The church body. It can be a wonder or a wilderment. It can lift up or can tear down. It can join together and for some, it can seem so distant. But united, it is one of the most powerful entities in the world, both the natural and the super.
And yet the church body, like a real body seems to have so many parts that are all going in different directions. Some to soccer practices, band rehearsals, swim lessons; others to weekly appointments or late office hours and even some to issues that life seems to throw and keeps them away from deepening connection.
So, then how does the body deepen and challenge itself to really put into action the call of the church? How does the body reach out to the lost or love the un-loved? How does the body help the body itself when it’s hurting, sick or wounded? How does the body grow?
At NC4, the answer is pretty simple: Connect Groups.
Connect Groups are small groups where you can do church outside of church. It’s where you can have more than five minutes to interact and get to know the people you sit near, or across the room, or maybe never knew existed on a Sunday. It’s where you can develop ideas, converse about them, ask questions, dig deeper and find out more beyond the Sunday sermon. It’s where you can open scripture and peel back the layers that exist without limit of understanding. It’s where acquaintances become friends and friends become family.
Connect Groups are for the woman whose heart was broken from a hard marriage and she needed support beyond what she understood. They are for the couple who struggled to see God’s faithfulness through all the trials in their life. They are for the sick who needs help to believe in healing and aid in daily activities. They are for the questioner who wants to really understand who God is and how He could love one such as them. They are for the overworked, over spent and exhausted looking for the fuel to get them to a new day. They are there to celebrate; marriages, births, jobs, recovery and life!
They are the hands and feet of Jesus. Connect groups do just that; connect us. They connect us not only to each other but also to the only one who can truly keep us on track in this crazy thing called life. Connect groups allow us to tap into the fountain that is always accessible but often passed by. They are essential for the wellness of your mind, body and soul and yet so often all the “others” in our life take priority over finding a group, a community, a support system to be a part of.
As we go come to the end of the Rules of Engagement series, examining the things that are essential to engaging with God, let’s take this opportunity to ask how we engage with each other. If Connect Groups aren’t part of your life, your routine, your priority; what is in your life that is truly allowing you to draw closer to him beyond the four walls of church every Sunday? What in your life connects you to community and Kingdom?
Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
With love and gratitude,
Brad and Sarah
Connect Group Coordinators