Why We Have Home Groups
Community – I Cor
One of our passions here at Mercy Hill is to urge people to stop going to church and to start being the church. And the reason is because in the Bible, church is not just meetings you go to, it’s a group of people joined together in love; joined together in community; joined together on mission.
But the problem is that most of us have grown up thinking church is just meetings we attend. But that’s not what this book teaches. If you read the New Testament, and ask yourself what it means to be part of the church – you will see that while they did have meetings – church meant much more than going to meetings. Church meant being part of a group of people who knew each other, loved each other, ate together, hung out in each other’s homes, prayed together, wept together, laughed together, reached out to their neighbors together, forgave each other, cared for the poor together, spoke truth to each other, advanced the Gospel together.
That’s church. That’s the kind of church you need. And that’s the kind of church
And we are passionate about pursuing church life as it’s taught in the New Testament. And the way we do that here at Mercy Hill is through our home groups. So – since we are starting up our home groups afresh in these next weeks, I thought I would take two weeks to talk about the two main purposes of our home groups. So today we’ll cover community, and next week mission.
And one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament on community is in 1 Corinthians 12. So let’s turn there together. If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand and we’ll bring one to you. 1 Corinthians 12 is on page 959 in the Bibles we are passing out. Let’s look at this passage, asking the question – What does it mean to be part of the church? And in vv.12-26 Paul gives five answers:
First, church means being part of a diverse group of individuals who are united by drinking of the Spirit. You can see that in vv.12-14 --
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
In the Greco-Roman culture of the 1st century Jews and Greeks did not socialize; slaves and free did not hang out together. Quite the contrary – they all hated each other. But if you walked into a church gathering you’d see Jews and Greeks embracing each other and eating together; you’d see slaves and free people laughing together, weeping together, praying together.
How did that happen? Only one way – it’s because they were all made to drink of the one Spirit. What does that mean?
We all start off in willful rebellion against God. But if you are saved, then at some point God brought His power upon you and changed you. Because of Jesus’ death paying for all of your sins, God had mercy on you and changed your heart, gave you sorrow for your rebellion, gave you faith in Jesus, and you turned from your rebellion, and surrendered your life in faith to Jesus Christ.
And when you did that – you received the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the first time, you drank of the Spirit. All your life you had been thirsty for something – but as many wells as you drank from, your thirst was not satisfied. But when you surrendered to Jesus, and were enabled to drink of the Spirit, He made Jesus real to you so you felt His love, His comfort, His joy – and for the first time your thirst was satisfied.
But not only were you satisfied – you experienced a deep spiritual unity with all others who have experienced the Spirit through trusting Jesus. That’s how Jews were united with Greeks – and slaves were united with free - because through Jesus they all drank of the Spirit.
Let’s get four volunteers up here. These people are different from each other. They don’t have anything in common strong enough to form them into community. But now watch what happens when they all drink of the Spirit. Here’s some bottles of living water. Go ahead and drink. Feel that? Now – with that in common – what happens? Unity. Love. Community.
This is the crucial starting point for being part of the church. Is your life fully surrendered in faith to Jesus – such that you know what it is to frequently drink of the Spirit? If so, then you will love old people, young people, married people, single people, rich people, poor people, Asian, Hispanic, Black, Caucasian people. That’s church.
Second, church means being part of a group of people who need you in order to function. You can see that in vv.15-19 –
15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?
Here Paul starts to explain what it means that the church is like the human body. The human body has many different parts, and the body needs each part if it’s going to function effectively.
Take this body here. This body needs this leg if it’s going to function effectively. If it doesn’t have this leg, then it can hop around, but it won’t get anywhere very fast. This leg is essential for this body to function effectively. If this leg wasn’t there, the body would miss it.
The same is true with the body of Christ. To be part of the body of Christ means being part of a group of people who need you in order to function. Where if you aren’t there, you are missed. Not because you are a worship leader or preacher. That’s only a small part of church life. But because of your words of encouragement, your prayers, your love, your comfort, your wisdom, your hospitality, your giving, your gifts in evangelism, your exhortation, your correction, your listening.
See, if you have been saved, then there is a group of believers who need you in order to function effectively. They need you. And if you aren’t connected with them, then they are hopping around on one leg – they aren’t functioning anywhere near as effectively as they could.
So think about this. Do you have a group of people who need you in order to function? Where you absence is felt? If not, then you are not experiencing church life.
Third, church means being part of a group whom you need in order to function. You can see that in vv.20-24 –
20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker [probably referring to our internal organs] are indispensable,
23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts [“less honorable” and “unpresentable” probably referring to sexual organs] are treated with greater modesty,
24 which our more presentable parts do not require.
The eye can’t say “I don’t need you.” Let’s say you are an eye. How effective will you be without the hand? You can see things you want, but you can’t get them. Or let’s say you are a hand. How effective will you be by yourself? You can sort of get around, but you can’t see anything; you can’t hear anything; you can’t eat anything. So each part of the body needs the rest in order to function.
The same is true with church. Church means being part of a group whom you need in order to function. For you to function effectively you need to be part of a body; part of a group of brothers and sisters.
Imagine this hand saying – I need a break from the body for a while. I’m going to focus on my marriage or my family for a while. If the hand says that – and separates from the body – what will happen to the hand? It will not be able to accomplish anywhere near what it could have if attached to the body; and not only that, it will die.
So do you have a group of brothers and sisters whom you see as essential to your proper function – to your spiritual life – to your marriage and work and parenting and mission? If not – then you’re like this hand that’s been cut off from the body – you won’t function, and you could die.
Now don’t misunderstand this. This could encourage us to make an idol of other people. You do need other people – so they can help strengthen you in trusting the One you really need – Jesus. What you really need is Jesus; but you need others to help strengthen you in Jesus.
So do you have a group of brothers and sisters whom you see as essential?
Fourth, church means being part of a group who all know and care about each individual’s sorrows and joys. You can see that at the end of v.24 down through v.26 --
24b But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
This is an astonishing level of love and closeness. Notice: if one member suffers – if you suffer – then church life means having a group of people who all suffer with you. Not just having one or two friends who suffer with you – but a group who all join together to suffer with you. And if you are honored – then church life means having a group of people who all rejoice with you. Not just one or two friends who rejoice with you – but a group who all join together to rejoice with you.
It’s just like your physical body. If you stub your toe, your whole body will weep. If you eat a chili relleno, your whole body will smile.
Now this has to mean that to experience church life, the group can’t be too big. What size of group can truly know and respond to each individual’s joys and sorrows? We here on Sunday morning are too big for that! So it’s got to be a smaller group – a home-group sized group.
So ask yourself – do you have a group of people who are so close that they all know and care about each individual’s sorrows and joys? If not – then you are not experiencing church life.
Fifth, church means living as part of this body all the time. You can see that in v.27 --
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Paul doesn’t say you go to the body of Christ Sundays and maybe Wednesday nights. No. Paul says you are the body of Christ and individually you are members of it. This is who you are all the time. How effective would this body be if its parts came together only Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights? Not very effective.
Which means that community should be happening in some form every day of the week. Again – church is not something we do, or a meeting we attend – it’s who we are. So do you have a group of brothers and sisters with whom you have some sort of connection – a phone call, an email, having coffee together, advancing the gospel -- on a daily basis? Not a legalistic connection – but a life-giving and life-receiving connection?
If you don’t, then you are not experiencing church life.
And I want to call you to experience church life.
So how are we going to pursue church life?
Here at Mercy Hill, the home group is where we experience church life. Home Groups gather once a week as a home group to eat, share, pray, open God’s Word, worship, plan the mission. And home groups gather with other home groups here Sunday mornings to worship and hear God’s Word together.
But home groups are much more than just a weekly gathering and a Sunday gathering. Home Group means being part of a community of brothers and sisters every day of the week – praying together, talking together, babysitting each other’s kids, making meals for each other, advancing the Gospel together, reaching out to neighbors together, riding mountain bikes together, having each other over for dinner – and the list goes on and on.
So – the way we pursue church life is in home groups. But there’s a crucial first step:
Drink of the Holy Spirit. Are you surrendered to Jesus Christ in faith? If so, as you spend time in the Word and prayer, you will regularly drink of the Holy Spirit, as He makes Jesus real in your heart. You will feel His love, experience His peace, behold His glory. You will feel completely secured and satisfied in Jesus.
And the result of this is that you will have deep love for others who also drink of the Spirit. So – flowing in that love --
Become part of a home group. Choose one of the home groups from the sheet. And devote yourself to the home group and its mission.
Questions?