We Value Connection

Most of us have heard it said that “there is no such thing as a lone-ranger Christian”. You might be surprised to hear me say that I disagree with that statement. The reality: it is possible to be a Christian while relationally isolated from other believers. Therefore, I suggest modifying the saying – “there is no such thing as a GROWING lone-ranger Christian.” Christians can indeed isolate themselves from the world and learn a great deal about the Christian faith. But they will never be able to live out their newfound beliefs if they are not connected to others in biblical community.

The one passage we continually refer to regarding this is Acts 2:42-47. In it we see most of the essential elements necessary for one’s faith to grow: biblical instruction, fellowship, worship, communion, meeting needs, enjoying life together, etc. Biblical community offers love, acceptance, fellowship, encouragement, accountability and so much more. It is also the “training lab” for refining our ability to love as Christ has loved us. The more connected I am to my Christian community, the more refined becomes my understanding of what it means to live like Christ (John 13:34-35). As a result, my walk with the Lord will deepen and my ability to love (i.e. – exercise what I truly believe) grows dramatically over time.

Lastly, with all the distractions the world has to offer, simply promoting biblical community can sometimes seem more trouble than it’s worth. But I want you to think what your life would be like today if you were to strip away all the relationship connections you’ve had with your church family over the past 3 to 5 years. For most, if not all of us, this should be a haunting thought. I believe God has entrusted us to communicate, promote and live-out the sacred value of biblical community. Together we can celebrate (one victory at a time) each person who God brings into, and transforms, through the heavenly fraternity known as biblical community.

Home Group Tips v 1.0

Here are 3 Tips for hosting a successful Home Group!
1) Have a Pet Plan 2) Have a Kid Plan 3) Have a Greeting Plan

Home Group Tips v 1.0 from Pantego Bible Church on Vimeo.

Dealing with Difficult People

Dealing with difficult people can be, well…difficult! As such, we wanted to share a few bits of wisdom on how to not just “deal” with them…but to truly minister to them.

First, take the time to get to really know this person. Like each of us – only to a greater extent, difficult people are trying to function socially in the midst of some level of brokenness. If a behavior doesn’t seem “right/normal” to you…there’s definitely an underlying cause of it. There could be physiological, psychological and even spiritual issues from their past for their distracting behavior patterns. Oftentimes, their mannerisms exist because they feel they’ve never truly been “heard/understood” by others.

Reflective questions to ask yourself as you meet with this person one-on-one would include: How they are feeling, how they are thinking, what they are doing (i.e. – possible patterns of thinking, living that make their behaviors worse). At the HG level, consider having your group go through a “personality” profile like D-I-S-C or Personality Plus.

Second, seek ways to communicate correction in a discrete manner. For instance, say someone in CG or HG tends to always monopolize the discussion (perhaps because they’ve never been affirmed by others). Having already met with this person, it would be easy to approach them privately and say, “Friend, one of the things I appreciate about you is how engaged you are in our weekly discussions. I’ve found that if I don’t hold back some of my comments, I run the risk of not giving others enough time to speak up and share. Would you mind if we held each other accountable on this?”

Third, be patient; remain compassionate. We need to adopt a mindset that if we don’t minister to them, who will? The answer: perhaps another church body (maybe); but even more likely…the world (which leads to emotional despair) or a cult (which leads to spiritual destruction). God has entrusted these precious people to our care. Let’s work together in community (as a team) to help them be an ambassador of Christ according to God’s design.

God reached out and showered his love upon us while we were still sinners (and most difficult to love!; Rom 5:8). We model His love in the manner we love on our own “difficult” people!

4 Tips for Intentional Discipleship

We are called to "Go and make disciples"...How do you do that!?! How do you start? Here are 4 Tips to help you begin an intentional discipling relationship.

4 Tips for Intentional Discipleship from Pantego Bible Church on Vimeo.

...If You Have Love for One Another

We all know the importance of making a good first impression. And the truth be known…so do the guests who come to our community gatherings. For instance, when a guest works up the courage to come to our Community Group, it takes about 5 seconds (or less) for them to form an initial impression of the love and acceptance they hope to find there. If they walk into a relatively cold room, void of the warmth of genuine hospitality, a strong sense of “maybe this isn’t the place I should be” permeates their thoughts.

However, the opposite is also true. When a guest is greeted, immediately, with a smile, hand-shake and a sincere “Hey there, I am so glad to meet you. My name is…” instantly their fears begin to subside. As you introduce them to some of the other leaders, make sure you appoint one of them to be your guest’s advocate. By this I mean that the leader speaks for them when they are acknowledged. Your fellow leader needs to know their name(s), number of kids, perhaps their occupation and/or a brief mention of where they live.

In no time at all, they begin to tell themselves, “You know…everybody seems so nice and welcoming, I think this might be the place I BELONG. Granted, they may not reach that conclusion on the first Sunday they attend. But, if they have a positive, inviting experience, they are much more likely to come back in the Sundays that follow.

Hospitality is the heartbeat of community growth. And if we desire to see new life infused into our communities, the extension of genuine Christ-like love must be evident to those whom God entrusts to us.

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” -Jesus