Fellowship (Community)

8/14/2019 Fellowship (Community)

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Community:TheReasonfor CelkSince heology breedsmethodology, t will be valuable or us to shapeabiblical view of the cell group church.'W'emust begin by recognizing hatthe primary assignment in a cell group church is to develop "BasicChristian Communities." \fhen we understand this, we becomedissatisfiedwith groups hat serveas a "gimmick," an optiond feature,ora "quick fix" for saggingattendance.Because ommunity can occur most completely only in small groups,a cell group, numbering less han 15 people, is all important. Essentialelementsof community include interpersonalcommitments and a senseof belonging. Community takes place when there is a shared life,allowing common goals and commitments to develop benveenall of itsmcmbers.

ln The Dffirent Drum, M. Scott Peckwrites:If we are to use the word [communityJ meaningfirlly, we mustrcstrict it to a group of individuals who have learned how tocommunicatehonestlywith each other, whoserelationships odeeper han their masksof composure,and who havedevelopedsomc significant commitment to "rejoice together, mourntogcrher,"and to "delight n eachother,make others'conditionsour own,"'Itr tlrc "l


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discovered. Vhen Jesuswent about announcing the "Gospel of theKingdom," He was inviting fragmented humanity to enter intosomething t could not experienceelsewhere.fu the extended amily isthe oikos'of sociery so the cell group is theextended amily, the basicbuilding block, of the people of God. A large-group gathering of christians (more than l5 persons)cannot provide theessential ingredients required for communiry. Nor will communitydevelop f a small group meets ortnightly or monthly, or even ust oncea week. vhile the rypical cell group will have a special ime to be togetherweekly, there is a sffong bond between the members who often spendtime with one another betweenmeetings.Couples may sharean evening,ladiesmay go shopping, children may spenda night at the home of oneof the other children in the grouP.They are family.

It is not possible o define community to someonewho has neverexperiencedt. Like falling head overheels n love, t must be experiencedto be understood.Those who havebeen ortunate to entef into Kingdomrelationships can never again be content with the shallowness ofinstitutional church life.

Someyearsago, I entered nto a small group relationship with twoother men. Hans was from Switzerland,working temporarily in Dallas.Erwin was a graphic artist. 'Vi'ebegan to meet together on Fridays forlunch. It wasnot long before found myself ooking forward to our timestogerher,not really understandingwhy our weeklyhour and a half meantso much to me. \7ith thesemen I shared he deepest eelingsof my soul,my longings to find a more authentic christian lifestyle. I didnt know itat the time, but we had formed a community. There were frequenttelephonecalls betweenour luncheons,and we edified one another withScripture verses, nsights, and thoughts that came to us during ourpersonalprayer times.- 27 years later, I have had many experienceswith the power ofcommunity. Yet, I shall never forget the power of God that flowedberweenus back then. Hans has ong ago returned to Zurich. Erwin wenton to produce the Benjiemovies. Because f their affirmations, I left thesecuriryof denominational adder-climbing o enter a iourney to findrenewal or the church. God was good to me: I had nt'rtrnlly ound alltherewas o discovern thatsimplc


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person in the Thinity loves, honors and glorifies the other andreceives ove and honor back from the others, becauseHe isworthy. There is never any lack.3It must be said with reverential awe: He who is Etemal has ahaays

existed n the hfestyleof community - with only one break in thiscontinuity. That single exceptionoccurred at Calvary. u Christ took theuglinessof our sin into Himsel{, He cried out,

*My God! My God!\fhyhaveYou forsakenMe?" The vilenessof our sin, received nto His sinlessbody, severed he eternal community of the Godhead! (The worst partabout sin is that it alwaysdestroyscommunity.)\(hat was it like for our Lord to experienceseparation from theGodhead?To know what Jesus xperienced,we would have o enter intothe perfect community of the Godhead. Unfortunately, our humannessprecludes hat for us.

Man Created for CommunitylIn Genesis1:26 God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, accordingto Our likeness . .' An essentialcharacteristicof love is its desire toenlarge community. Eden was not paradise becauseof its beauty butbecauset was the place of unbroken relationships. t was the place ofgiving and receiving, the continuous actions that take place whereverthere s true community.

God knew the risks n carrying out His decision o createAdam withthe freedom of choice. This freedom permitted Adam to enter intofellowship with the Tliune One, but it alsoallowedhim liberry to choosehate instead of love, disobedience nstead of loyalty, selfishness atherthan servanthood.Knowing the end from the beginning- and knowingwhat Adam would choose God still made His decision.

Webegin torealize ow much God treasures ommunity aswe considerHis perilouscommitment to allow man the liberry to decide things for himself.Community must dways be a voluntary matter. W'earenever orced nt


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arecareftillyrecorded.For thosewho live to gainpersonalsignificance,helength of their earthly life is of no consequenceo God; for thosewhoselife is spent n communion with Him, every day is precious.

Contrasted to his insane cousin Lamech, Genesis5:24 repotts that"Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." \Vhat adifference!Enocht significancewasnot in what he did or did not do, butin his entering into communal fellowship with his heavenlyFather.Thelesson of the two genealogies etsa theme for the rest of Scripture: theonly "accomplishment"that makesman'sear*rly life worthwhile, or thatwill outlive him, is his fellowship with God.

Community in the Old TestamentThroughout the Old Testament, the theme of God and man enteringinto community is recurrent. \tr7ithAbraham, with Moses, witl Israel,with David, God offered intimacy as an alternative o estrangement.

Ruth'swords becomesymbolic for those who cherish community:. . . for where you go, I will go, and whereyou lodge, will lodge.Your people shall be my people,and your God, my God.Is it surprising that she s found in the genealoryof JesusChrist?fu the self-centerednessf Israel reaches crescendo,n Hosea 11:8

God weepsover their lack of communion with Him, asa Parentagonizesovera child with bad values: How can I surrenderyou, O Israel? . . Myheart is turned overwithin Me . . ."\7ill Jehovah abandon the desire to live in community with Hiscreated ones?No! One after another, His prophets are given ecstaticvisions of the future. Isaiah oresees community where lions sleepwithlambs and swords arebeaten nto plowshares. eremiah s promised thatIsrael will be restored o the land. Ezekielenvisionsa gloriousTemple ina kingdom of righteousness et to come. In turn, prophets saw the endtimes when God and man will live together in intimary and love.

Community in the New TestamentThen God come.s to actual ly dwcll : t l l ro l lg , t tc tt l l ) r tr i l rg, l te r t t ' t ol '

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penetrating the human racewith His love. unlike His presenceamongIsraelasacloud of smokeor fire, He will now becomevisible through Hiison, drawing all men unto Him. christ confronrs satan, evenas did th.first Adam - nor in a garden,but in a desolatewilderness.

kingdom not of this world! It would be a kingdom which uniresmen.The Lordt "job description," provided by the Holy Spirit742 yearsearlier n Isaiaht scroll, was an assignment o repair the horrid breachein community causedby man'sselfishness. o the poor, ro the spit-upon,to the prisoners, o the blind, christ would bring hope and salvation.He created community for His follnuters. From men who wouldnormdly neverevenspeak o one another,Jesusshaped 12 disciples.Acommando-like pauiot rubbed shoulderswith a quisling tax collector.Fishermen elated o men who tilled land. \vhat unlikely combinations!He lived with them for three years, modeling a lifestyle of love andacceptance. hese 12 men discovered hat community can be a difficultplace o mask imitations, egotism, gnorance,and jealousies. ry as hardas hey could, they wereunable to hide the selfishness ithin themselves

Slowly,very slowly, thesemen recognized hey must abandon theircompetitive lifesryles.The greatestamong them would be rhe one whowould become the servant of all. They discovered the essenceofcommunity is a senseof belonging: their true worrh is not theirreputation, but their readinesso give themselves nsparingly to rhe resr.By living with 12 men, God in human flesh had made a clearstatemenrof the way community develops.7hile thousandspressed imfrom every side, He chose o be with one cell of life. Indeed, exisrenc


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Of greatest mportance, they had a purpose. f community is createdwithout specific goals, here will soon be conflicts and the whole thingwill collapseIn Homefor the Heart, Bruno Bettleheim writes,

I am convinced community can flourish only if it exists or anaim outside itself. Community is viable if it is the outgrowth ofa deep nvolvement in a purpose which is other than, or above,that of being a community.aJesuswas preparing them for His work. He did it without a greatarnount of teaching, choosing nstead o let them watch as He modeled

before them. Indeed, to the modern purveyor of discipleship materials,His pattern is perplexing! He barely discussedow to pray; instead, Hetook them to all-night seasons f prayer. Finally, some of the disciplessaid, "Jesus,dont you think it would be important for you to teach ushow to pray?After dl, John has aught his disciplesabout this subject."Glancing over at them, He said, "Fine. Pray like this -" He gavethem what we cdl "The Lordt Prayer,"which took about one minute torecite. He might as well have concluded with a comment like, "Anyquestions?"

Vhat a contrast this wasto the hours and hours of prayrng He hadmodeled for tlem in the hills! Had they been wiser, they would haverealizedprayer s not taught - it's caught.He delayedanother important lessonabout praying until they hadreturned from their first assignment. esus ad sent them into Galilee tominister. After they returned, a man approached him with his son,explaining that the discipleswho had come to his village failed to set heboy free from epilepsy.After Jesushealed the lad, the disciples asked:"\Vhy couldnt we do that, Lord?"

\fhy had He not told them about that before hey went out tominister?The reason s significant: when living in communiry there are"teachablemoments" which cannot be anticipated. Value systems arecreated n the context of liaing, not stadying.This is one of the reasonsvaluesare alwaysshaped aster n cell groups than in more formal churchstructures.When one facesa crisisor wrestleswith a sin, thc firoup canrespond mmediately ather han having o wlit l irr att rtll ici.rlprogrrnlor lesson r a pastor'.scrmon o t


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gatesof Hades\{/ill not overcome t. I will give you *re keysof thekingdom of heaven;whateveryou bind on earth will be bound inheaven,and whateveryou looseon earrhwill be oosed n heaven."5His other two references learly point to the church as an intimatecornmunityof people. He anticipates he friction which could only existin settingswhere peopleare iving together n close elationships:If your brother sins againstyou, go and show him his fault, justbetween he naroof you. If he listensro you, you havewon yourbrother over. Bur if he will nor lisren, take one or two othersd9rg, so that 'everymafter may be established y the testimonyof two or threewitnesses.' f he refuseso listen to them, tell it tothe church; and if he refuses o listen even ro the church, treathim asyou would a paganor a tax collector. I tell you the truth,whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, andwhateveryou looseon earthwill be oosed n heaven.Again, I tellyou that if nvo of you on earth agreeabout anphing you ask or,it will be done for you by my Father n heaven.For where two orthree come together n my narne, here am I with tfiem.uFor the secondime, He has referred to the flow of power berweenheavenand earth through the activity of the church. Is it conceivable hatHe will not demonstrate he sameeternalpower in His new Body thatHe demonstrated n His first one?of coursenot! He will condnue totransform the poor, the captives, he blind, and the downtrodden. Thus,euerymember of His new Body will participate in the divine powerrequired for ministry.Notice carefi.rlly n this Scripture,Jesussaw the church existing incommunities as small as "t\ryoor three." Ponder he intimacy of personal

relationshipsand the covenanrcommitments describedby the procedur.sfor handling conflict in this passage.T. Rgad-thepassage gain: does t not verifr the cell group concept ofchurch life? M. Scott Peck ighdy says,

Currently he Church snot only no t rhc lxly ol'( l lrrist, r is noreven body, conrlrrrrnity.t rnrrsr cr 'orrrcrnlrrrrui lr i rycl i l rcit crrrr clvc .s lrc lr t ly ol '( l r l ist, '

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. 9* may well be justified in wondering wherher our Lord saw thechurch asanything, ever larger .t * " ..u gio.rp ."p"bl-oi*p.ri.rr.irgrrue community. He Himserf courd have o."r.a dg. grr"p srructures:ldress5000; He chose o firr. wirh 12.he focused.hir-.r:rg, on developingablock of the Body, which would -becsedof cells,not masses fpeople whoThe Birth of the Church

e common teaching is that it waspirit's action.Not so!The discussionhaveoccupieda argeportion of Hissfiguration with Moses and Elijah. TheFromhe idef he rst dam;1".*.-;lt?,[T*'"?;:n-,.::itAdamt bride would come from His riven side.A woman delivering a child rextreme asour Lord's suffering to ia battleground beween the -forc,available link berween a holy Gorwhich could be hurled "g"inriHimhis connection. Jesusdlmorrstr"t.Hades will not overcome t." Satancaptivity captive. S7henHe cried, .,whimpering Puppy, chained to the victory chariot of the King ofKings.

propitiation on the cross, o makey and the outpouring of His bloodmkind, and it dso made t possibley. He became he Head of His Body


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The Beauty of the Lord's SupperThis is the very reason he Lord's Supper became precious to the cellgroups rom their very first gatherings. t was a constant reminder of theplace and the cost of the ir birth and their life.

'Well-meaningbelievershave often turned this ordinance nto a trire,emotionless ritual of church life. In the method of intinction, peoplekneel in rows at an altar.There is no awareness f community as peoplecome and go from seats o the kneeling pads. In the congregationalmethod, the closest hing to intimacy among pardcipants s impersonallypassinga tray down the row to the person on your right. God intendedit to be more.This ordinance was instituted in the upper roorn of a housewith 13personsuthohad liued in community together. t was not meant to becomea sacrarnent.t wasnot intended to be cut offfrom its meaning. It is theactivity of a community, which means he activity of a cell group. \Vhereis there any scriptural justification for its use in large clumps ofChristians?

It was meant for use n srnallgroup.rwhere here s community, wherethere is a senseof Christ as the Head. It takes the church back to itsbeginnings,reminding it over and over of the placeand the cosdiness fits birth. It was, indeed, a unique "birthday party" as the early churchshared t with one another.

In the early church it was a pan of the Agape Feastheld by the cells.In Paul's dea Of Cornmunity, Robert Banks explains hat each ime a cellgathered, he common meal would begin with the breaking of the breadand closewith the passingof the cup, a Passoverradition which had beencarried on for centuries.e hus, the "love feast" began and ended with areminder that the life of this ecclesia egan at the cross.

The Body ls a BattlegroundIf, in Christ's first body He suffered all that we suffer, it must bcobvious that His new Body will alsoknow suffering. The new Body, thcchurch, is to be a battleground. The struggle betwecn the forces ol'Christ and Satanwill take place n it. "Onward, (lhristilrr Soldicrs"sounded his notc in carl ier cars. n (:ontrnrlxrtrrtyt,r irc tt t tnir: ,hcthclrre as cet t ickctl rp lr "( iorl 'sp,ot n r!! ly, tut, l t i l tg lrtorrghlr c

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land." 'we cannot recognize the validiry of a church which insulatesitself againstconflict:Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you,yli.h comsupon you for your tesring,as hough ,o-..?r*g.thr:Bwere happening ro you; but to thJd.gr.. ,ti"iyo,, ,t "r. .1.sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that ,l.o "t th.revelationof His glory you ^^y riioirrwith exultation.,oThe conflict is with saran, who is determined to devour the Bride.o"r--do..-not penetrate he kingdoms of this worrd *iJo.rt facingconflict' The good newswe bring is thar the gr.",.r, ".rro"f ". i, the onewho serves'Everyworld system ".h., that's"a ie, that ,h.'g;."r.r, i, $.one who sits at the head of the tabre.That conflicts! I' fa'.t, our goodnews turns the world upsidedown!"'when the church fails to enter rhe conflict, battles ragewithin thelivesof individuals who arecaptivesof Beelzebub. hen the church doesnot storm the gates of hell to rereasecaptives, their misery is ourresponsibility. one example of this is the way the church ueats rhe'problem" of homosexualsbyspeakinghatefirlly of them from the pulpit,snubbing them if they attend s.rvi...Ld freezing,lr.- o.ri iiii.y..y robeco-me cdveparticipants in the life of the church after conversion.It is the task of *re church ro enter into conflict. Thatt done by ceilgtol!-r in far greaterdepth _thanpossible n largegroups.Thr; was graphicalry ilustrated in Abidjir,t.; d' Ivoire, at anEaster hawest retreat held by the massive ceil group church, theYopougon Baptist church and Mission. Tensof thousandsartended heretreat, among rhem more than 15,000 who would be converted.That\?'est African cuhure is strongly dominated by witch do.to^ and theworship of demons' Thousands of women sacrificea goar to " d.-onwhen desiring to becomepregnanr,predging o dedicatJ he child to theevil spirit when it is born. youngrt.r, "r.i".[h, to worship d.mor* fromtheir earliest hildhood.\fle were ntroduced to r00 teamswho wereprepared o minister topcrsonswho might manifestdemonic activiry auii"j the services. s webcg,rttr. Praise, nbelieversn the audienceL.g"n ,L.r."- "na *rith..r r tlrc gr"rrd, ovcr('o'reby the conflicr b.il..n the demons ivingwithirr lr .rr;r ' ' r l r l rcPrwer'f 'rrre ftr ly.sPir ir rrrt 'rd rhem.'r.hc eams


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ran into the crowd and carried the demon-possessedo an area eserved

Preparation for the Coming of the BodyAfter His resurrecdon, He breathed on the disciples, telling them toreceive he Holy SPirit:

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sinners.The word "brearhed"usedhere s not used n any other place nthe New Tesrament and is identical to the *ord ,rr.i in the GreekSeptuagint n Genesis :7:Even asGod breathed nto Adamt nostrils the breath of humanlife, so Christ breathed nto rhem the life of His Spirit.'when Jesus scendedo glory He removed he human body He hadinhabited since his birth in Bethlehem. He instructed na of his

ldl.y:r:'including the rl disciples, o await the baptism with the Holyspirit. He would soon minister in the world thro,rgh His new Bodyr Hetold them it would happen "in a few days.,,Community in the Body of Christ

Ybdtd hey aueu wait? ould not theHoly spirit have ome ponthem right away?No. Somethinghad to happenfirst: they had to becomebonded inro a communiry. Meanwhile, codt spitit waspatientry poisedin the heavenlies, eady o give ife to Christ's new Bodv.'Thesemen and women shared heir lives together o, ,.r, days n theupper room of a wealthy mant home. They didnt listen ro sermons,nordid. they organizeBible srudies.There *", ro formal agenda.They hadeachother; their fellowship with one anotherwas he essentialngredientrlf:fo time together.Their ten days of sharing together *". GJd', *"yof helping acquaintancesbecomeafamiry. Th-ere-couldnot be churchuntil there wascommunity.'we may surmise they would naturally form themselves nto smailgroups during those ten days.Thatt what naturally happenswhen 120peoplegather,without formal structures, n one room. peoplemust havemoved.{ro1S1oup to group as_the ayspassed. hey developed ntimacywith all of the oth11 as they ,p..ri .hor. d"y, tog.ih.r, ,h"ririinformation abour their lives, heir families,and their.orrl".., with JesuJThey alsoshared heir pain, their heartaches,heir problems.As they didso, they moved closer and closer o the goal christ had for them: theywerc in oneaccord."

. I can magine he disciplesover n one corner, rylng to piece ogethertlrc t^rths Jcsu.s ad taughr rhem.fu new insightr ."ir. to th.-l th.ylrl.brrbly rrrnrnorrcdhc wlrolegroup o hearwf,ar heywerediscovering.


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PerhapsPeter umped to his feet shouting, "That's it! Thatb what Hemeant!How could we have been so blind?" The room would be silencedby his sudden outbreak, and he would excitedly tell them what thediscipleshad just realized.Things of the Spirit blended nto things of theBody and the soul as they ate, shared, and prayed together. A Sabbathwould come and go as they were together. Some would go out to bringfood back;othersbriefly ran necessary rrandsor perhapscared or familyneeds.The focus n the room always emainedon their life together. \fasit in this setting that the first Agape Feasts ook place, as they followedJesus'instructionso "do this in remembranceof me"?)Day by day, an extended family was being shaped from diversebackgrounds.Their lifesryle,which would suddenlyproliferate into 300or more cell groups,was being learned n the sameway Jesus ad taughtHis disciples:by living togetler.

Power for llllinistryThen, it happened!Ashundreds, even lousands, filled the sffeets or theDay of Pentecost, he clear sky resoundedwith the noise of a violentwind. How those on the outside responded o that noise we shall neverknow. Inside the upper room' we know exactly what took place. ThesameShehinahGlory, which burned within a bush before Moses, nowbecame onguesof fire which restedupon eachperson's ead-The Gloryenteredtheir lives, and their spirits and words were under His control.Power or ministry had come to the Body of Christ.

John had forecast his event.He quotesJesusassayrng'I baptize you with water. But one more Powerful than I willcome, the thongsof whose sandals am not worthy to untie. Hewill bapdzeyou with the Holy Spirit and with fire."They had waited as nstructed, and they had literally receivedPowerwhen the Holy Spirit carne on them. Clearly, the empowering was in

connection with their mission: 'you will be my witnessesn Jerusalem,and in all Judeaand Samaria,and to the endsof the earth."They knew immediately the identity of the One who had enteredinto thcm.They knew - in the sameway a sleeping usbandknows he

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walked, talked, eaten and spoken with Christ, and they knew He hadcome back to live within them. They were the first to be able to say,And we, who with unveiled facesall reflect rhe Lord's glory arebeing transformed into his likenesswith ever-increasingglorywhich comes rom the Lord, who is the Spirit.'3fu they mingled with the crowd, speaking with a power whichtranslated their words into the languagesof the hearers, hey were the firstto declare,God haschosen o make known among the Gentiles he gloriousrichesof this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.'a

As Peterexplained,the Feastof Pentecosthas not yet completed itsfrrlfillment: it merely began o be firlfilled at that time. The pouring outof the Spirit triggered 3,000 conversions n a few hours. Not yet a dayold, the church had grown to 25 times its original size. t was learningquickly that the Bride could not ser goals to be met. Rather, it wouldbecome he agent of supernaturalactivity asChrist continued to performHis ministry.Peter's roclamation cdled for a responseo the manifestationof thespirirual power they had observed.He simply said,"This is that . . ." Thefirst "evangelistic sermori' was litde more than an explanation of God-sentPower.

The Bride's LifestyleWithout delay, he life of the Bride becamestructuredas cell church life.No one had to organize t, write a handbook, or evencreatea system.Thepattern was adopted by all, and within 24 hours it was in frrll bloom.There was no need to elect anyone, selectanyone,or ordain anyone:

Those who acceptedhis message ere baptized, and about threethousand were added to their number that day. They devotedrhemselvcs o the aposdes' eaching and to the fellowship, to thebrcaking of brcad and to prayer.Everyonewas filled with awe,


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aposdes.AII the believerswere together and had everFthing ncommon. Selling their possessionsand goods, they gave toanyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meettogether n the temple courts. They broke bread n their homesand ate together with glad and sincerehearts,praising God andenjoyrng he favor of all the people.And the Lord added to theirnumber daily those who were being saved.'5Salvationwas definitely not a personalaffair. Their priorities wereto hear the apostles each in the temple courts, and to fellowship,break bread (the Agape Feast),and pray, moving from house o house(Acts 5:42). They never stoppedproclaiming Jesusas he Christ, andtheir meetingswere alwaysopen to seekers nd converts.Their love or .eachother was ntense.Barnabas, rom Crete, ordered a parcel of landhe owned back home to be sold, giving the funds to aid other

believers.A common concern for the needy caused the distribution ofpossessions nd money to be channeled through the Apostles. This

policy was intended to avoid the embarrassmentof directly giving orreceivingassistancerom other membersof the cell. At the same ime,they learned that the Spirit would focus on the fact that though theirLord "wasrich, yet for their sakeshe becamepoor, so that they throughHis poverrymight become ich." They gaveout of love, not obligation.'W'ecan only imagine the impact this witness had upon unbelievers!The pooling of funds beforedistribution alsocaused ne of the firstproblems: he Greek widows complained that they were not getting afair shareof food. The apostlesightly delegated he problem to a groupof sevenmen with Greek names. Gradually, asneeded,structures werecreated.

Most important, body life was composedof communities of cells,while miraculousactscontinued to veriS' they had become he body inwhich Jesus ived. They lived in and out of each other's homes, andbecamerue familiesof faith. The division berween he natural and thesupernatural did not exist for them - nor was there a separation

, between he secularand the sacred. heirs was not a weekly meeting obe attended; t was he life of a spiritual amily, and involved herrr neachother's ives on a day to day basis.

COMMUNITY:TH E REASON OR CELLS

ConclusionIn Acts, the gospelhas o break out of hindering traditions. Its last versesaysof Paul: "Boldly and without hindrance he preached he kingdom ofGod and taught about the Lord JesusChrist." Nonscriptural traditionshave always been the enemy of the church. Hindrances to thedevelopment of community today must also be rejected.Somewill argue hat their traditional church experiences ommunity.I do not doubt that a degreeof community exists. But God has muchmore in store. Cell groups are the best way true communi ry can beexperiencedby all Christians.

It is not a 'purist's dream" to suggest he church should re-structureitself around this truth. Rather, t is a return to a lifesrylewhich hasbeenbastardizedby centuries of unbiblical, crusted traditions that have keptpeople rom encounteringone another.The cellgroup is not just a portionof church life, to included among with a dozen other organizations. t ischurch life; it i s the place of family and connection; and when it properlyexists,dl other competing structuresare neither needednor valid.

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Fellowship (Community)