The term small group is tossed around many facets of life. Nonetheless, it’s most often used in the church setting as a method of titling their meetings outside of regular services. What was once the Sunday School Class, has shifted to a group of people who meet in the church, in homes, and other places, typically within a short distance to the church.
Rainbow Forest utilizes the small group, however, with a commitment to its vision- devotional love, disciple believers, and deploy the church. Although the groups meet in various places and at varied times, they are united in the development of the believer and the focus to serve as discipleship groups. Within the small groups at the Forest, you’ll hear conversations of book studies, prayer requests, and shared meals. What you might not expect, the discipleship factor, are conversations about if Jesus was capable of sinning, an in-depth look at the book of Matthew for months, potluck meals around dinner tables with other church members, and relationships formed through months and years together. It’s comfort in knowing you have others to pray for your needs. It’s time spent delving into the Word together. It’s growing in your faith because you took a chance to feel uncomfortable for a moment, outside the church aisles, and you took the opportunity to be challenged to learn more about Christ Jesus.
For the sake of a list, here are three reasons you should consider joining a small group at Rainbow Forest:
Community: “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” Proverbs 18:1 (ESV)
Perhaps the most intriguing quality we see in our groups is community. It’s a body who seeks the Word, learning, questioning, conversing, and developing in their sense of faith in God- together! A group who desires to walk toward righteousness to become more like Christ. They are seeking to balance out the reality that we are all "sinners". Community found in connections with others who don’t have all the answers but who are willing to seek them.
When you join a small group, you’ll find people who are willing to pray for you. People who seek to provide wisdom through troubling circumstances, often following their own experiences through similar situations. People with kids and teens, empty-nesters, the widowed. You find your people when you find your group!
2. Learn and Grow in Your Faith: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 (ESV)
Do you know the most important tool you have to grow in your faith? It’s your Bible! We love walking through the halls of the church buildings, seeing small group participants combing the words of familiar Biblical accounts, seeking more knowledge of their Lord with every page turn. What’s more is the accompaniment often of study materials alongside the Bibles on tables, filled with conversation points. “God changes lives, one verse at a time.”
The small groups at Rainbow Forest are opportunities to grow in your faith as you see and hear others who have walked through similar circumstances. Maybe they’ve heard the dreaded cancer diagnosis and know how to support another who hears the same. Maybe they’ve felt alone, ashamed, hurt and needed comfort at one time. And maybe- you have the same opportunity to share your experiences and to be a light to others who need you in the group just as much. Your faith grows as you have the faith to stop questioning the what if moments and shift your thoughts to even if. Even if you take my child, I will praise you, as Mary does. Even if we struggle financially, God, you are there. Even if…
3. Opportunity to Ask Hard Questions: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge,...” Hosea 4:6 (ESV)
When walking into a battle, the armed soldier would be unwise to attack without a weapon. Even more so foolish to not walk into that battle with the armor of God. Dear Friends, you are in a battle for your soul and your life. The devil rages, tempting and seeking to “steal, kill, and destroy.” Without knowledge of the Lord, you will be destroyed.
Forest Groups are places of refuge for knowledge- knowledge in the Word, knowledge of the devil’s attacks, knowledge of failures and successes. There are opportunities in these groups to ask others the hard questions; opportunities to hear Biblical answers and life experiences. Opportunities to ponder together, the hard things and in that, not always have the answers. Prepare yourself an army to fight the attacks of the devil with the Word of God, the community of believers, and the knowledge of His goodness!
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20 (ESV)
If you’d like more information about Rainbow Forest Small Groups, please visit, https://rainbowforest.churchcenter.com/groups. We would love to have you be a part of what God is doing through our groups.
-Angie
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