Sunday: Small Groups ~ God’s Idea First
Read Genesis 1:1-2, Genesis 1:26; Hebrews 1:1-2; and Ephesians 3:8-9. How do these verses reveal the unity of the Godhead?
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit participated in Creation together.
Image © Rolf Jansson at Goodsalt.com
They each had different tasks but worked together in an indivisible union. The Father was the Master Designer, the great architect. He carried out His plans through Jesus, as the active agent in Creation in unison with the power of the Holy Spirit. Such a powerful supernatural act is way beyond our comprehension. What we can comprehend, and clearly, too, is not only the reality of the created world and the cosmos but that God Himself had made it all (see Romans 1:18-20).
Small groups were God’s idea first. Though one has to be careful when using analogies in regard to many of the mysterious aspects of God, let’s use one loosely and say that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit composed the first “small group” in salvation history. They participated together in the creation of the human race and then in its redemption after the Fall.
Compare John 10:17-18 with Romans 8:11; and 1 Corinthians 15:15. How does the resurrection of Christ demonstrate the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the plan of salvation?
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in a “small group” with the express purpose of redeeming the human race. “The plan of salvation had its place in the counsels of the Infinite from all eternity”. — Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 186. There is nothing more important to God then saving as many people as possible (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). Small groups may have multiple purposes that we will study in this week’s lesson, but their overriding purpose is to focus on winning lost people to Jesus. That is, by working in small groups, we can help not only ourselves but others, as well. That is, the ultimate goal of our small groups should be soul-winning.
| Dwell on the mystery of the unity of our God. It’s hard to grasp, isn’t it? Yet, we can still believe in, and trust, what we don’t fully understand, right? Why is this such an important principle for Christians to follow when it comes to faith? |
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I discovered another analogy to help me understand the Triune God who are 3 beings intertwined in one, it is a plait (also called a braid). To make a plait one takes three strands and weaves them into one, they start off equal next to each other, a,b,c, then a is elevated over b, then c over a, then b over c and so on making one strong rope out of three, at each stage one strand is lifted up and supported by the other two, then it becomes a supporter and another is lifted up.
In the Word of the LORD it has been revealed to us that all three Father, Son and Spirit are equal and together planned and carried out the Creation of the world, and together agreed on the Plan of Salvation, the Son volunteered to be the one to set aside His divinity to become human and was supported by the other two as He carried out their combined Plan. Each one in love defers to the other depending on the stage of their plan, while in human form the Son defers to the Father and does His will and only speaks what He heard from Him, but mentions the glory He had previously, the Son says He will send the Spirit who will only speak what He hears from the Son. John 16:13-15. Later on we read that it is the Spirit who guides and directs the disciples and decides which gifts to give, at the Second Coming it is the Son who comes riding on the white horse in majesty and victory. In many places we are shown the Father on His throne ruling the Universe. John tells us from the beginning Jesus was with God and was God.
Thank you for explaning such a difficult concept in simple terms. Hope all is well with Maurice Ashton.
All is well with me, Newbegin. I slept in this morning and then went bird watching!
hi shirly, i'm reading your comment and i see it is clear and the word triune i see also is good now iam very happy to see good explaination like this.
Shirley - you chose great Scripture verses to highlight that the Spirit is the only link connecting Heaven with earth - it is mankind's lifeline to eternity.
Without the Spirit of the Father empowering when filling the Son and making Him available to mankind through the Spirit of Truth, man will not be able to receive and understand Heaven's Truth and respond back to Heaven after having applied faith through action.
The new nature is a spiritually functioning nature using the faculties of our body, including the willing mind, to communicate both ways - receiving and sending back the applied Truth messages by/through the Spirit of God.
I like that analogy!
Two reflections:
1) As the lesson acknowledges, while there is much about the nature and character of God that we do not yet have the capacity to more fully ‘comprehend’, we do have sufficient revelation to see that God is both unified and diversified at the same time. The lesson describes this as the original small group. Another similar view I recently came across described the Godhead as a “community of love” (https://bibleproject.com/blog/who-is-the-angel-of-the-lord/).
2) The lesson states “the ultimate goal of our small groups should be soul-winning”. If soul-winning is the ultimate goal, what then happens when the person has been ‘won’? Sadly, some of the analyses of data regarding people who leave through the ‘back door’ suggests that a focus has been on winning rather than nurturing.
Phil, is it possible that the root cause of the back door exodus is how they were won in the first place? My perception is that we tend to emphasize "truth", sometimes disconnected from a love for Jesus who is the Truth. When we learn to focus on the Gospel and relate all our distinctives to it, {and our churches all become reservoirs of grace), then when we carefully nurture new converts, perhaps our results will change.
Hi Richard
I do believe you are on to something... the notion of “propositional truth” that Maurice and Inge have previously referred to compared with applied/lived-out truth.
Phil
An Excellent observation Phil.
Hi Phil, those are great points. I said a similar statement this past Sabbath as I taught Sabbath School:
"Our Sabbath School author, Mark Finley, is leading us to what it really means to 'Making Friends for God', our central theme for this Quarter. He did not say, 'Making Members for God', he says 'Making Friends for God'.
Unfortunately, many of us, think that we only to present the Word of God to the people, or witnessing to people, thru either Bible Studies or Evangelism series, and then the people will just come and join the church. Well now, why would they join our church? Have you made Friends with them? No! Have they made any friends at church? Perhaps just the Bible Worker or the friend that brought them to church. Does the church know anything about them? No! So, what you are saying that they are strangers in our church? Yes! So, again, why would total strangers join our church? Because we give them some pretty words, or showed them where to find our 28th fundamental beliefs from the Bible! We must make Friends with them first, secondly, found out, or minister to, their needs, then let the Holy Spirit start the conviction/conversion process. It should be apparent by now, thru this lesson, that we are not equipped to convict or convert anyone, that is the job of God and His Holy Spirit. What we can do is be here for them, to support them through the process. And unfortunately, as we live in this sinful world, the conviction/conversion process is not easy for many people. Many of them may have to give up a lot during their conversion process, and we need to be there to support them during these difficult times. And not say to a struggling Sister that have decide to give up cigarette, “It was a bad habit anymore. And look at all the money you will be saving.” Instead, you can show her Love and Support by saying, “I will add you to my Prayer list, that God will give you strength.”
Instead, many of our newly baptized members have Little to No Friends in the church, except for the person that introduced them to the Word of God or who give them bible studies (who has probably moved on to witness and give bible studies to other people). They feel as if no one that really cares about their spiritual well-being. And sadly, they see all of the Klicks in the church,or bands of friends, and no one has welcoming them to become a part of klicks. Newly baptized members need to feel a sense of "Belonging" to our churches, not just becoming 'members' of our churches. They need a lot of nurturing.
God gives us all spiritual gifts to nuture these New Believers; he gave to some the abilities to preach, teach, administration, helps, and so on. But the problem is that we are the problem, which is why Mr. Finley said last week that WE need an Attitude Adjustment. By the way, God can save people without us, but that is not His plan. Our Pastor pointed this out, that when Jesus start His ministry, He went out and chose 12 Disciples to help him in His Ministry, this is our example.
Instead of making Friends (Disciples) for God, we, the church, have concentrated, or measure success, on the number of people that we can bring into the church. Years ago, when I was a Bible Worker, I not only give my assigned people bible studies, but I checked in with them at least once during the week (sometimes more) to see 1)how they were during, 2)if they had any special needs that I or the church could assist them with, and 3)if they had any questions about the Bible Study; I was "making friends". This showed the person that I was interested in them, the goings on in their personal life, outside of the Bible studies. We have lost sight of these principles, the one-on-one soul-winning, that teaches and nurtures them. After my student was baptized, I would continue to nurture them by encouraging them to get involved in the church, any ministry in the church where they could serve the church community and where they could continue to grow spiritually through making Friends. At this point, then I would move on to the next Disciple, the next Bible Studies. Sometimes, I did have more than one person that I was given Bible Studies to, but I continued to do the same as I listed above with each person. Some of the Bible Studies fall by the wayside; the people stopped the Bible Studies and communication by avoiding my calls. After three weeks or so of avoiding my calls, I would stop calling, and move on. Those were the people that were not ready to hear the word of God, they only signed up for the Bible Study in order to not be seen as impolite or disrespectful. Somehow, we have to get back to one-on-one soul-winning that teaches and nurture them at the same time.
Sorry for the long post!
God's blessing and Love to you All!
In light of this discussion thread, I personally don’t try to ‘win souls’. While I am very much aware that there is only one basis for life that is truly viable (ie self-renouncing love via union with God/Holy Spirit), my role is to be ‘salt’ and ‘light’ for people I interact with - seeking their benefit yet also respecting their freedom to reject that. My role is to Partner with God/Holy Spirit (according to God’s choice to use me in a given circumstance) to support those who wish to embrace the invitation to live. It is the Holy Spirit’s role to convict and convert all who are willing - to ‘win souls’ - not mine (John 16:8).
I do believe that those who are found in small groups(prayer meeting, vesper, Tuesday men's or women ministeries, Thursday night pathfinders, Monday pantry) for the cause of Christ will be found inside the Holy City when the roll is called up yonder. Oh yah I'll be there.
Had Eve not stand alone holding a conversation with evil?
If Adam did not try to reason alone (without God) the action of Eve?
Had they called upon God whom they had the privilege of holding face to face conversation, history would have been different?
Ecclesiastes 4:12
12 And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Let us never forget coming together is a godly mandate. This is not a human invention.
Thank you for this website where we can share our thoughts and inspirations. God is inspiring us through each one of our postings.
Thank you to every contributors to this posting. One day we shall each other face to face.
God bless
Good Morning Adventist Family:
Genesis (3:8)
"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden."
Why would God walk? I have come to believe this was in fact the pre-incarnate Christ-visiting his creation.
That verse always intrigued me. The other one that blows me away is from Jesus' own lips "I tell you the truth even before Abraham was born-"I Am".(John 8:58) This was shocking to the Jews at the time, not because of the verbiage, but because of the name used. This was laying claim to who he really was.
Those will say-yes, maybe he was "created" before Abraham, but that does not mean he is God-but his son. The verse does not say that- it says "IAM" "Ego-AMI". Had Jesus meant he was his son-he would not have added the last terminology...ever.
Jesus was a Jew, went to Synagogue as was the custom, and followed the custom of the time. He knew very well what "IAM" adding at the end of his sentence meant and the reaction.
Though I can't explain Trinity, I prefer simply to accept. I am not a learned Biblical Scholar enough to even try, however, I simply choose to believe Our Savior is who he says he is.
Have a wonderful day Adventist family.
Adventist world statistics show that the denomination has faced a retention challenge for the past 50 years. At least 1 in 3 members left the Church and it is very likely that most of them are young people (who make up the majority of that number). In addition, in that century the proportion of people who left the Adventist ranks against new converts is 43 to 100.
The basis for any member to remain connected to the Church is the relationship with Christ through the study of the Bible, a life of prayer and the practice of personal witness.
One of the best ways to keep young people close to the Church is to give them the opportunity to do something special for God. We are going to make them feel involved in serving others.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:1
Small group evangelism.
Small groups have a positive and negative. I have lived long enough to see how people organized and run small groups, I will not dare compare them to the ‘God-head’. Not even the disciples. Presently small groups are arranged according to race, age, cultures, creed, even soc-economic status etc. Sometimes they stronger ones gather together in groups and leaves the weak ones to struggle behind and we still expect the church/congregation to strive. Sometimes some congregations have more resources while some don’t, instead of working together they separate themselves both in educational institutions and religion. Until we die daily to self, we will be going around in a circle. People will be coming in the front door and leaving by the back door.
jesus is come to save the lose soul becaus of the fallen of human race in the binging,they are agree from heaven with his father and holyspirit about the plain of salvation, that is why jesus die on the cross for our sin.he was die for our sin to saving us from dead.
This hard-to-understand concept of three-in-one is on the basis of the Bible's descritpion of God Himself. Our finite minds can have difficulty in fully comprehend this, but focusing on the functions/roles of each One of the Divinity Persons may help us with that. Each One of God's trinity has a specific role concerning our existance!
God truly works in mysterious ways! Thoughts regarding this topic have been with me for a while now. I am fairly sure that the topics for this quarterly, and maybe others before this one, were thought about and prepared months, if not years ago.
Just the process of writing lessons, lay-out and printing takes a long time. So, the idea to bring about some changes to the structured fellowship must have been in the making for some time.
I am happy that our Family of Faith as an institution has come to this crossroad to find new ways to reach out to people who are searching for the source of Truth and effectually maturing those who have accepted the call to believe. It is always exiting to see new ideas coming from people interested to improve on what they have seen not working as well as hoped for - as long as God's Spirit leads.
God gave man the setting of a family structure to teach and learn not to be selfish and self-centered but altruistic as well, to aid the building of a good society. Parents teach their children through example; an environment well balanced between social and spiritual aspects will start the child on the road to walk with consideration of his neighbor's needs as well as his/her own.
The Church Family of Faith's task is no different - teaching us how to apply God's spiritual truth to everyday life. Leaders teach us about what it means to grow into our new nature; helping us understand that the Holy Spirit takes the individual personality and applies the teachings to that person as it is applicable. We remain individuals, united by Grace and Faith - the Body of Christ.
The 'New Way', Jesus' Gospel Walk by Faith, is given to us for the here and now; receiving the Holy Spirit's guiding Light to develop our new nature as we live it - as the old nature is dying, the new nature emerges, being solidified through practice.
Yes, the Triune God of Creation addresses all aspects of man's creation - matter, organizational structure and function, and mind. Our new nature is being educated to function in all three.
John 10:17-18 and 1Cor.15:15 is revealed truths important to our understanding that all that we believe, therefore our Faith, is based on the exercise of our free will. No one coerced Jesus to lay down his life, his motive was love of the Father and mankind. And no one coerces us to give up our free will and submit it to the leadership of the Holy Spirit toward the same end, unless our will has so decided.
All who believe and have come into the full knowledge of the saving grace of our heavenly Father will one day not only believe, but intimately KNOW our Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father the God of all things and life in it - we become wholly one in Spirit, Truth and Life; then we will declare it from the 'mountain tops' through words and deeds and so show the world the Way of Truth and true Life.
My prayer is that the new 'classroom' will be the 'nursery/garden' were nurturing the whole Soul - Spirit, mind, and body - guided by the Holy Spirit's Light of Truth, will mature the believer in the safety and freedom of God's Love!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
New Living Translation
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
For me, the key to a small group is having a common goal. What was the goal of the Trinity? To answer that, you have to get to the root of Lucifers claims. He used lies to misrepresent God. So the goal of the Trinity was to set the story straight, which should be our goal too. When we understand God and His laws for life, we then should obey those laws, so that others will see that it is possible. Satan/Lucifer claimed it couldn’t be done, so shouldn’t our goal be to prove him wrong?
John 10:10 The thief comets not, but to steal and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
This tells me that we can live that life here, now, and not have to wait until He comes again. We will be sinful humans until that time, but we can live a Christ like life while we’re waiting. Finding others who believe the same, does bring an excitement and desire to share that good news.