Friday's Micro-Group Moments
Romans 10:9-17
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[g]
16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[h] 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Footnotes:
[e] Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
[f] Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
[g] Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
[h] Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
Pondering Point
This is the core of the Gospel for disciples. Its foundational. Epic. Jesus at the heart; Jesus in the heart; Jesus being alive. Jesus being alive in you. Is this your heart’s belief? This is part of the faith statement of the church put together in the Apostles’ Creed centuries ago. This is the second part of that creed.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
Micro-Group Moment:
Using Jesus as a Model for Micro-Groups
With micro-groups (MGs) generally defined as 3-4 people, an obvious MG in the world of Jesus is the trio of Peter, James and John. He did activities with them that the Twelve (His Small Group) missed out on. He took only those three for the healing of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37-43). Only they went up the mountain with Him for His transfiguration and meeting with Elijah and Moses (Mark 9:2-4). He took them deeper into the Garden of Gethsemane during his heart-wrenching prayer time (Mark 14:32-34).
But there's more than one MG in the life of Jesus. He had a close relationship with the family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10, John 11). He was at their house on multiple occasions and spent substantial time there. Lazarus is even described as Jesus’ beloved. There is one more identifiable MG/SG that Jesus was a part of – His birth family. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, known as the Holy Family, are his initial MG (as a human). This is the first group Jesus is part of in which God was central. You can have a variety of MGs in your life – some you're born into, some you marry into, some you connect with, through, via or other spiritual avenues. Regardless, any Spirit-led MG is always going to have God central. Next week we will look at some of Jesus’ language and teachings that can apply to getting together as MGs. Let’s finish today by praying for God’s insight over the place of MGs in your life.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, open my soul to the possibilities of participating in micro-groups. Let me see in Jesus the benefits of micro-group life and look to have You replicate in my world. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.