us to get to learn more about one another and opens up conversation. For example, the meeting may start with a question like: If you could spend the day with a Bible character who would it be and why? Or If you could ask God one question now (with a guaranteed answer) what would it be?

Worship - glorifying
Next comes a time of worship, where we have an opportunity to focus our attention on God, and draw close to him. This time of worship may involve listening to a piece of music, lighting a candle, having a few moments in silence, praying together, whatever works best for the group.

Word - growing
After drawing near to God through worship, we then begin a time of focusing on the word, which may mean focusing on a Bible passage, looking at a theme from a Biblical perspective, or looking at the life of a character from the Bible, and considering what God is saying to us through this.

Witness - going
The final section is very practical. It is a reminder that everything we learn from God needs applying and working out in down to earth ways. It may begin with a time of prayer and ministry for each other, based on what we’ve just been learning, but it should also have an outward focus. So that we think about two or three people, he we’d like God to bless, and who we’d like to see come to faith, and to pray and plan for ways that we can build bridges into those people’s lives. For example the home group may plan a BBQ and invite their non Christian friends or partners along to it. Or you meet a practical need like helping someone move home. But what is important is that the group thinks, prays and plans this together.

To be a healthy church we all need to be active participants. As Paul writes “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” (1 Cor 12:12) We all have a part to play in the ministry of the church, and when we are part of a small group this ministry happens much more naturally, we pray for one another, support one another, and encourage one another in our journey of faith. It is about growing as disciples, and being equipped for Christian service. This connects with what Paul writes in verse 17. “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:17) Home Groups can provide a safe and encouraging environment in which to grow in faith, understanding and ministry, equipping the church to be a strong, healthy body to continue Christ’s work in this and every generation. Just as the human body requires vitamins to stay healthy, so does the church. This is the ABC of healthy church:

All involved
Becoming disciples, applying God’s word to our lives
Creating community, sharing lives and building relationships
Doing evangelism as opposed to just talking about it
Encountering Jesus