Creating a Transformational Community
Posted by Eric in Uncategorized on 11 20th, 2007 | 5 responses
5 Responses to “Creating a Transformational Community”
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“Jesus invites us to follow Him not for what we can get but for what we can give (see Matthew 4:19).”
Ouch. This stung, especially when read in the context of community and small groups. I left my small group at church because I wasn’t getting anything out of it. In the back of my mind, I had a nagging sense that it was a selfish thing to do. I guess this confirms it!
“People weren’t repelled by their beliefs as much as they were intrigued by their character.” Amen, brother! I think we (Christ followers) are a little too known for what we are against, and this pushes people away. Our character (that is, Christ inside of us) should be a magnet that draws people to us, to our character.
You did a fabulous job, thanks for being a part of the conference!
“…people are desperate for community” is so true. People come to churches and leave them because of that desperation. Fellowship, or community should not be our goal, but is a gift to the believer from God that occurs as we serve Christ and meet the needs of others. We must take our focus off of our own desire for community, and redirect it to serving in order to experience true community. You rock Eric! ~deneen
I love Dr Cloud’s comment “The most important thing YOU BRING”, this really breaks the Christian consumerism mentality that is always thinking “My needs must be met or i’m leaving”. This goes not only for SG’s but for churches as a whole.
If we can just break out of a mindset of continously receiving we might just begin to break into the world that God wants us to live while we a are down here on Earth. For me, moving on from a group where i left behind more than i took was the key to living a life fulfilled and filling up others. It empowered them to go on and fill others etc etc….so you end up with this culture of just everyone living in overflow by living for others….BUT it doesnt come free….it comes with a price tag……Time and Relationship!
Unfulfilled expectations are too often a source of anger or frustration. Instead of expecting so much from others, one thing I am trying to really do is to approach people with the attitude, “what can I do to serve them?”. It quickly changes perspective and takes the me out of it. It’s not easy, but the relationships grow tremendously!