Small groups are a vehicle that God uses to grow His church. They are “safe havens” for people to express their problems and discuss mutual concerns. They provide opportunities for spiritual growth in the context of caring relationships. Many non-Christians will initially feel more comfortable in participating in a small group meeting in a home than in attending a traditional church service for the first time.

 Read Acts 4:31, Acts 12:12, and Acts 20:17-19, 27-32. List all of the different elements in these New Testament groups. What activities were these groups involved in?

 Early Christians met together to intercede for others, pray about mutual concerns, share in warm fellowship, study the Word of God, be equipped for service, help protect each other against false teachers, and participate together in outreach activities.

 Small groups make a difference. People uniting their gifts in service, people focusing on the power of the Holy Spirit for outreach, are a mighty weapon in the Lord’s hands.

 Read Matthew 9:37, 38. What does Jesus say about the harvest, and what is His solution to the problem?

 The disciples saw only faint possibilities for the progress of the gospel, but Jesus saw great opportunities. He shared the good news with them that “the harvest truly is plentiful”, then he pointed out the problem: “the laborers are few” (Matt. 9:37, NKJV). Christ’s solution was to pray for “the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38, NKJV). Small groups are an answer to Christ’s prayer and exponentially increase the number of laborers for Christ’s harvest.

 The focus of all effective small groups is witness and service. Small group ministry will soon die out if its focus is inward and not outward. If the small group becomes self-serving and little more than a discussion group, it will fail in its purpose and lose the vital reason for its existence. Small groups exist to lead people to Jesus, nurture their faith in Jesus, and equip them to witness for Jesus.