Group Behaviour ‘ACTS’ Out from ‘Genesis’ to the ‘Present’
Relationship vs Championship
So why do believers meet regularly? Have we stop to
consider, why do we come together to meet in small group? Are we not already
seeing one another in church on Sunday?
Looking at Acts 2:46, “Every day they continued to meet
together . . . ate together . . .”
The believers in the first century did not set out to win
the championship. They did not set goals for themselves in order to gather
together. Coming together to meet was not to aim for some kind of target or
objective. They did not even have evangelism or multiplication in mind. No one,
not even the apostle encourage the daily meeting for the purpose of
multiplying.
The main purpose for the apostles and early believers
meeting daily is to build relationship. They are now a “new tribe” of Israel.
Born after much birth pain, with the first-born, Jesus. They meet daily to
encourage each other. Not to increase their numbers. Israel now has 13 tribes,
not just 12 tribes, so to speak. They are a new addition to the family. Thought
they may be consider outcast. Therefore, meeting together is important in order
to encourage each other. Building relationship, forming the new family unit
needs the gathering of its members.
“. . . Meet together . . . ate together . . .” result in
the “STRENGTHENING OF THEIR
RELATIONSHIP.”
Individual or Group or
Community
Individual Characteristic: I see, I decide, I take, etc.Group Characteristic: Objective, Competitive, Supportive, etc.
Community Characteristic: Survival, Relational, Social, etc.
In the Garden of Eden, all three characteristics are
displaced in the lives of the human ancestor. Adam and Eve are truly
individuals. They make their own decisions. Eve decides to eat the fruit from
the Tree of Good and Evil. It is not a group decision, neither is it a family
(community) decision. It was her own individual decision.
Yet, the group behaviour is right there in the Garden,
because Adam was not far away from Eve. He was near enough to share the fruit,
but far enough to stop her from taking the fruit. So Adam is supportive of Eve
taking the fruit, yet competitive to point the finger at Eve. “It was the
WOMAN.”
God works within a community. A family. With God, it is
relational, not regulator. God sees the eternal not the temporal. Though Eve is
the one who makes the decision to eat of the ‘wrong fruit’, the consequence
belong to the community, the family, not just the individual. God drive both of
them out of the Garden of Eden.
It is also clear that Abraham’s flows to Lot, who was in
his community while in Egypt. Jacob’s blessing flows to Laban, while staying
and working for Laban. Achan kept the spoils from Jericho, but the suffering in
upon the Israelite camp in the battle of Ai.
Be-Facilitating
Prince
Hamlet lament: “To Be, or Not to Be”[3];
Facilitator comment: “To Be, is To Be”Be Available - is to be inconvenience
Believe - is to trust God and members
Be Considerate - is to understand
Be Dedicated - is to care
Be Encourage - is to motivate
Be Flexible - is to be compassionate
Be Prepared - is to be ready
Be Relevant - is to be applicable
Be Self-control - is to check our words
Be Upgraded - is to improve
Having empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Facilitator can BE.
Demands
on the Facilitator is heavy, equals that of the Pastor . . .
Goals of the Facilitator is growth, both spiritual and numerical . . .
Joy of the Facilitator is priceless, members bearing the fruit of the Spirit . . .
Glory of the Facilitator is reproduce, reproducing another new group . . .
Goals of the Facilitator is growth, both spiritual and numerical . . .
Joy of the Facilitator is priceless, members bearing the fruit of the Spirit . . .
Glory of the Facilitator is reproduce, reproducing another new group . . .
Although
the Demands on the Facilitator is heavy and the Goals are huge, but the Joy is
fulfilling and the Glory is beautiful.
God be
blessed. Amen.
----- The End
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