Yes, you need to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Yes, you need to do your personal spiritual disciplines. But here’s the thing: you can’t be healthy and growing in your vertical relationship with God unless you’re also growing in your horizontal relationships with others.
You were created for relationships. You need others to help you grow – just as they need you to help them grow. Like a body, it’s a reciprocal relationship.
Just think, if all you needed was a good sermon, Jesus would have spent all his time preaching. But he doesn’t do that. What does he do instead?
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18)
When Jesus begins his ministry, what’s one of the first things he does? He calls twelve people to himself -to learn together, to do life together. What’s Jesus doing? He’s starting a small group. In this small group, the twelve:
- Learn from Jesus how to live in God’s kingdom.
- Process their questions and share their lives with each other.
- Reach out to their community together.
- Hang out and just have fun.
Jesus doesn’t spend his best time and energy preaching to the crowds. Where does Jesus spend his best time and energy? With his small group.
Jim Putman who’s written many books on discipleship says, “I believe in and focus on small groups because that is the primary way that Jesus made disciples.” (Jim Putman)
