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WHY Small Groups? “The Divine Community”

By joe Schlosser
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

Jesus’ Prayer for Our Unity in Him.

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. 22 I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: 23 I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-23)

One writer had this to say about God’s heart for us:

“One of God’s biggest dreams for us is authentic community.” (Bill Willits, Creating Community: 5 Keys to Building a Small Group Culture; page 40)

That also seems to be at the heart of Jesus’ prayer for His followers the very night He was about to betrayed,… then beaten, whipped and crucified. You can tell what is most important to someone in those times when they are facing their mortality.

And, even though Jesus trusted and rested in the promise of His resurrection by the Father’s Hand, the reality of what He was about to face in His “stations of the cross” loomed large in front of Him. So did His heart and desire for His followers to remain “one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You.”

And think of what the world might believe about Jesus as God’s “Only Begotten Son” if they witnessed our unity with Jesus in the same way Jesus was united with God, the Father.

WHY small groups?

Because it can be a place where meaningful relationships can both given and received.

Because it was Jesus’ dying wish for His followers… for you and me… for us and the resurrected Him.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Denny Finnegan
Associate Pastor, CPC

Categories : small groups
Tags : community, denny finnegan, divine, small groups

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What some are saying …

Hi Denny:

I very much appreciated your column in the recent CPC newsletter; it gave me a new perspective on prayer. It made me realize that whenever we pray sincerely, Jesus is there with us, joining us in our prayer to God. In fact, maybe the reason the Lord’s prayer begins with “Our Father…” is that whenever we pray it, we are not praying alone, but rather that Jesus is there with us joining us in that prayer to God – so it’s only appropriate that, when we begin that prayer, we (Jesus and me) say “Our” - since there are two together praying to God.

Also, when we conclude our prayers by asking that God hear our prayer “In Jesus’ name…”, Jesus is there with us before God to verify that He agrees with our request and it is His too.

Thanks, Denny…

John

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