WEBVTT 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:13.960 In his classic book, Life Together, the late 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:16.379 Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, The Christian needs 00:00:16.379 --> 00:00:18.899 another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. 00:00:19.059 --> 00:00:21.399 He needs him again and again when he becomes 00:00:21.399 --> 00:00:24.460 uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:26.899 cannot help himself. He needs his brother as 00:00:26.899 --> 00:00:29.539 a bearer and proclaimer of the divine Word of 00:00:29.539 --> 00:00:32.240 salvation. Coming up on this weekend edition 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:35.119 of Living on the Edge, Chip will unpack the influence 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:38.840 and necessity of Christian community. I'm Dave 00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:40.920 Drewy. Thanks for joining us for this special 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:43.280 program. And I'd like to welcome in our Bible 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:45.740 teacher, Chip Ingram, to give us a bit of context 00:00:45.740 --> 00:00:48.439 for the message we'll revisit today. Thanks, 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:51.039 Dave. If you've listened to Living on the Edge 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:53.840 for a very long time, you've heard us talk about 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:57.659 BIO, B -I -O. It's an acronym. It's for life. 00:00:57.939 --> 00:01:00.740 Throughout church history or today, you meet 00:01:00.740 --> 00:01:04.099 a man or a woman that is a lot like Jesus. And 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:06.620 I will tell you for sure. three things are happening 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:09.159 in their life, in their practice. They come before 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:12.659 God regularly, probably daily. And then they're 00:01:12.659 --> 00:01:15.560 doing life, I, in community. They're connected 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:17.739 to other believers. There's support, there's 00:01:17.739 --> 00:01:20.700 accountability, there's real love. And finally, 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:23.620 on mission. The heartbeat of this ministry is 00:01:23.620 --> 00:01:27.219 believers, not just hearing God's word, but actually 00:01:27.219 --> 00:01:29.659 living it out. That's absolutely right, Chip. 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:32.780 And because we are focusing in on the I of that 00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:35.500 acronym today, I wanted to share an email we 00:01:35.500 --> 00:01:37.879 received that really drives home the importance 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:40.760 of being in community with other believers. Here's 00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:42.939 what a listener named James wrote. Over the last 00:01:42.939 --> 00:01:45.359 six months, I've been part of two Living on the 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:48.299 Edge group studies at church. I deeply appreciate 00:01:48.299 --> 00:01:51.280 your emphasis on the importance of a solid relationship 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:54.939 with God over doing Christian things. Your teaching 00:01:54.939 --> 00:01:58.209 has challenged me and changed my life. I continue 00:01:58.209 --> 00:02:01.049 to do my best to live as a Romans 12 Christian 00:02:01.049 --> 00:02:04.489 and trust God to work in and through me to accomplish 00:02:04.489 --> 00:02:07.549 His purposes. Such an encouraging story, Chip. 00:02:07.769 --> 00:02:09.870 Well, there's few things that motivate me like 00:02:09.870 --> 00:02:12.909 when men step up the way James has. And James, 00:02:13.069 --> 00:02:16.789 way to go to every James out there because you're 00:02:16.789 --> 00:02:19.810 living in a world that is diabolically opposed 00:02:19.810 --> 00:02:22.710 to everything that God wants to do. And when 00:02:22.710 --> 00:02:25.629 you get in the Word, When you get into a small 00:02:25.629 --> 00:02:28.250 group with authentic community and then you mobilize 00:02:28.250 --> 00:02:31.669 like this man is, the world changes. And, you 00:02:31.669 --> 00:02:33.969 know, sometimes we forget that it takes time. 00:02:33.969 --> 00:02:36.710 It's organic. And, you know, I think of 1996, 00:02:37.069 --> 00:02:40.330 we were on two radio stations and we just had 00:02:40.330 --> 00:02:42.550 a dream to help some people. And then, you know, 00:02:42.550 --> 00:02:45.090 now what is it, 900 radio stations or so and 00:02:45.090 --> 00:02:48.360 then TV around the world. But I'm probably most 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:51.039 encouraged by all the small groups that grew 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:53.620 out of that. Did you notice what he said? I did 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:56.400 two studies. This is what's happening because 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:59.840 he's connected. He's growing and applying. And 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:01.879 we developed those studies because people gave 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:04.379 generously. And I just want to say thank you 00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:06.180 to those of you that have partnered with us in 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:09.080 the past. And I would like to ask you, if you 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:11.520 have not done that, would you partner with us? 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:15.379 It's just an amazing time. God is working. We 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:18.460 just need to see more James in more homes. We 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:21.039 need to see more small groups and more churches 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:23.860 living it out, serving their community, and we 00:03:23.860 --> 00:03:26.189 can get there together. Let's do it. Good word, 00:03:26.250 --> 00:03:28.370 Chip. Well, if you want to help us create small 00:03:28.370 --> 00:03:30.870 group materials and get believers into authentic 00:03:30.870 --> 00:03:33.710 community, pray about becoming a financial partner. 00:03:34.009 --> 00:03:37.289 Your gifts fuel our growing library of resources 00:03:37.289 --> 00:03:39.909 to help Christians really live like Christians. 00:03:40.189 --> 00:03:45.930 Visit livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 -6003 00:03:45.930 --> 00:03:51.590 to give a gift today. That's 888 -333 -6003 or 00:03:51.590 --> 00:03:56.180 go to livingontheedge .org. And thanks in advance 00:03:56.180 --> 00:03:59.340 for doing whatever God leads you to do. Okay, 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:01.780 let's get started. Here now is Chip with today's 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:05.560 talk, Why You Need a Small Group. Teresa and 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:08.479 I were in a big, big transition in our life. 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:12.319 We had moved to Texas. We had two little boys. 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:15.990 I was just starting seminary. and we found a 00:04:15.990 --> 00:04:18.569 local church there in the Dallas area. And this 00:04:18.569 --> 00:04:21.050 church had a couple thousand people. We came 00:04:21.050 --> 00:04:24.389 from West Virginia, where a megachurch was 250 00:04:24.389 --> 00:04:28.329 or 300 people. It was very warm. The preaching 00:04:28.329 --> 00:04:31.310 was excellent. The worship was excellent. We 00:04:31.310 --> 00:04:34.230 would drop off our kids, and it was just exciting, 00:04:34.329 --> 00:04:36.790 and they loved to go to church. And the first 00:04:36.790 --> 00:04:38.930 time we were there, people invited us over to 00:04:38.930 --> 00:04:41.470 their home. We had a meal. We ate ice cream. 00:04:41.589 --> 00:04:44.740 I mean, if you were trying to create an experience 00:04:44.740 --> 00:04:47.779 we'd say, that's what a church ought to do, it 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:50.620 would be that. And I'll never forget, maybe it 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:53.939 was six weeks or eight weeks in, of these wonderful 00:04:53.939 --> 00:04:56.459 after wonderful after wonderful after wonderful 00:04:56.459 --> 00:04:59.779 experiences at church. We were opening the door 00:04:59.779 --> 00:05:02.560 and I had my hand on one of the handles and Teresa 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:05.439 did on the other. And our eyes met and I turned 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:07.720 to her and I said, do you want to go to church 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:10.939 today? And she said, no. I said, you know, neither 00:05:10.939 --> 00:05:14.399 do I. And there was a Wendy's across the street. 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:17.120 I said, let's go get a cup of coffee. And we 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:21.560 sat down and we tried to figure out this is probably 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:26.360 one of the best churches, best services, most 00:05:26.360 --> 00:05:30.399 friendly, very biblical that we'd ever been to. 00:05:30.779 --> 00:05:35.420 So what's wrong? Why do I not want to go to church? 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:40.040 We were being taught. We learned a lot. but we 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:43.500 were ministering to no one. Nobody knows us. 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:46.620 We don't know anybody else. There was no intimacy. 00:05:46.980 --> 00:05:50.459 No one in the church really felt close, nothing 00:05:50.459 --> 00:05:52.879 more than casual hellos and passing concerns. 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:58.959 We were relationally high and dry. And I remember 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:01.339 praying, and I got up one morning, and I thought 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:04.060 to myself, I knew that leaders, whether it's 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:06.040 a pastor or business owner, were looking for 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:08.560 people that wanted to make a difference, that 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:12.600 were willing to step in and serve. And so I got 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:15.480 a three -by -five card out and I wrote my name 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:18.740 and some contact information and then very brief 00:06:18.740 --> 00:06:21.079 bullet points of I've led a college ministry 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:24.240 and I've done this and I was involved in this, 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:27.240 involved in that. And then I went to the church 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:29.480 office during the week and I said, could I have 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:32.000 an appointment with the pastor? You know, it's 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.930 a big church and I'll never get there. And she 00:06:34.930 --> 00:06:37.850 smiled and looked on some calendars, and then 00:06:37.850 --> 00:06:41.589 she gave me a date. And he had me meet at a restaurant. 00:06:41.610 --> 00:06:43.889 It was just like a diner, nothing fancy. And 00:06:43.889 --> 00:06:46.730 so we both sat down, and part of what I wanted 00:06:46.730 --> 00:06:49.290 to do was talk about where we might fit in the 00:06:49.290 --> 00:06:52.129 church. And we had lunch, and we talked, and 00:06:52.129 --> 00:06:55.410 he asked me a few questions about my 3x5 card 00:06:55.410 --> 00:06:58.079 and this and that. Two days later, I got a call 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:00.839 from the church, and they said, hey, we have 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:04.019 a large high school ministry, and would you and 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:06.319 your wife be willing to kind of help team up 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:08.759 with the group that's there? There's a couple 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:11.300 couples that are working there and figure out 00:07:11.300 --> 00:07:14.680 maybe what role you could have. And yes, absolutely. 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:18.480 And I taught here and there, and we connected 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:21.100 with the church. We connected with those kids. 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:23.649 It was like two months later. He said, hey, we 00:07:23.649 --> 00:07:26.170 have a big vacancy. We don't really have much 00:07:26.170 --> 00:07:28.870 of a college ministry. Would you be willing to? 00:07:29.470 --> 00:07:31.949 kind of step in and lead that? And my wife and 00:07:31.949 --> 00:07:35.769 I said, yes. And we had the time of our life 00:07:35.769 --> 00:07:39.129 going to seminary, leading this ministry. And 00:07:39.129 --> 00:07:42.329 as we would meet together, I would disciple them 00:07:42.329 --> 00:07:45.290 and Teresa, the girls, and we would spend some 00:07:45.290 --> 00:07:48.009 time eating and sharing, worshiping with the 00:07:48.009 --> 00:07:51.069 guitar and help the young guys learn how to communicate 00:07:51.069 --> 00:07:53.829 their faith and build bridges and love people. 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:57.139 And I look back and all of a sudden our world 00:07:57.139 --> 00:07:59.740 completely changed. I had all this pressure. 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:02.579 I was working full time, going to seminary full 00:08:02.579 --> 00:08:07.139 time. And the highlight of my week was these 00:08:07.139 --> 00:08:11.259 10 or 12 college students who really love God, 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:13.560 who were hungry. And we were a part of their 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:16.139 life. And, you know, we had a baby during that 00:08:16.139 --> 00:08:18.420 time. And they just all gathered around us. And 00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:22.240 the group grew like crazy. And, yes, it was a 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:24.920 lot of hours. But I don't know if I could have 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:27.500 made it through seminary apart from that group. 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:30.180 And someone asked me, how do you do so much? 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:33.200 And I thought, I'm learning so much Greek and 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.460 Hebrew and theology and every book of the Bible, 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:38.419 the joy of teaching every week, that college 00:08:38.419 --> 00:08:40.679 group. And if you don't give it out somewhere, 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:43.820 you go crazy. And two things happened. We were 00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:47.480 using our gifts. We were building deep, authentic 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:50.960 relationships. And we got to be a part of people's 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:54.179 lives changing. I had been a basketball coach 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:57.299 and led a college ministry on the side as a layperson, 00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:00.480 and I knew about developing small groups and 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:03.700 discipling men, and I praised God for the bricklayer 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:06.700 who discipled me. But I had never done it when 00:09:06.700 --> 00:09:09.039 there was that much pressure. I'd never done 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:12.899 it when it was my lifeline. And it gave me a 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:16.200 completely different view of the church. Today, 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:20.000 like never before, More people are not going 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.500 to a local church. A lot of people have kind 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:25.700 of left the church after COVID and for some very 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:28.299 good reasons and for some not so good reasons. 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.799 A lot of people are just online. Others, you 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:35.159 know, you go to church and you hear someone speak 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:37.100 and there's singing and there's some worship 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:39.700 and then you get up and make some small talk 00:09:39.700 --> 00:09:42.919 and you leave. And these ideas of life change 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:46.519 and joy and peace and feeling connected and... 00:09:47.019 --> 00:09:50.179 They just are not a part of a lot of very genuine, 00:09:50.259 --> 00:09:53.799 sincere Christians' lives. See, the church isn't 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:56.659 that building and the church isn't what I'm getting 00:09:56.659 --> 00:10:00.240 out of it as a consumer. The church is the living, 00:10:00.419 --> 00:10:06.299 supernatural body of Jesus that's vital and it's 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:09.120 organic and it's about people and it's about 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.259 being connected. It's not going and listening 00:10:12.259 --> 00:10:15.889 to a message. and evaluating that and maybe even 00:10:15.889 --> 00:10:18.330 putting it into practice. That's a very important 00:10:18.330 --> 00:10:20.590 part of it. I mean, I hope it's an important 00:10:20.590 --> 00:10:23.950 part of it because I've spent decades of my life 00:10:23.950 --> 00:10:27.289 studying hard, praying hard, preparing messages 00:10:27.289 --> 00:10:30.809 to feed God's people. But what the Bible teaches 00:10:30.809 --> 00:10:34.529 is that we can't put it into practice alone. 00:10:35.009 --> 00:10:39.210 To be loved and to belong and to change and to 00:10:39.210 --> 00:10:43.039 feel God's love. and to be used by Him, and to 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:46.940 discover spiritual gifts. That can't happen by 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:50.600 watching online. This is not a guilt trip. You're 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:54.500 missing out. That can't happen by simply going 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:57.279 to church. And I don't mean this as a bad word, 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:01.200 but by being just a consumer. You have to move 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:05.840 to being a participant. You're listening to Living 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:08.580 on the Edge. And before we continue today's program, 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:11.460 let me ask you, are you in a small group? If 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:14.299 so, are you looking for a new study to do together 00:11:14.299 --> 00:11:17.159 this year? Well, join us after this message to 00:11:17.159 --> 00:11:20.179 learn more about our library of resources that's 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:22.419 sure to help you and your group grow in your 00:11:22.419 --> 00:11:25.399 faith together. But for now, here's Chip to continue 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:30.340 his talk. I'm reading a book on emotions. It's 00:11:30.340 --> 00:11:32.679 by a theologian, and he's a counselor and has 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:36.549 lots of degrees. But he talks about the deepest 00:11:36.549 --> 00:11:42.509 longings, desires inside every human heart is 00:11:42.509 --> 00:11:45.090 number one, to be connected, relationally with 00:11:45.090 --> 00:11:48.370 other people. And number two, your life making 00:11:48.370 --> 00:11:51.990 a difference. When you go to work, when you go 00:11:51.990 --> 00:11:55.610 to church, when you wake up, it's that idea of 00:11:55.610 --> 00:11:59.590 having purpose and meaning that what you actually 00:11:59.590 --> 00:12:03.000 do. is making a difference. Apart from that, 00:12:03.059 --> 00:12:05.720 we lose hope, we lose meaning. We see it happening 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:08.799 in young people, in the next generation, because 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:12.799 once you lose absolute truth and once you have 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:16.539 no spiritual religious orientation, well, that 00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:20.519 means there's no why I am here. And so often, 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:23.759 They don't experience that when they visit a 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.320 church, if they ever do visit a church. And the 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:28.320 great majority of young people that have left 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:30.919 the church is because they haven't been connected. 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:35.399 And that longing and that belonging has not happened. 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:38.700 What I really want to say is, Jesus really cares 00:12:38.700 --> 00:12:42.980 about you. He loves you. I mean, He really loves 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:46.740 you, and He's for you. And we all have some common 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:50.679 needs, and those common needs... They can't ever 00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:54.120 be satisfied by what can come across the screen. 00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:58.220 They can't be satisfied by even doing a good 00:12:58.220 --> 00:13:01.460 job or having a great career or even marrying 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:04.639 the right person. Loneliness and depression, 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:09.019 the number one health issues in our world, can 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:14.179 only be solved by deep, enriching, honest, authentic 00:13:14.179 --> 00:13:17.740 relationships. And all of us are so insecure. 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:20.779 And all of us have so many defense mechanisms. 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.519 And all of us are so afraid that people will 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:26.559 get to know who we really are. We spend so much 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:31.879 time posing in relationships. And Jesus so longs 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:35.980 for us to come in honesty and authenticity and 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:39.929 transparency. And that can't happen in a large 00:13:39.929 --> 00:13:44.710 group, whether it's 100 or 500 or 5 ,000 worshiping 00:13:44.710 --> 00:13:47.429 together. That large group worship service has 00:13:47.429 --> 00:13:51.149 a very, very vital and important place. But our 00:13:51.149 --> 00:13:53.690 personal relationships require the container 00:13:53.690 --> 00:13:58.549 of a small group. Psychologists tell us the only 00:13:58.549 --> 00:14:01.450 way to overcome the stress and pressure of life 00:14:01.450 --> 00:14:06.149 is some sort of small supportive group. We kind 00:14:06.149 --> 00:14:08.399 of laugh sometimes. You get a little bit older, 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:10.779 and if you look at teens in a high school, and 00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:12.480 you get the sports group, and they dress this 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:14.759 way, and sort of the music -type group, and they 00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:17.179 look this way, and the more nerdy people look 00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:19.320 this way. And, you know, sometimes we can laugh 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:23.000 and say that's what kids do, but we want to belong. 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:27.399 I mean, it's inherent in every single human being. 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:31.240 And whether you're 60 years old and on big Harley 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:33.840 Davidson motorcycles with long hair, or whether 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:36.659 you're preppy looking, or whether you're a software 00:14:36.659 --> 00:14:39.080 developer, or whether you play softball on the 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:41.720 weekends with this group, we all are looking 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:45.460 for groups and belongings. And then we dress 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:49.919 in ways and we speak in ways that we are desperate 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:53.580 for people to say. I want to be in this group 00:14:53.580 --> 00:14:58.120 because I'm desperate for someone to know me 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:02.500 and I can know others in a meaningful way. Our 00:15:02.500 --> 00:15:06.279 greatest desire is to be known and to discover 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:09.700 who we are and that our life has meaning and 00:15:09.700 --> 00:15:13.059 value and that we'd have that in love and acceptance 00:15:13.059 --> 00:15:16.399 with other people. Where and how do you get that? 00:15:16.909 --> 00:15:19.970 What I know is that there's a small percentage 00:15:19.970 --> 00:15:23.169 of followers of Christ, and there's a small percentage 00:15:23.169 --> 00:15:26.210 of people who go to church regularly that are 00:15:26.210 --> 00:15:29.490 in what I would call an authentic, deep, relational 00:15:29.490 --> 00:15:32.549 small group. This fall, we're going to really 00:15:32.549 --> 00:15:35.950 cast a vision to say, you need to be in a small 00:15:35.950 --> 00:15:38.509 group. We're going to talk about all of our small 00:15:38.509 --> 00:15:40.970 group resources that we make, some things that 00:15:40.970 --> 00:15:44.429 every believer needs to study. We have it on 00:15:44.429 --> 00:15:46.990 video and we have it in different formats. And 00:15:46.990 --> 00:15:49.330 you can tell me, well, my church really doesn't 00:15:49.330 --> 00:15:51.649 provide that. I'm going to say, fine, you start 00:15:51.649 --> 00:15:54.750 one. I will tell you this, instead of just giving 00:15:54.750 --> 00:15:57.570 you some great content and having you watch a 00:15:57.570 --> 00:16:00.230 video or study something on your own, I will 00:16:00.230 --> 00:16:04.019 lead the small group. You put the video on. Teaching's 00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:07.340 only about 25 minutes. I'll lead the first few 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:10.419 minutes of that group. You don't have to be alone. 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:13.580 If you just open your home, invite some friends, 00:16:13.779 --> 00:16:16.629 and you would be shocked. If you said to a group 00:16:16.629 --> 00:16:18.789 of people, my house, we're going to do this, 00:16:18.809 --> 00:16:21.389 it's eight weeks or whatever, and why don't you 00:16:21.389 --> 00:16:24.070 come? Ask one person, hey, would you mind maybe 00:16:24.070 --> 00:16:26.370 bringing some drinks and a few snacks? And you 00:16:26.370 --> 00:16:28.490 just do that together. And yeah, it's awkward 00:16:28.490 --> 00:16:31.429 the first week or two, but in all of our small 00:16:31.429 --> 00:16:33.889 group resources that we make, in the back of 00:16:33.889 --> 00:16:36.210 them, we give you, hey, here's how to set up. 00:16:36.409 --> 00:16:39.029 Here's how to kind of lead and facilitate things. 00:16:39.250 --> 00:16:42.269 Here's a few things not to do. And I just can't 00:16:42.269 --> 00:16:44.950 tell you how critical and important this is. 00:16:45.529 --> 00:16:47.549 And I told you, you know, we've been doing lots 00:16:47.549 --> 00:16:50.370 and lots of teaching, and we just taught through 00:16:50.370 --> 00:16:52.889 the entire book of Philippians. And what I want 00:16:52.889 --> 00:16:55.210 to encourage you is hearing about that is good, 00:16:55.269 --> 00:16:58.950 but getting that kind of information and then 00:16:58.950 --> 00:17:02.190 a discussion where you share. And where, yes, 00:17:02.350 --> 00:17:05.009 the truth of that becomes at the core of meeting, 00:17:05.230 --> 00:17:08.190 but then you begin to share your life and your 00:17:08.190 --> 00:17:12.019 struggles and your ups. and your downs, and you 00:17:12.019 --> 00:17:15.299 begin to really authentically and openly pray 00:17:15.299 --> 00:17:18.440 for one another. And as you begin to go on that 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:23.039 journey, God will show up. I remember I was coming 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:27.009 off of one of my many back surgeries. And I realized 00:17:27.009 --> 00:17:29.690 that my attempts getting back with it were not 00:17:29.690 --> 00:17:32.569 doing well. And I'm kind of cheap, so I didn't 00:17:32.569 --> 00:17:34.769 want to pay a personal trainer. But I realized 00:17:34.769 --> 00:17:37.289 I've got to get strong again, and I'm not doing 00:17:37.289 --> 00:17:39.950 well on my own. And so there was a place. I didn't 00:17:39.950 --> 00:17:42.609 know anybody there. And I pulled in and said 00:17:42.609 --> 00:17:44.890 hi to the guy and told him what I needed to do. 00:17:45.130 --> 00:17:47.250 And he said, well, this last person's done. Let 00:17:47.250 --> 00:17:48.890 me do a little interview. And he got a clipboard 00:17:48.890 --> 00:17:51.430 out and asked me a bunch of questions. And we 00:17:51.430 --> 00:17:54.349 got through, I don't know, maybe 10, 12 questions, 00:17:54.650 --> 00:17:57.400 15 minutes. He looked at me and said, you sound 00:17:57.400 --> 00:17:59.660 very familiar. I said, well, what do you mean 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:01.700 I sound familiar? He goes, well, I've heard your 00:18:01.700 --> 00:18:03.279 voice. And then he kind of looked down at the 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:05.319 clipboard. He goes, are you Chip Ingram, like 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:07.259 the guy that's on the radio? I said, well, yeah. 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:10.200 And he broke out in this big smile, and I said, 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.660 you've got to be kidding me. And he then began 00:18:12.660 --> 00:18:15.279 to tell me his story. It's one of the most powerful 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:17.940 stories I've ever heard, and we have now been 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:21.900 friends well over 10 years since. And he told 00:18:21.900 --> 00:18:23.720 me the story of being involved in full -time 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:27.009 Christian work and having a huge moral failure. 00:18:27.369 --> 00:18:30.710 Lost his family, later married the woman that 00:18:30.710 --> 00:18:32.529 he was having the affair with, had a couple kids 00:18:32.529 --> 00:18:35.670 with her. And he lived in that life for well 00:18:35.670 --> 00:18:38.190 over a decade. And then God got a hold of his 00:18:38.190 --> 00:18:42.069 heart. And I had met him shortly after he had 00:18:42.069 --> 00:18:45.329 really come back to the Lord. a really deep repentance. 00:18:45.750 --> 00:18:48.549 He had gone back and rebuilt bridges and apologies 00:18:48.549 --> 00:18:51.930 and was making amends, was living in a very, 00:18:52.009 --> 00:18:54.990 very difficult situation. You can imagine the 00:18:54.990 --> 00:18:57.509 struggles, the guilt, the shame, the issues he 00:18:57.509 --> 00:19:00.250 had to overcome. In the midst of all this, we 00:19:00.250 --> 00:19:02.589 would work out three times a week, and he was 00:19:02.589 --> 00:19:04.849 a great trainer, and I was making progress, and 00:19:04.849 --> 00:19:07.690 we shared a lot. And as we talked month after 00:19:07.690 --> 00:19:10.240 month after month, I realized that there was 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:12.680 something missing, and I said, do you know why 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:15.200 you can't get over the hump? You need a group, 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:18.079 man. No one can do this alone. You're the most 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:20.480 disciplined person I know. You're in the scriptures. 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:23.380 You're praying. You're making every effort. You 00:19:23.380 --> 00:19:26.019 can't do this alone. You need a small group. 00:19:26.140 --> 00:19:28.400 And he goes, oh, my schedule, I can't do this, 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:30.819 I can't do that. I'm working multiple times and 00:19:30.819 --> 00:19:33.359 doing this and doing that. And I had a buddy 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:35.799 at a church who's doing a real early morning 00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:39.359 small group. Six, 15, 300, 400 guys were coming 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:41.299 to it, and then they would break into groups. 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:43.779 I said, you need to go to that. He's a good friend. 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:45.700 He's a great teacher. You'll meet great men there. 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:48.839 The guy rearranges the schedule, and that was 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:52.589 the beginning of life. of the Spirit of God using 00:19:52.589 --> 00:19:55.450 other men, of being understood, of being loved, 00:19:55.670 --> 00:19:59.250 of realizing he wasn't alone. And that was for 00:19:59.250 --> 00:20:02.230 two years or so. And then pretty soon, they were 00:20:02.230 --> 00:20:04.930 taking a big, big break for like months. And 00:20:04.930 --> 00:20:06.470 his group didn't want to take a break. And so 00:20:06.470 --> 00:20:09.569 he kept going and he led it. And then after that, 00:20:09.730 --> 00:20:11.829 there was another guy that had a friend. And 00:20:11.829 --> 00:20:14.650 so he starts another group. And all these years 00:20:14.650 --> 00:20:17.549 later, he leads about four different groups. 00:20:18.170 --> 00:20:21.609 He has led more people to Christ, his 88 -year 00:20:21.609 --> 00:20:24.349 -old father and like 90 -year -old mother. And 00:20:24.349 --> 00:20:25.950 if you really think about it, the people that 00:20:25.950 --> 00:20:28.309 really want to change have learned this. You 00:20:28.309 --> 00:20:30.910 got to do it in a group. And so here's my plea. 00:20:31.890 --> 00:20:34.789 You need a small group. And if you don't have 00:20:34.789 --> 00:20:37.690 one, launch one. You don't know how, we'll help 00:20:37.690 --> 00:20:41.029 you. But Christians need to live like Christians 00:20:41.029 --> 00:20:44.789 for their good and for the glory of God. And 00:20:44.789 --> 00:20:48.400 Christians cannot live like Christians. apart 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:51.160 from authentic community. And authentic community 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:54.779 happens in the context or the container of a 00:20:54.779 --> 00:20:57.400 small group. And that's my prayer. That's my 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:03.579 longing for you. You're listening to Living on 00:21:03.579 --> 00:21:06.539 the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Drewy, and 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:08.880 I hope you were encouraged and motivated by this 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:11.619 special message from Chip, why you need a small 00:21:11.619 --> 00:21:14.529 group. Chip's back with me in studio now. And 00:21:14.529 --> 00:21:16.950 Chip, it's pretty obvious from this program why 00:21:16.950 --> 00:21:19.869 we as followers of Christ need community and 00:21:19.869 --> 00:21:22.470 how necessary small groups are. I mean, they 00:21:22.470 --> 00:21:24.829 can forever change someone's life and help all 00:21:24.829 --> 00:21:27.349 of us mature spiritually. And as you mentioned 00:21:27.349 --> 00:21:30.109 today, we have a growing library of study guides 00:21:30.109 --> 00:21:32.910 and video resources for small groups. So take 00:21:32.910 --> 00:21:34.630 a minute, if you would, and highlight a few our 00:21:34.630 --> 00:21:37.180 listeners should check out. Well, Dave, we all 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:39.779 have special times in our life where there's 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:42.220 either crisis or we know we need to improve our 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:44.900 parenting, our marriage, or there's some emotional 00:21:44.900 --> 00:21:47.680 issues. And as people go through, there's plenty 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.640 of small group resources like that. But what 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:53.880 I think is missing is what historically has been 00:21:53.880 --> 00:21:57.940 called a catechism. A catechism is a well -ordered 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:02.240 process of truth by which you go through it systematically 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:06.130 and intentionally. in order to become more and 00:22:06.130 --> 00:22:09.069 more like Jesus and to fulfill more and more 00:22:09.069 --> 00:22:11.710 what Jesus has called us to do. And so if you 00:22:11.710 --> 00:22:14.410 follow Jesus' life, his actual chronological 00:22:14.410 --> 00:22:17.589 life, the first thing is he defined what a disciple 00:22:17.589 --> 00:22:20.609 is. And so the very first study I encourage people 00:22:20.609 --> 00:22:23.849 to do is true spirituality, becoming a Romans 00:22:23.849 --> 00:22:26.490 12 Christian. It'll let them know this is what 00:22:26.490 --> 00:22:29.990 it means to be a follower of Jesus. The second 00:22:29.990 --> 00:22:32.450 thing Jesus did is he took them through various 00:22:32.450 --> 00:22:36.630 experiences to reveal who God was like. What 00:22:36.630 --> 00:22:39.650 is God really like? And so our second study, 00:22:39.730 --> 00:22:42.569 it's called The Real God. And in that, we study 00:22:42.569 --> 00:22:45.109 the attributes of God and how to get them from 00:22:45.109 --> 00:22:48.549 your head into your heart. The third thing that 00:22:48.549 --> 00:22:51.970 Jesus did is he helped them understand. How does 00:22:51.970 --> 00:22:54.869 life change really occur? How do you put it into 00:22:54.869 --> 00:22:57.450 practice? We have a study from Ephesians chapter 00:22:57.450 --> 00:23:01.309 4 called Transformed, The Miracle of Life Change. 00:23:01.589 --> 00:23:03.490 And then the fourth one I'll give you, because 00:23:03.490 --> 00:23:05.710 I don't want to lay it all out, is that when 00:23:05.710 --> 00:23:08.470 you take these kind of steps, all hell breaks 00:23:08.470 --> 00:23:11.119 loose. I don't mean that as a cuss word. What 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:14.339 I mean is it's challenging. It's difficult. There's 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:16.859 spiritual warfare. And that's our study from 00:23:16.859 --> 00:23:19.140 Ephesians chapter six. It's called the invisible 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:21.880 war. What every believer needs to know about 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:25.019 Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. So let 00:23:25.019 --> 00:23:27.900 me encourage you, unless there's a critical need, 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:32.279 a high felt need, consider studying in order 00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:35.589 the catechism. the way Jesus taught his disciples. 00:23:36.049 --> 00:23:38.410 Well, to learn more about the studies Chip mentioned 00:23:38.410 --> 00:23:41.990 or any of our other small groups, go to livingontheedge 00:23:41.990 --> 00:23:47.579 .org or call us at 888 -333 -6003. And let me 00:23:47.579 --> 00:23:50.180 tell you, these materials are so easy to use. 00:23:50.420 --> 00:23:52.740 Chip provides the teaching. Then you'll have 00:23:52.740 --> 00:23:55.180 time to discuss what you've heard alongside our 00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:57.980 helpful study guides. We even offer some insights 00:23:57.980 --> 00:24:00.680 for leaders on how to care for and guide their 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:03.140 groups as well. So if you're not in a small group 00:24:03.140 --> 00:24:05.579 yet or are looking for something new to study, 00:24:05.700 --> 00:24:08.480 check out our resources. And for a limited time, 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:11.700 we've discounted all our small group tools. Visit 00:24:11.700 --> 00:24:16.559 livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 -333 -6600. 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:20.460 to learn more. Atlas NewsTap special offers. 00:24:20.940 --> 00:24:23.339 You've been listening to a selected program that 00:24:23.339 --> 00:24:25.799 we wanted to share from this past week. Thanks 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:28.140 for joining us and partnering with us, either 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:30.579 through your financial gifts or by using the 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:33.180 many resources we've created. Our mission is 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:35.839 to see Christians living like Christians. So 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:38.700 please know that however you support us, it is 00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:41.319 making an eternal difference. So thank you very 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:43.839 much. Well, from all of us here, I'm Dave Drewy, 00:24:43.859 --> 00:24:46.000 thanking you for listening to this weekend edition 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:48.559 of Living on the Edge. And I hope you'll join 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:49.480 us again next time.