Gather Together

I went for a walk late yesterday afternoon through my neighborhood and the neighborhood next door. As I turned a corner I heard what sounded like thousands of birds chirping. I looked around and spotted them all huddled together at the top of a tree. It wasn’t a thousand, but there were at least a hundred up there.

As I walked I thought that it was interesting that I didn’t see one single bird over here and another over there and one behind me. They were all gathered together. Kind of like how we are supposed to be.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us that Satan is like a roaring lion who roams around looking for someone to devour.

On any animal shows I have ever watched, when a predator (like a lion) is hunting it usually goes after the prey which is by itself. Those who are in a pack are much more difficult to get to.

When things are not going well for us we have a natural tendency to withdraw and be by ourselves until the storm blows over. Well, this is exactly what Satan wants. He wants us to be alone so that he can act like the lion on the animal shows and devour us.

Hebrews 10:25a says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…”

So gathering together is a lot more than just socializing. It is meant to protect us and to refuel our tanks, especially when we are down. So do that and encourage someone while you’re at it!

Love and Support

As Chapter President, I get the privilege to lead three Truth At Work roundtable groups in the NW Ohio area. In these 4 hour monthly meetings, one of the hours is spent in what we call open roundtable time. During this time members will share their most pressing issues with the group in hope of getting helpful feedback from a Biblical point of view.

To begin this time, I will ask each member to tell me what their roundtable score is for the month. This is a ranking of the severity level of their issue. The two highest ranking issues are what we will spend that hour discussing...a half hour for each. In most meetings there will be an "8" or a "9" and maybe a "6" or "7".

In a recent meeting of one of our groups that has been together for 8 months, the group of 10 individuals didn't have one roundtable issue that was scored above a "5". I thought the group was "sandbagging" and holding back so I told them what I thought was going on.

One of the members responded by saying, "Jim, I have to say that, because of the love and support from this group, my '8' and '9' issues now feel like '3' and '4' issues." The rest of the group agreed.

Wow. I was not expecting that.

That really showed me the power of community. We were made to do life together!

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

Community

Have you ever watched one of those animal shows on TV? You know, the ones where they show a cougar or lion prowling around and then pursuing it's prey? Have you ever noticed how the hunter chooses which of the animals it will attack?

It is almost always the animal that is not with the group...the one that is isolated. That is because the lion or cheetah or whatever knows that there is safety in numbers. The Bible tells us that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8b). As a result, he tries to isolate us to make his job easier.

Have you ever said, "I don't need help"? I sure have. That is pride and that is exactly what the enemy wants from us.

This weekend at church, my pastor shared how Jesus did community and it was based on the numbers 12-3-1. He chose 12 to be his friends/disciples. Of those 12, he had three who he invested even more in (James, Peter and John). And of those three, he had one that he could share anything with and that was John.

In Truth At Work we have seen the incredible power of this concept played out. Not only is there protection in being in a group, great ideas and revelation can come out of sharing together as well. Think about what could happen if 10-15 like-minded individuals committed to get together regularly to hold each other accountable and to generate ideas--very powerful.

Jesus knew that he needed community...he needed help. If that was the case for Jesus, don't you think the same holds true for us? So, who are your 12, three and one that you will allow into your life?

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12b

Who's In Your Network?

During our men's group this morning (we meet every Friday at 6 AM), one of the guys shared some pretty devastating news he received this week regarding one of his children. It broke my heart.

I know this was difficult for him to share, but I also know that he felt better for sharing it. He now knows he will have brothers praying for him and supporting him.

I was reminded of my life and how much I have grown by being involved with this group. Six years ago I never thought I would be a part of something like this. I certainly didn't want to share my troubles with anyone else because I wanted others to feel like I had it all together.

It wasn't until I experienced the freedom of being authentic in a group like this that I realized what I had been missing. The Bible tells us we are to be in community so that we can encourage others and so they can encourage us. I have witnessed the power of this in my life and in the lives of many others.

To take a line for a cell phone company, "Who's in your network?"