Jesus as a Small-Group Leader (pt. 1)

Articles

Home > Articles > 2008 > Jesus as a Small-Group Leader (pt. 1)

An exploration of Christ's use of community as a means to change the world

Mike Shepherd | posted 2/13/2008

Topics:	Group leader, Jesus Christ, Leadership, New leader, Shepherding
Filters:	Apprentice, Group Leader, New leader, Train
Purpose:	Discipleship
References:	Matthew 9:4 , Mark 1:22 , John 13:13
Date Added:	February 13, 2008

2 of 3

Immature. John had an uncontrolled temper. Peter was not the rock that Jesus eventually developed him to be. Thomas doubted, and Judas was deceitful. But Jesus did not view himself as a failure because of his disciples' character flaws, and neither should we. After all, God's truth did eventually transform them.

What about you? Does the level of maturity your group members are at discourage you? Do you help them assess their spiritual journey and offer them next steps in spiritual development?
Impulsive. Peter exemplified this trait perhaps more than the others. James and John were not called Sons of Thunder for any reason. And what about Simon the Zealot? These were hot-tempered, impulsive men.

What about you? Do you encourage individuals to create soul-care relationships where they can learn about their blind spots and work to overcome them?
Sinful and confused. James wanted social recognition and power. Peter cursed Christ. Zacchaeus was a money lover, and Mary Magdalene had seven demons. In other words, Jesus' followers had many problems in life. But Jesus knew of their sinful struggles, and he still created an open environment where they felt safe to bring him those problems.

What about you? Is your group a safe place where members can openly struggle with whatever is going on in their lives and truly engage in authentic community?
Ignorant and prejudiced. Many of Jesus' disciples came from a common walk of life. They were not educated, and were often ignorant about spiritual things. Not only that, they divided others outside their small circle by whether they were rich or poor, Sadducee or Pharisee, Samaritan or Jew, and so on.

What about you? Do you work at keeping a level playing field where all of your group members can connect, no matter what their particular life experiences, Bible knowledge, or "status" may be?
Wishy-washy. The disciples did not carry out faithfully that which they understood and received with open minds. They vacillated a great deal in their faith journey. But In spite of these weaknesses, Jesus did not give up on his followers. Instead, the disciples were made to be a mighty army that eventually altered the history of the world.

What about you? Do you struggle with giving up on some of your group members? Do you have a regular group-leader meeting where you not only receive effective training, but also encouragement in your role as a spiritual guide for those you lead?

3. Jesus' Goals in Teaching

Sometimes when we lead a small-group study, we do not have a purpose to our lesson. Jesus never did that. He always had a purpose when he was teaching spiritual truth. Those purposes included:

Establishing what actually is Truth. We are all guided by a set of values. People make choices, good or bad, based on those values. But Jesus taught to declare and emphasize what we know to be truth. He boldly declared, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6), and "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

Yes, as group leaders we want to facilitate people to share their feelings, experiences, and beliefs. But there must come a time in the study when we say, "This is what God's Word says is the truth about this matter."

What about you? Do you boldly declare, "Thus says the Lord," when teaching about Scripture?

next page … |

2 of 3