Doing what comes naturally is always the default, especially when it comes to relationships. And what is natural to young and carnal believers relationally is looking out for the emotional health of number one, themselves. Biblical community is just the opposite, it demands setting self aside and looking out for the best interest of everyone else. These contradictory paradigms makes the small group leader’s role especially important as they are the key factor in helping small group members rethink and retool the way they live their lives.
The small group leader must create an environment where the group is doing the Christian life together as designed by God and outlined in Scripture. When this happens the small group will be a place so safe there will be the calling out of one another when sin in someone’s life is noticed, the confessing of sin to one another so that prayers of godly brothers and sisters in Christ can be voiced, requests for financial or emotional assistance when it is needed, and the telling of one’s story even if it includes abuse, acts of sexual perversion, addiction, or any other long held secret.
In order for this to be experienced this will demand
Honesty which demands…
Trust which demands…
Communal Understandings which demands…
Commitment which demands…
Sacrifice which demands…
A community of individuals willing to die for one another.
If you look again at the list above you’ll see that, in order to create the environment a small group leader must create, it all begins with being willing to die for one another. Let me trace the progression. When group member is willing to die for the others in the group that person is willing to make SACRIFICEs on behalf of the others. This SACRIFICE will demand a COMMITMENT to the persons in the group. The necessary COMMITMENT cannot be realized until there are COMMUNAL UNDERSTANDINGS. In the small group setting this would be the biblical mandates concerning how do life together. COMMUNAL UNDERSTANDINGS are what makes it possible to TRUST one another as all of us will be committed to the same relational principles and expectations. And once we TRUST one another we’ll be able to be HONEST with one another making it possible for the group to be bold in opening themselves up to one another.
