I love Jesus and I love being outside with my friends and family — hiking a trail, doing a road ride on my bike, running, or taking a leisurely walk. What I’ve found is that being with these friends and my dear family members is much like and sometimes more like the Christian community as described in the book of Acts than church.
Here’s the deal: if I run out of water on a ride miles from a convenience store and start getting dehydrated, I’m gonna say something. I know my friends will want me to ask for water rather than see me get lightheaded and brain-fogged while riding two wheels at 15-18 mph. Not only could I hurt myself, but I could wreck them.
But if I’m sitting in a church pew or Sunday school chair and not feeling so well, it’s easy for me to say “I’m fine, I’ll be okay” in response to a greeting of “how are you?” And even if folks are concerned and eager to engage, how I’m doing may not affect our mutual experiences inside an air-conditioned building the way it does to a bunch of friends wandering outside on a sweltering summer afternoon.
Honesty, for starters, seems to be easier and more relevant when I’m outside with my buddies, doing stuff. The same applies to trusting people with whom I’ll be riding just inches behind (or in front of), seeing God’s orchestration when I befriend random people at the start of an organized bike ride, encouraging a weary soul, or showing hospitality (perhaps by packing extra water or cash with which to buy supplies).
I’ve been applying what’s in the book of Acts and what I’ve learned in hanging out with my friends to relationships with people in my church and the greater community. It’s breathing new life into my friendships with my Christian sisters and brothers. It’s helping me to trade in my old resentments, grudges, and frustrations for adventure, delight, and love.
One of my biggest breakthroughs has been my willingness to share my stories — ones that show who I am, how I think, what I’ve experienced, how I’ve changed, and how far I still need to travel. Admittedly, some are deeply spiritual, some are dark, and some are entertaining. But they all help me to show you who I am and hopefully encourage you to tell your story.
My goal is to get people talking more about things that matter … becoming confident in being people who matter and doing things that matter — not to earn God’s favor but to experience and share his grace.
My study on Christian Community: On Being Significant in Our World identifies the source of the community’s life and key characteristics of the early church. To get started, you’ll read the entire book of Acts. As you move through the 12-session study, you’ll read selected passages that apply to specific topics. There are questions for discussion on the scripture along with prompts to get you to share your stories that intersect with the topic. The study is designed to help you see how your story has been shaped by your relationship with Jesus and people with whom you’re in a relationship as well as those who have passed in and out of your life, perhaps for moments and perhaps for years.
This study is designed for a small group within a church or ministry. A truly small group, four to seven people for example, is ideal as the prompts in the study will most likely lead to in-depth conversations of personal experiences. You’ll want to have plenty of time to allow story telling from each member. There are 12 sessions that would most likely last about one hour each; if you have less time per session, you could discuss the scripture one time and delve into experiences the next for a total of 24 sessions.
Each lesson contains a printable download that you can print and distribute to participants. Each one also contains two audios that include my discussion of the scripture passage and my stories as related to the question prompts. I’ve included these to give you an idea of how discussions might unfold and jog memories of stories that you may want to share. I love when people talk and reveal themselves but know that some stories and statements are more relevant than others. To keep you and your group focused while allowing you to take a scenic route, I’ve included a purpose, desired outcome, and big idea for each lesson.
I’m putting the finishing touches on the study now. I’ll be glad to let you know when the study is open for enrollment. Let me know if you have questions or want to get updates. Email me at jr {at} workingtolive {dot} com.