In an age where Google provides us with all the answers, texting becomes easier than talking, and the number of followers we have on Instagram dictates our level of popularity, the adjective we could most easily use to describe our lifestyle is: “busy.”
“I won’t make it to worship service, I’m busy with errands.”
“I don’t have enough time to read my Bible this evening, I’m busy with the family.”
“I can’t go to small group this evening, I’m too busy with work.”
Busy, busy, busy.
We Millenials have elevated our busyness to be a status symbol. The busier you are, the more important you are. The more texts you can’t respond to, the more popular you must be. The harder you are to reach, the more you’re wanted. Supply and demand, I guess.
Ironically, one of the reasons we need small groups is because they serve as the antidote to our busyness. Despite your busy schedule, below are three reasons you need to keep “penciling in” your local body of believers.
- Small groups force us to know each other at a deeper level. One of the temptations of busyness is the descent into superficiality. Yet when we go to small group, we are given the opportunity to confess our sins and open our hearts to discipleship. Small groups encourage us to be vulnerable. When we’re surrounded by some of the closest people in our lives, the ability to hide is nearly impossible.
- Small groups help us reorient our priorities. They remind us of Who comes first. When we make it a point to attend a weekly group, we are consistently reminded of why we gather every week. By putting us in direct contact with God’s Word and fellowship with other believers, the small group gatherings themselves emphasize the importance of discipleship.
- Small groups put us in a position to hear from God, and to live out what really matters. Small groups directly counter self-centered living by having us open Scripture, study God’s words, and take on Jesus’ lifestyle. Small groups put us in the position to not only absorb truth, but also to go and live out what we believe. We are able to spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24)—this includes serving our community.
The temptation to hide behind our schedules—to distract ourselves so we don’t deal with our sin and our sainthood—is a real one. But it’s a temptation that gets a little less strong the more we spend time in community with other believers.
Caroline Case is a proud Nashville transplant from Naples, Florida, who serves as the Production Editor for Lifeway’s SmallGroup.com and Discipleship in Context teams. Caroline has a Bachelor of Communication from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL. She is pursuing her Master of Arts in English at Belmont University in Nashville, where she will go on to pursue her doctorate and teach.
