GROWTH GROUPS

Growth Group Overview

When you look at the life and ministry of Jesus, He treated different sized groups in different ways. We want to marry up our ministry model with Jesus’ ministry model.

When He spoke to the masses, He said hard things (John 6). When there were less people than thousands, but more than just the Twelve, he spoke in parables (13.3). He typically then took the Twelve aside and explained those parables in depth - apart from the crowds (13.10).

And to the three of Peter, James, and John, He invited to sacred places like the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9.28) and the Garden of Gethsemane to pray (Luke 22.8)

Our Growth Groups are meant to mirror Jesus’ inner-circle where we go deeper into God’s word, into one another’s lives, and begin to become who God intended in light of God’s glory.

We hope you’ll join us in a Growth Group, formed inside of your Neighborhood Group, in 2024 as we journey through 1st and 2nd Corinthians as a church.

If you have any questions, please ask your Neighborhood Group leader or email our Lead Pastor, Lance Williams.

Growth Groups are designed to have as much structure to hold it together and at the same time be simple enough for multiplication. Because the nature of Growth Groups is a little different than an average bible study or accountability group, they bear some explanation.

Growth Groups are designed to not just allow you to focus on the meaning or interpretation of any text in the Bible, but also to move you from understanding to obedience. Jesus measured our love for Him by whether or not we obeyed Him. He said things like, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14.15). Jesus doesn’t just want us to memorize what He said or simply know the precise interpretation of what the Bible says. Instead, He wants us to move from knowledge to obedience.

Additionally, the brother of Jesus, James, says in his letter that we are deceived if we don’t move from simply hearing God’s word into obeying God’s word: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1.22). Therefore, getting into groups of 3-4 of either males or females rom your Neighborhood Group (ideally), pursue these four things:

  • Study the Bible On Your Own

    On your own, read a chapter, multiple chapters, or an entire book of the Bible (Read the Bible, as opposed to a book study. It’s not that book studies are bad, they just aren’t best discussed in this format.)

    As you study the Bible, we recommend you ask three basic questions to help you move beyond mere interpretation and into application:

    - What does this passage say about the character of God (His Identity)?

    - What does this passage say about who I am (Your Identity)?

    - What do I need to do this week in response to both of the first questions (Obey God)?

    If you have never studied the bible before, or are having a hard time understanding what the passage says, we recommend using either of the Bible Study Methods we’ve included at the end of this primer.

  • Ask the Holy Spirit & Obey Him

    As you are reading, studying, and interpreting God’s word, ask the Holy Spirit what you are supposed to do as a result of the truths you are are discovering. This is not a mystical experience, but one that aims to help cultivate your relationship with the Spirit of Truth who longs to lead you into the truth by reminding you of the things Jesus said (John 14.26; 15.26).

    This is where the rubber meets the road. Remember, when we ask the Holy Spirit what we are supposed to do as a result of studying and knowing God’s word, we’re asking Him how we should obey Jesus. Whatever He says to do, ensure it’s biblical by testing it against other pieces of Scripture.

    Remember, God’s Spirit will never contradict His word, so He’ll never tell you to sin or pursue destructive behavior.

    A good way to start down the path of obedience is by completing the sentence, “Since this is true, I must ___________________ this week.” Then do your best to be obedient to the Spirit throughout the week by applying the Scripture.

  • Come Together & Rejoice/Repent

    After studying on your own and attempting obedience throughout the week, get together in your groups of 3-4. Your time together should not just be aimed at interpreting God’s word together, but in reporting back to each other how you were able to either obey Jesus, or how you chose not to obey Jesus. If you obeyed what the Spirit told you to do as a result of knowing the Scriptures, rejoice. If you were not able to obey what the Spirit told you to do, repent. You may think that’s a little extreme, but remember, when we don’t obey Jesus it’s sin, and we must repent not just about why we didn’t obey, but we must ask for help discovering the reasons we didn’t obey.

    This is not a time to beat up on each other, or beat up on yourself. It is a time to remind ourselves and each other of the Good News of the Gospel: full forgiveness, healing, victory, no condemnation, and that you are sons or daughters of God with new natures and the power over sin that Jesus has secured on your behalf.

  • Pray Together

    Be sure to pray together for one another, for your church, for your leaders, and for non-believers in your community.

    Talk about any spiritual conversations you’ve had with your neighbors, co-workers, friends, family, and any non-believers. Share how you plan on reaching those non-believers and invite them into your rhythm of life and your community. Pray for them by name and ask God to save them.

January & February Growth Group Calendar

These videos on Growth Groups are focused on helping you dig into God’s word, deepen your relationships, and help form you into Christ.

How to Read the Bible

Here are two ways in which you can begin to read the Bible for all it’s worth:

Classic Bible Study Methods

Observation: When reading the Bible, ask yourself and God, “What does the text say?”
- Take note of simply what the text says, not what you think it says, but what it actually says.

Interpretation: When reading the Bible, ask yourself and God, “What does the text mean?”
- Take care that you try not to read too much into the text, but instead draw out of the text what the author originally intended.

Application: When reading the Bible, ask yourself and Go, “How does this text work in real life?”
- Now that you know what the Bible says and means, what are you going to do as a result?

REAP Method

Read: Read it silently, out loud and take notes on what you think is significant.

Examine: Work through the list of questions below to figure out what the passage means:
- What is my emotional reaction to the passage? Pause and ask God why you reacted that way.
- Pause and take note of anything you don’t understand.
- What do you learn about God, myself, or people from this passage?

Apply: No matter where you are spiritually, what would it look like for you to obey the Scripture? Write out your response to this question.

Pray: Ask God how you can honor Him after reading, examining, and applying this passage this week.