“The person who routinely looks in the mirror without making alterations does not understand the purpose of the mirror. Likewise, the person who reads or listens to God’s Word without applying what he has heard obviously doesn’t understand the purpose of Scripture” (C.J. Mahanney, Why Small Groups?, p. 9).
What Counts in the End
“No matter how extensive one’s scriptural knowledge, how amazing one’s memory, it is self-deception if that is all there is…It is not what one knows, but what one does that counts. True knowledge is the prelude to action, and it is the obedience to the word that counts in the end” Peter Davids quoted in […]
As Iron Sharpens Iron
“This is what we want to work toward in our small groups. Like Wesley’s Band Societies, we want our small-group meetings to fulfill Proverbs 27:17; ‘As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another.’ Even as we rest fully secure in our justification before God because of the substitutionary sacrifice of the Son, let us […]
We need others
“There is a common yet false supposition among Christians that practicing the spiritual disciplines (prayer, memorizing and meditating on Scripture, fasting, confession of sin, etc.) is sufficient to maintain spiritual growth. But as vital as these practices are, they are not sufficient. Small groups provide the encouragement, correction, and accountability that are necessary to keep […]