Jewish Rabbis would intentionally create this dynamic by leading with questions. Read Matthew 16:13-17 to see Jesus engaging His small group to share and participate by asking them questions.
2. Koinonia means Contribution and a Gift Jointly Contributed. This tells me that their community was not merely made up of people who came to be fed. (Ever heard the following: I feel like I’m not getting fed.) People came to make a contribution. They came to encourage, to participate and to support each other by any means necessary. They were contributors, not consumers.
Today, people may start out attending a small group to get fed, but the culture of the group should cause them to become more. I was blessed last night at our small group to hear a young lady named Vicky praying out loud for others in the group. She’s attended our group for a while now and it’s been amazing to see her grow and come out of her shell through inviting new people to our group and ministering to others within the group too. She has become a contributor.
3. Koinonia means Intimacy. This tells me that their community was not merely a crowd of disconnected lives. Their community produced relationships because it was designed to do just that.
I love corporate worship and preaching. I can’t get enough of it. There is a special anointing from God when believers dwell together in unity (Psalm 133). I am a large group-gathering junkie!
On the flip side, I cannot fellowship with 200 people or 500 people or a 1,000 people or more. I simply cannot build closer relationships in that environment. I can, however, become more familiar with a group of six to 15 people that are engaging each other, sharing with each other and ministering to one another.
In conclusion, I hope you can read between the lines to see that I am not a small group extremist. I am not anti-Sunday school or anti-corporate gatherings. For me, the use of a small group meeting is not either/or; it’s both/and. When I study the early church, I see a powerful movement that could come together in mass and live together in rich community. This biblical pattern gives the modern church a balanced expression that brings maturity to the body of Christ.
This article originally on the nature of a small group meeting appeared here.
