The Power of Small
Good Morning Friends,
We are conditioned to believe that power is in big things and the bigger the better. But this is not the way with God. God is interested in the importance of five loaves of bread and two fish. God is interested in small towns like Bethlehem where Jesus was born. God is interested in a young boy half the size of the warrior Goliath. God’s strategy for victory with Gideon was to reduce the size of the Army from 30,000 to 300 men. Friends, the small stuff matters. Do not fool yourself. So this morning I hope you discover that to be an integrated Christian of the mind, emotions and will…to know Jesus, the Son of David, the Suffering Servant and the Coming King it serves us well to embrace the common good in The Power of Small.
Scripture: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47 (NRSV)
And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
Acts 5:42 (NRSV)
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
Exodus 12: 1-7 (NRSV)
Message: We are conditioned to think it a contradiction to put “power” and “small” together, but when it comes to the church… when it comes to salvation…the building block size that God has chosen were small enough to meet even in people’s homes. In the first church, the small groups and families were the base for all ministry and fellowship. At the first Passover it was small groups that met together who were saved. So too today it is in small groups we can have a healthy balance of bible study, fellowship, ministry, outreach and worship going on all at the same time in different places. Today we have a picture of small groups as just being someone leading a Bible study. But there is something more going on here. There is something supernatural about the small groups I am speaking of…where small groups become the building block size and means God has chosen to carry out his plan of salvation. Friends, it is because all the believers were connected to a small group that everyone’s needs were being met. Here Christ is the cornerstone of a new temple. The key is application. You see a good small group helps you to apply the Bible to every area of your life. Applying it even to the door posts of our homes. Friends, small groups are an indispensable tool to disciple those who have chosen to follow Jesus. Small groups are an indispensable tool in the process of developing quality relationships with other Christians. Small groups are an indispensable tool in the process of leadership development. So embrace the power of small so the church might grow. Friends, if we want to see people experience both reconciliation and renewal daily coming to the Lord we need to realize that small groups are a powerful way to grow numerically. Here each small group needs to be thinking of creative ways that its group can reach out to the community. Friends, when we realize that God can often do more through a few people than he can do through many, we will let go of our churchliness and embrace Jesus. There is power in deliberately staying small. Friends, large churches can do wonderful things, but they cannot pastor people without small groups. To get people to live the things in the Bible you cannot just say it from the pulpit or hear it from the pews. You have to live it with each other, knowing each other’s names and lives over a shared meal and worship. Then we can truly celebrate large.
Pray both alone and in small groups and with the called out assembly of believers. Pray church leaders realize there was no way they can pastor except in a small place. Pray they know as we know the people–their names, their lives. Pray with a comfort and stillness that is found in God’s presence. Pray learning to forgive. Pray learning to ask for our need not greed. Pray learning to ask for small things that glorify God. Pray we exercise our spiritual muscles. Pray we grow relationally. Pray we apply what we have learned. Pray we have accountability. Pray we have encouragement. Pray we engage in ministry opportunities. Pray we build with Jesus in the heart of our homes. Pray we have a covenant with others that glorifies God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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