Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

456 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 1

Implications for Healthy Small Group Life

1. Every believer in Christ is joined to the body of Christ , and should be welcomed into God’s forever family (Rom. 15.5-6; John 1.12-13).

2. Every Christian is a minister , called by God, and has been given gifts by the Spirit to build up the body (Rom. 12.5-8; 1 Cor. 12.4-11).

3. Healthy discipleship and church life requires three important dimensions of belonging (relationships):

a. Personal friendships b. Small group care and ministry c. Large group celebration and convocation

4. Dynamic cells where disciples of Jesus are made and grow do four things well:

a. They love the Lord and each other (Matt. 22.37ff.; John 13.34-35) b. They learn of Christ together (Matt. 11.29) c. They serve each other and those in need, whether in the body or their neighbors (James 2.17; 1 John 4.7-8) d. They reach others with the good news of the gospel, and reproduce themselves in Christ (Matt. 28.18-20) 5. Growing cells are Spirit-led and leader-served , emphasizing these different components as God leads them, all to bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6.2). 6. Healthy groups reproduce themselves , raising up new leaders to lead new cells, and divide and multiply as they continue to grow under God’s leading (Eph. 4.11-15).