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Devotional For the Week— 11 December 2006

EXPERIENCING LIFE TOGETHER IN A CARE GROUP

SCRIPTURE TEXT: 1 Corinthians 12: 12 - 26

A church is not only a place where Christians belong but it should also be a place where Christians experience life together. The vision of Bedok Methodist Church is to make disciples for Jesus Christ. As a church, when we took part in the 40 days Purpose Driven Campaign, we discovered the five greatest needs of our existence and they are:

(1)        The purpose we live for which is to worship God.

(2)        The people we live with, that is our fellowship with fellow Christians as we face life problems together.

(3)        The principles we live by, our discipleship. We should fortify our faith.

(4)        The profession we live out, that is, our ministry. We should discover our talents and serve.

(5)        The power to live on, that is our mission. We should fulfill our God-given missions.

The church is God’s power house and God’s agenda on earth. How does a church express itself visibly for the world to see? The answer is through the fellowship of Christians (John 13:34-35). As a church grows in size, fellowship often takes place in care groups. Let us explore what real fellowship can add to a Christian’s life.

IN REAL FELLOWSHIP, PEOPLE EXPERIENCE AUTHENTICITY

What is authentic fellowship? Authentic fellowship is not fellowship which is at superficial level. It is fellowship in which people are honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share what is in their hearts. This takes both courage and humility as it could mean facing the fear of exposure, rejection and being hurt and ridiculed by the people whom you share your problems with. Why should Christians take this risk? The Bible teaches us that this is the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. James 5:16 tells us “Make this your common practice. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed’.

IN REAL FELLOWSHIP, PEOPLE EXPERIENCE MUTUALITY

What is mutuality? Mutuality is the art of giving and receiving. It’s depending on each other. It is the heart of fellowship which is to build reciprocal relationships by sharing responsibilities and helping each other. The Bible teaches us that we should help and encourage each other. (Romans 12:10)

IN REAL FELLOWSHIP, PEOPLE EXPERIENCE SYMPATHY

What is sympathy? Sympathy is entering in and sharing the pain of others. It meets two fundamental human needs, the need to be understood and the need to have your feelings validated. Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings you build fellowship, but sometimes we are often in a rush or in a hurry to fix things and we do not have the time to sympathize with people.

How does fellowship operate in the Care Group Ministry? There are different levels of fellowship and each is appropriate at different times.

In a care group, the simplest level of fellowship is the fellowship of sharing and studying God’s word together. A deeper level is the fellowship of serving, for example, when care groups minister together on mission trips or mercy projects. The deepest level is the fellowship of suffering, that is, when we enter into each other’s pain and grief and carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

It is in the times of deep crisis, grief, and doubt that we need each other most. When circumstances crush us to the point that our faith falters, that’s when we need believing friends the most. We need a small group of friends to have faith in God FOR us and to help pull us through. In a small group, the body of Christ is real and tangible even when God seems distant.

IN REAL FELLOWSHIP, PEOPLE EXPERIENCE MERCY

What is mercy? Mercy is when fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes are not rubbed in but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice. We must be willing to forgive others and also accept forgiveness from others.

CONCLUSION

It takes time to build strong relationships and form healthy fellowship groups. However, there are many benefits that we will experience in being part of a small group community committed to real fellowship. It is an essential part of our Christian life that we cannot overlook. It is biblical model for Christian discipleship and growth. So if you are not in any care group at the moment, do consider joining one and being part of building a healthy fellowship with fellow Christians.

Prayer Response:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your love and mercy. You showed us the way to love and show mercy to others. Let me be an instrument of peace and mercy to those around me that I might reflect the love of God. Help me be able to sympathize with fellow Christians and to build up relationships in a care group.

Devotional based on message by Rev Vincent Goh