Why We Gather
in Groups
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles
with these instructions: …Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is
near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out
demons. Give as freely as you have received! MATTHEW 10:5; 7-8 NLT
We
gather in groups because:
Listening
to sermons is easy, living them out isn’t
When they returned to the other
disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of
religious law were arguing with them. When the crowd saw Jesus, they were
overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
One of the men in
the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him.
He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws
him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth
and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but
they couldn’t do it.” Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How
long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” MARK 9:14-19 NLT
So they brought the boy. But when the
evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he
fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus
asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or
into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked.
“Anything is possible if a person believes.” MARK 9:20-23 NLT
We figure out being real on the
weekends, we work out being real during the week in smaller groups
The
smaller the crowd the more comfortable I will feel
When
I am comfortable…
I
can be more real with people
Afterward,
when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why
couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” Jesus replied, “This kind can be
cast out only by prayer.” MARK 9:28-29
NLT
People
can be more real with me
Leaving that region, they traveled through
Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, for he wanted to spend more time with his
disciples and teach them… After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in
a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?”
But they didn’t
answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. MARK 9:30-34
NLT
When
I am real, and people are real with me, I can experience the healing I need
The
father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil
spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he
said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” Then
the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left
him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people
said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet,
and he stood up. MARK 9:24-27 NLT