Reflection on Passion Week

This was written by Pastor Jeff Meyer from The Church at Christ Memorial.  I thought this was really good to read during passion week and wanted to share it with others.

As you follow Jesus this week, so closely walking with Him to the upper room, to the bloody cross, and, praise God, to the empty tomb, please take time to really ponder His love for You!  Jesus went through it all for you.  Pretty amazing, huh?  Unbelievable really.  True nonetheless!

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Romans 5:6-8 – The Message

Here is a simple action item for today.
As you are going about your day – coming and going, attending to responsibilities, etc. – notice the people around you.  Notice the people you know and love of course.  But then look beyond them to the people you usually do not notice.  Look at the people you generally overlook.  Try to look into their faces.  Notice their eyes.  Notice their humanity.
While you are at it, take a moment to also look at the people you may notice often, but do not like.  Look into the faces of the people who irritate you… who have run-ins with you… who hurt you.
And as you are noticing these people, realize this: Jesus knows and loves each of these people so much He willingly gave up His life for them… for each of them… for each person you notice.
See that person who seems to go out of his way to contradict you?
See that person on the street corner waiting for someone to stop and offer a day job?
See that person who undermined your credibility to the boss?
See that person walking in front of the building talking to himself and clearly not connecting well with reality?
See that person behind the counter?
Notice them.
And realize this truth:  Jesus’ assessment of each of these people is that they are worthy of suffering for and dying in place of.  Each of these people has that much worth.  Each of them.
And so do you.
How would the world be different this Holy Week if everyone noticed and remembered this?

Cultivating Spirit Filled Friendships

Since it’s inception we have been talking about the importance of inviting people to Connecting Groups as a way to help build the ministry and help deepen people’s walk with Christ.  Telling people about CG’s or asking people to join you is an awesome way to invite.  It’s quick, it’s convenient.  But does this method work for everyone?  Does everyone you ask respond with an eager yes?  Of course there are some who will agree to check out a group after the first invite.  But for most it takes a bit more work than that.  It’s easy to tell yourself, “I asked, I tried, my work is done here.”  We are called to do more than that.  We are called to be fishers of men. 

Do fishermen catch a fish on their first try?  Not usually.  They need to study the lake for the best fishing holes, try different bait and lures, understand the weather to know the best conditions in which to fish.  Most importantly they spend time with the sport and that time requires patience.  They intimately learn the techniques to be successful at getting a catch. 

What then is our bait for catching fish for building God’s Kingdom and Connecting Groups?  Spirit filled friendships. A spirit filled friendship is a relationship that is built around being a Christ-like friend to someone.  The other person may not know that it’s a Christ-centered friendship. Spirit filled friendships are about conversation and relationships. It’s about influence, and companionship.  Brian McLaren, author of More Ready Than You Realize says, “In order to be someone’s spiritual friend you need to like, approach and serve them.” 

Building this type of relationship as a method to invitation works because for many reasons.  Perhaps, if we ask them to come check out a group they will more likely say yes because they trust our invitations and intentions.  Maybe our friend has gotten to know us, sees we have this light about us, and wants to learn more about our faith.  Or maybe this new friend may want to know where they can learn about God in a close knit setting.  All in all though when we ask a friend to try out a Connecting Group, s/he has greater investment in us and are more willing to say yes than a stranger would.  One thing to note however, unlike a fisherman who lures a fish out of water, we should not become a spirited friend with someone to lure them to Connecting Group.  We should form spirit filled friendships as a way to build God’s kingdom first and if our friend joins our group, count that as an extra blessing.  If our friend turns us down, still be friends with this person and let God do His work. 

Who then should we seek for spirit filled friends?  Take a look around you!  Your neighbors, co-workers, an in-law, your child’s friend’s parent.  It should be someone you see on a regular basis.  If no one comes to mind pray about it and ask God to place a person in your life.  When you think of a person assess the relationship you currently have with them.  Ask yourself:

• Do I know this person?
• Do I pray for them?
• Do I engage in activities with them?
• Do I have heartfelt discussions with them?
• Do I care and serve them?
• Do I share the Good News of Christ with them?
• Do I encourage them on their walk of faith?

 

If you find gaps to your answers to these questions, use this as your starting point for building a relationship.  For example if you know the person but don’t engage in activities with them, start with inviting them over to dinner, a walk, or coffee.  If you do things with the person but don’t serve them, start with finding opportunities to serve.  Work on one thing at a time but through it all pray for this person.

Like a fisherman works hard to catch fish and build up the food supply we are called to work hard and build relationships to build up the Kingdom of God.  We plant the bait, but remember God will work His will for our friends.  Spirit-filled friendships and Connecting Groups may just be the tool God uses to bring a rejuvenated faith or a brand new faith to someone.  Cultivating spiritual friendships is our challenge, our opportunity; it is something we are called to do.

Out With The Old In With The New.

There are probably many people who are glad to see 2009 come to end.  It was a year of losses with jobs, homes, and savings.  There were health scares with H1N1, and war in the middle east continued.

For Saint Stephanus, 2009 was also a year of losses as we said good-bye to your pastor.

It is easy to focus on what a difficult year 2009 may have been.  However, if we stop to take a closer look we can see there were blessings as well.

Jan. 2009 kicked-off with the birth of the Connecting Group ministry.  These groups have thrived during the past year which is quite an accomplishment seeing that there was not a pastor or trained small group coordinator to lead the way.  Facilitators stepped in, arranged, and lead weekly meetings.  Members volunteered to join and participate.  A new group birthed out of an existing group.  New facilitators were raised up.  Within each group friendships formed, faith was deepened, people were served.  God piloted this ministry and people rallied together to get Connecting Groups off the ground.

2009 was a year of self reflection for SSLC as we went through a self study.  The study served two purposes:  1.  Showed us our strengths and weaknesses.  2.   Helped the call committee formulate the qualifications needed in a pastor to ensure the next pastor was the right fit for SSLC.

Neighborhood outreach grew in 2009 as NOW formed and organized many outreach activitites in the neighborhood.  Seeing that it was a year when people needed to hear about Jesus’ saving power and love, the NOW group was an added blessing to the community.

Our congregation was blessed with many people who stepped up to the plate and served in new roles to help keep the church moving forward.  Disciples continued to work tirelessly in their leadership positions while others helped out where they could.  One of the most appreciated efforts was the call committee who spent many hours praying, attending meetings, going through the self-study, researching the list of candidates, interviewing, and making recommendations.  Through them we were blessed with the opportunity to close the year out by putting a call to a pastor.

Through the changes, losses, and searches, St. Stephanus was able to keep on going and received blessings in 2009 because God’s hand was on everything.  He kept us His palm hand throughout everything and to that we should give Him thanks and praise!

2010 is here and SSLC is once again filled with hope and anticipation as we look forward to Pastor Thompson joining and leading us.  There is hope that we can offer a Connecting Group every night of the week, continue to reach more people, raise more facilitators and look for ways to connect with one another and with people outside of St. Stephanus.

2009 was a year of blessings and 2010 can be too.  If we keep our prayers vibrant, praise God for how He works in our lives and draw close to Him, it will be amazing to see what He has in store for us!

5 Essential Practices of Small Groups

We recently came across an article that offers some great insight on how to go deeper in our connections with one another and in small groups. I thought I would share an excerpt from this article:

Five practices that take small groups beyond polite sharing to the disciplines that change lives– by John Ortberg from smallgroups.com

“God has entrusted us with his most precious treasure—people. He asks us to shepherd and mold them into strong disciples, with brave faith, and good character. I would not give my life to any church that was not serious about this calling—the transformation of human beings. God has decided, for his own good reasons, that people are not transformed outside of community.
The analogy of charcoal briquettes better explains this thought. Charcoal is constructed in a way that when you put them together the fire glows and they get real hot. If you isolate one it cools off quickly. It loses the fire. But when they stick together, there’s fire, because they feed off each other. God designed them to work that way.
This fits what Dallas Willard has said about the Christian life: “Personalities united can contain more of God and sustain the force of his greater presence better than scattered individuals.” Think about that. Personalities united—people in community—contain more of God and his transforming power than isolated individuals. We should not be surprised that transformation requires community; it’s how God designed us.
When we are alone, it’s easy to think, incorrectly, that we are spiritually advanced. I can watch a Hallmark commercial alone and find myself moved to tears. I tell myself that I am a very compassionate person. But when I spend time in community with a person who annoys me, it’s amazing how quickly I experience “compassion fatigue.”
In community we discover who we really are and how much transformation we still require. This is why I am irrevocably committed to small groups. Through them we can accomplish our God-entrusted work to transform human beings.
However, experience tells us that simply meeting with a small group does not automatically result in spiritual growth. There are certain practices that must be present, spiritual disciplines that must occur, to facilitate the transforming work of Christ in us. The presence of these things is what makes the difference between all-too-typical small groups, and life-transforming communities of spiritual formation.
What are these practices? I asked Dallas Willard that question once because he’s forgotten more about spiritual formation and church history than I will ever know. His answer surprised me. He said, “I don’t know.” Rather than being discouraged, I saw this as a rare opportunity to discover something Dallas Willard didn’t know. I launched into a time of deeper reflection and study.
After months looking at Scripture, reading church history, talking with respected people, and meeting with leaders of small groups, I don’t think I have the definitive answer, but I have observed five essential practices.”

The 5 Essential Practices of Small Groups Are:
1. Confession: remove the masks
2. Application: look in the mirror
3. Accountability: stand on the scale
4. Guidance: follow the map
5. Encouragement: embrace each other

More to come on this interesting topic!

Conncting is Alive!

Thank you to everyone who attended the potluck this past Sunday!  We hope you were able to connect with someone new, learned about Connecting Groups, and got encouraged to connect with people outside of our church!  I saw a lot of conversations taking place, it was great to see!

There were two encouragers that I think served as great take home messages.  The first point was moving SSLC from a “one day Sunday” church to an “everyday Sunday” church.  Connecting Groups is a great avenue in moving the church towards that culture.  It starts with giving you another day of the week to worship God, to go deeper into His word that was covered in the sermon, to talk to someone from church.  You may also learn some lessons in group that you can carry out through the remainder of the week.  Hopefully over time you find yourself in an active relationship with God every minute of everyday. That is the purpose of Connecting Groups, to help you be connected to Jesus Christ and each other through worship, learning and service and keeping that connection going 7 days a week.

The other point, brought up by Mike Zimmer, was making sure to connect with people outside of SSLC.  Connecting with our fellow members is great.  But connecting with outsiders is what God commissions us to do.  Planting seeds will help build up God’s kingdom.  It will also hopefully help us build up our congregation.  We can connect with non-believers through our service projects and inviting people to group. Perhaps people are not ready to attend a large formal gathering on Sunday, smaller groups may help people feel more comfortable to learn more about God.  Challenge yourself to ask someone to group.  If you don’t know of anyone pray that God places a person in your life to invite.

If you are wanting to learn more about Connecting Groups over the next 6 weeks you can attend a series called “Connecting Alive.”  This will give you an opportunity to learn about the importance of connecting, and how the groups are conducted.  Come join us this Sunday for the first session after the early service!  Signs will be posted in the church that will direct you to our meeting place.  Hope to see you there!

The Power of Invitation.

Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.~ Matthew 9:37-38

One of the purposes of Connecting Groups is to invite people to attend our group. We invite people within the Saint Stephanus community so we can get to know one another on a deeper level while learning about Jesus Christ and deepening our faith.

Connecting Groups are also a great opportunity to invite people outside of SSLC to visit a group, especially those who don’t know Christ. As outsiders come into the group hopefully they will see God’s love shine through as they watch brothers and sisters in Christ care for one another and share fellowship. For many this is a less intimidating way to get to know the Good News. Perhaps seeds are planted as new friendships are formed. If the newcomer attends Connecting Group regularly they also become connected to SSLC, and what better way to grow in faith with the support of friends in a small group and a larger community of the church?

You may be asking how do I invite someone and what do I do if an unbeliever comes to the group? Two key elements here are to pray for an opportunity to ask someone and then plan an event that the new friend would want to attend. Take inventory of your neighbors, co-workers, and extended family members, you may be surprised of names you can think of. As for an event, it is best to have them come when you are not doing a typical bible study. Organize a social event such as a game night or have a meal and fellowship. Simply spend time together and converse. As the group plans the social challenge one another to invite at least one person to the event. It’s okay if you get turned down, at least you are getting practice inviting someone.

God works in miraculous ways when it comes to inviting people. Here is a little anecdote from a small group ministry at another church who has a similar small group ministry as ours…

“One of our Small Group leaders invited some new people to group. The night came for their gathering. The new couple found their way to the neighborhood but forgot the address and unknowingly went to a house that was actually three doors down from the host’s house. They knocked a couple of times and then walked right in and went into the kitchen to find this couple sitting down eating dinner. The owners of the house were friendly and introduced themselves and they were all chatting. After about 2 minutes, the new couple, asked where the people were who invited them to group. The couple who owned the house had no idea what they were talking about!They were in the wrong house! The couple who invited them to group lived three doors down!”

Here are three things that happened:

1. The people who came to this wrong house actually were reconnected with the owners of this house. They went to high school together!

2. The couple who went to the wrong house eventually found the right house and had a great story to tell!

3. The people who lived three doors down, who entertained these “strange visitors,” received an invitation and will be coming to dinner with their neighbors who live three doors down.”

What was meant to be an invitation to 2 people ended up getting extended to 4 people! New friendships were formed, old relationships were re-connected. All because of inviting.

Let’s keep the idea of inviting someone new to Connecting Group at the fore front of our minds and in our hearts. Pray about it and watch how God’s wonderful work comes to life!