![]() ![]() For any group to be successful, Christ must be leading. After Christ departed from the earth, Peter and John were traveling partners. The disciples had a bond and agreed with each other in the gospel causing them to be used by the Holy Spirit. The Bible says can two walk together except they agree. The other time he sent out the seventy disciples was in Luke 10:1-20. The 1st small group were the twelve disciples in Matt 10:42 and Mark 6:6-13. That is- To spread the gospel, baptize and make disciples of all men. The groups we are now called to form is similar to the groups the disciples were called to form. Those groups were for dealing with civil matters. I believe the types of small groups Moses were called to formed was different types of small groups than we are called to form today. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. I am not saying that there is not a place for ad-hoc small groups, but such groups work most effectively when they recognize a sense of belonging to a higher power. But, there was a framework for these small groups to operate and that was a major factor in the plan's success. He saw the advantage of spreading the responsibility and ensuring that small group issues were solved locally quickly. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, would have made a good software engineer. The small groups that get a mention in today's lesson were often part of a larger cohesive plan. Not too far from where I live I know of a number of churches that were closed to form large vibrant churches, only to discover that the idea wasn't such a good idea after all. I have a long enough memory to remember when large churches were considered a really good idea too. While there is a fair push for us to consider small groups in our church/spiritual life we need to think about it a bit otherwise it will fall into the "good idea at the time" basket. The key to the success of these small groups was that each was assigned a task to do and they had to do it in such a way that the whole workforce worked together. There were groups who built bridges, others who recycled the old concrete roadbed, another group placed the traffic barriers, and so on. There were hundreds of workers involved but most of the work was accomplished by small groups, each with a task to perform. I mentioned recently the road building/renovation of a major national highway that took place near us recently. What did you learn from that which could help you understand the value of small groups in the context of our faith? Think about a time when you were involved with a small group of people, whatever the circumstances, who cared about each other and who were working for a common goal. The purpose of Jesus’ small groups was both spiritual nurture and outreach. Day by day, as they observed Jesus ministering to the needs of people around Him, they would learn by observation how to use their gifts. In the context of their small group meetings, they would learn how to minister more effectively. In fellowship with Him, they would grow in grace. Jesus’ purpose in calling the disciples was to prepare them both spiritually and practically for their mission to the world. What was Jesus’ twofold purpose in calling the disciples and selecting them to be part of His small group ministry? ![]() This is the exact size that both Moses and Jesus employed in forming their groups. It is fascinating that small group specialists tell us that the ideal size for group interaction is between six and twelve people. Small groups provide opportunities for warm, caring fellowship, spiritual growth, and problem solving. No question - then as well as now, people struggled with things that others could help them with. In groups like this, people could form tight and caring relationships that could help all involved work through whatever the issues were that they were facing. They were places of vision where God’s plans for Israel could be shared. They were places of fellowship where problems could be prevented and spiritual life nurtured. These small groups were a place for problem solving, but they were also much more. Every individual in the camp of Israel became part of a group of ten, led by a godly official.
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