Let me start out by saying, “I’ve been there.” I know what it is like to run a Life Group week after week for years. I know what it is like to have a Life group night quickly approaching and nothing I had planned was coming together. I have felt the pain of having a key person that you have invested into decide to turn their back on God and walk away. I have experienced the exhilaration of having a meaningful talking with someone at a restaurant, where I saw the Holy Spirit turn the lights on in their mind and they really got it! In short, I’ve been there!
I cannot honestly say that I always liked being a Life Group leader. There were good times that I wouldn’t trade for the world and there were tough times, where I wanted to quite. There were times that I saw God use me in the life of another and other times where I silently wondered if I had a clue.
All in all, being a Life Group leader was one of the best experiences of my life. Over the four years that I had the privilege of running a student small group, my life was full of amazing experiences, great friendships, inspiring mentorship moments, and a overall sense of excitement as I watched those that I loved in my small group grow and develop in Christ.
I want this experience for you! I want you to feel the same feelings of excitement. I would love you to sense that feeling of fulfillment by seeing people you invest into actually “get it” and become life-long disciples.
To this day, I keep in contact with many of my Life Group friends. They are old and married and have kids. My family goes on mini-vacations with their family. When I fly into a city to minister, many times someone who I invested into picks me up from the airport and we go to lunch. I have seen God turn these Life Group “attendees” into life long friends. I am one of the most privileged people in the world!
In looking back, there were some tough times too. Times where I didn’t really know what I was doing (more times than I want to admit). Times where I was deeply hurt because it felt like the students didn’t give a rip about what I had to say. There was also a fair amount of stress that came with running the Life Group that I didn’t sign up for.
However, if I were to take all the positive aspects of Life Group and put them together and weight them against all the negative times… the positive ones would win, hands down. It wouldn’t even be close! The scale would break trying to hold all of the fulfilling moments.
So, dive in…
Don’t hold back…
When Jesus was speaking to Peter, He said, “If you love me, you will feed my sheep.”
Love Him! Feed them!
Don’t wavier or fall into the enemy’s lie that you are wasting your time. Being a Life Group leader is not just an “add on” to you life… it is life-giving. You DO LIFE TOGETHER as a Life Group and share the common goal of becoming more like Jesus.
Reach out and invest into others, even when it hurts. That’s what Jesus did. I’m sure He didn’t always like being a Life Group leader to His disciples, because sometimes it was hard. However, He consistently invested and prayerfully shaped the lives of those He was with.
He loved…
He prayed…
He worked…
He invested…
In short, He discipled…do the same!
Your friend in the journey,
Pastor Jeremy
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