September 2010

Willow Creek Church used to describe their mission as "turning atheists into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ." That is vivid way to describe that the Christian life is a life of transformation. No one can be a believer in Jesus Christ and not have his life changed. If we do not experience change it is because we have not understood how seriously flawed our life is apart from Jesus and how radically the life of Jesus differs from the life we are used to.

Life transformation is what Valley Bible Church is all about. However, transforming lives is not something we can do for ourselves or for anyone else. It is a work of God. He does that work by a combination of his Word, living transparent relationships, and serving the Lord. There are many other "disciplines" that God uses but these are the ones that are group based.

This fall Pastor Chad and I will each begin Life Transformation Groups. Sometimes we call these "Small Groups" or "Home Groups" but those titles fail to convey what these groups are or should be about.

The idea is to find ten to twelve people who want to live the Christian life together and help each other to do that. The basis of the groups will be the Word of God. The Bible Study portion will be the sermon from the previous Sunday. There will be questions to answer following the sermon to prepare for the group time. This puts everyone on the same page and if someone misses a service, they can still hear the sermon online before attending the class. The study questions will also be available online.

The group time will also include sharing our lives. This will center on God’s Word as well. We will commit to read God’s Word every day and keep a "Daily Reading Highlights Record" similar to what was used in our "2:7" groups. There will also be the opportunity to memorize passages of your choice from God’s Word. Prayer will be a part of each meeting with the emphasis being on praying for each other in our spiritual growth and struggles with that.

We look forward to do life together with friends and pilgrims on this journey. If you are interested, please speak to one of us about it or communicate your interest on the Connection Card. Lord, make us more like Jesus.