Once a group becomes larger than about ten people, someone
stops participating—usually the quietest person—and a few
people will dominate the group.
Jesus ministered in the context of a small group of disciples. He
could have chosen more, but he knew twelve is about the
maximum size you can have in a small group if everyone is to
participate.
The Body of Christ, like your own body, is really a collection of
many small cells. The life of the Body of Christ, like your body, is
contained in the cells. For this reason, every Christian needs to be
involved in a small group within their church, whether it is a
home fellowship group, a Sunday school class, or a Bible study.
This is where real community takes place, not in the big
gatherings. If you think of your church as a ship, the small groups
are the lifeboats attached to it.
God has made an incredible promise about small groups of
believers: “For where two or three have gathered together in My
name, I am there in their midst.”^1 Unfortunately, even being in a
small group does not guarantee you will experience real
community. Many Sunday school classes and small groups are
stuck in superficiality and have no clue as to what it’s like to
experience genuine fellowship. What is the difference
between real and fake fellowship?
In real fellowship people experience
authenticity.Authentic fellowship is not superficial,
surface-level chit-chat. It is genuine, heart-to-heart,
sometimes gut-level, sharing. It happens when people
get honest about who they are and what is happening
in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their
feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit
their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and
prayer.
Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in some
churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there
PURPOSE #2: You Were Formed for God’s Family 139