Home Small Group Leaders Making Disciples Like Jesus Through Small Groups

Making Disciples Like Jesus Through Small Groups

Broyles goes on to describe how platoon members shared rice rations and passed around single cigarettes and shared the use of bamboo cots. He goes on to say, “In war, we regularly risked our lives to recover our wounded and dead. We often felt close enough to each other to call one another brothers.” Then, after describing the depth of feeling among the platoon members, he says it again: “A part of me loved war.” You get the feeling he’s not had a relational experience like that since.

Why is Broyles so passionate about his feelings, his positive feelings for Vietnam? I thought we all hated Vietnam.

I contend that it is because of the little platoon experience. And this little platoon experience is basic to Christian discipleship. People long for it; they need it. There is no maturity without it.

There is an epidemic of loneliness in America. (More on this later.) People long for love. They long for the love that only the church can give. God has commanded us to love them and the quickest way for us to reach America for Christ is by loving people through small group ministries. If we love them, they will come, and they will come to love our Lord.

We can reach America through small groups that double every two years or less. We can make disciples in small groups that grow and double every two years or less. We cannot do it with professionals alone. Granted, we need professionals to help. I am not against professionals; I am one. But we cannot depend on professionals alone to get the job done. The job is simply too big. We must turn the job over to the people of God. This is the way God designed it in the first place. So, let us get to the work.

Doubling your class is a worthy goal. Worthy of you giving your life to. We can change the face of Christianity in our generation. The bread and butter of our strategy is the person doing the work in the trenches: you, the small group leader.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.