The Goals of Small Groups The purpose of our small groups is to develop caring relationships and reach out to others. Our objective is to strengthen our NETS (Nurture, Evangelism, Training and Service.). Early Christians had strong nets. They devoted themselves to learning, fellowship and prayer. They shared meals, needs and resources. All of those things resulted in evangelism (see Acts 2.42-47). And they did all of those things in small groups. Nurture The Jews developed the original small group model shortly after the exodus. The Sinai Social System continued in one form or another through the Babylonian exile (sixth century BC) and beyond. Let's go back to the Sinai desert where it began. Jethro watched his son-in-law, Moses working from morning to evening and offered the following observation, What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Exodus 18.17-18 He then offered Moses some advice, Teach them the decrees and laws and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, are trustworthy and hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied. Exodus 18.20-23 The suggestion was quite simple; minister from the bottom up and not the top down. It was a complete reversal of Moses' philosophy of leadership/ministry. The groups Jethro suggested were not strictly numerical, they were based on family relationships. Nuclear families (10), extended families (50), clan (100) and tribes (1,000s). The smallest group was an asarot (ten). Later they were called chabarím. The Hebrew word chabarím derives from chabar; comrade. Chabarím were small, family groups; groups of folks who knew one another well. They were together all the time. They shared community duties and responsibilities. They educated their kids and joined with one another in commerce. When someone got ill they pulled together. When battle was at hand, they fought side-by-side. In short, their lives defined camaraderie. Those small groups were the foundation of the nation of Israel. A millennium later the Jews were taken captive into Babylon (about 586 BC). They found themselves in a strange land without a Temple and without a priesthood. They had no official religious system. Small group relationships became their salvation. Chabarím were the very fabric of their cultural and spiritual life. They held the people together and anchored them to their spiritual heritage. During the exile the Jews also formed synagogues. They were 'little houses of learning' formed by about twenty families. As well as regular, daily interaction, chabarím met in preparation for the Sabbath and synagogue activities. They were the cement of spiritual and social life. Four centuries after the Babylonian captivity, the followers of Jesus continued the small group pattern. Small groups were not new to them nor were they an apostolic invention. Jesus' friends simply continued to do what they had been doing for generations. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Acts 2.44-46 They tangibly demonstrated God’s love in small groups. The most important role of the small group was nurture. What was the result of their consistent, deep-seated affection? Luke records that 'there was not one needy person among them.’ (see Acts 4.32-35) Evangelism Another role of small groups was evangelism. Outreach flowed naturally from the hearts of those folks. Listen to Luke's description, They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2.46,47 God’s love gushed through them into the highways and byways of the great city. The Jewish leaders rightly accused them of littering ‘the streets of Jerusalem with their doctrine’ (see Acts 5.28). It might be good to note that they did not litter the streets with doctrinal and theological literature. They did fill the streets with former sin slaves now freed, once shattered now restored families, previously broken bodies made whole, hope, joy and hearts aflame with the love of Jesus. The good news saturated the city of Jerusalem and God scooped up multiplied thousands of folks into His loving arms. Training A third function of the early small groups was effective spiritual training. The strapping baby Church was dedicated to the apostles’ teaching. How did the apostles teach the people? They told them and showed them what they learned from Jesus. That is how they learned from the Master, so that is how they taught others. The ravenously hungry, brand new believers listened to the apostles, watched what they did and then participated in the miracle of the Living Word. Those folks tasted the Bread of Life and then shared it with scads of other hungry people. They were not once-or-twice-a-week-classroom educated; on the contrary, they were spiritual apprentices. They received on-the-job-training. The outcome is a matter of history. First, believers were added. Then disciples were multiplied. Finally churches multiplied throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Service The fourth component of small group life was service. The early believers shared everything they had. They exploded with generosity because the goodness and favor of God overwhelmed them. Think about this, tens of thousands of Jews came to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost (see Acts 2.1f). They originally intended to stay for the duration of the festival. However, when the fire of the Spirit fell on the upper room disciples, many of the visitors embraced Christ and decided to stay in town. That posed a real challenge. Would the fledgling church be able to embrace a bunch of tourists who unexpectedly decide to stay in town? The tiny upper room church rose to meet the staggering challenge. And boy did they! They incorporated thousands of strangers from distant lands. They found creative ways to serve as conduits of God’s provision. They opened their hearts and their homes. They graciously served the newcomers. Everyone put on servant (the original word is table waiter) garb and went to work; everyone had a table to serve and bread to offer. They all looked for practical and meaningful ways to serve others. That’s a sketch of N E T S in the early Church. It is our goal as well. Their quality of life was irresistible and unstoppable. They had no borders, no limits. Those first believers invaded Jerusalem with the wonderful love of God day-by-day, opportunity-by-opportunity and person-to-person. And Jesus displayed wonderfully Himself through simple people just like us.