Video Transcript: Starting a Fellowship Group

Henry - And welcome back. It was interesting teaching about fellowship, and  how it's connected to Jesus Christ.  

Pam - Right, it really all the different levels layers.  

Henry - So we thought it'd be good to talk about starting a fellowship. Let's get  practical. So let's talk about that. So,  

Pam - fellowship is the seed for much impact in ministry,  

Henry – Acts 2:42.  

Pam - They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship,  to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  

Henry - This is Acts just after Pentecost, and the early church is starting up. And  key to the beginning of the early church is fellowship, Koinonia and the key to  today's healthy growing church, one of the keys is fellowship. It's not changed,  it's the same so we thought it would be nice to have sort of like a little bit of a  think about starting a fellowship. And these could be like, house churches.  

Pam - Right. Small group, Bible Study,  

Henry – neighborhoods. Bible study, even a topical something in the church or  even the fellowship on social media, or in church there are a new church or new  church. Okay, so let's get into it. So well, you need a what is the calling of the  fellowship you are starting? Why are you starting this fellowship?  

Pam - Proverbs 29:18, where there is no vision, the people perish Acts 2:40-41.  With many other words, you warn them, they pleaded with them to save  yourselves from this corrupt generation. Those who accepted his message were baptized and about 3000 were added to their number that day.  

Henry - So well, we know from the book of Proverbs, that vision is the key to  almost any enterprise. And if you're gonna start a small group, house church,  new church, you got to have know and why. You know, people often do like, oh,  what's the vision statement? What's the mission statement? I was looking at this way. vision statement is the why? Why are you doing that? And we see that, in  that passage. I'll jump back to it. In Acts, save yourself from this corrupt  generation. Now that's in the very passage where it's talking about and they met together in fellowship. And notice how the apostle Peter 

Pam - was there right after the first, his first sermon, record first sermon.  

Henry - Save yourself from this corrupt generation. Right. So he the whole  message before that passage about meeting fellowship. Right before that. The  whole Pentecost message is grounded in the vision of why it's crucial. We live in a culture in a world that is far from God, and Jesus Christ is the only hope. So  when we create a fellowship, it's being clear as to why so why how do you fit  into that story of redemption? At your particular home, church, house, church,  new church, small group how the story of salvation in the why of who you are,  connect to creating the fellowship. And I know for Pam and I, we've talked about  why do we do what we do at Christian leaders institute it's to bring salvation to  all nations, to raise up leaders to bring salvation to all nations and before we are gone someday when we are with the Lord in heaven if he doesn't come back  before that, that we will do our part to raise up as many leaders to reach more  people as possible. We know why we do in our vision  

Pam - the blessing and the privilege to be able to be part of this ministry is  amazing  

Henry - farm girl pretty much okay. Before we get to  

Pam - what is your fellowship called to do Well, Acts 2:42 in the following  verses, which is also after what we just read before the sermon committee join  them, they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching into the fellowship to  the breaking of the bread into prayer they gave to anyone as he had need, every day they continue to meet together in the temple court. They built broke bread in their homes, and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and  enjoying the favor of all the people and the Lord added to their number daily,  those who were being saved.  

Henry - A few things are teaching sharing, postures, communion, when you do  your fellowship there will be those types of things, whether it be teaching, right?  Will there be, you know, prayer, right? And your  

Pam - what would that look like? You looking at your heart, what is your style?  What is your right? In person, your heart?  

Henry - Right? So what is your calling to do? In some people and in fellowship.  What are you called to accomplish, the needing for prayer, accomplish the  needing of teaching? You can even take that mission further, like, how many  people how many groups? Are you going to reach into that? Well, it's very much 

overlaps to the next one, which is strategy, which might give us some of these  other issues to do, in fact, overlap. Right?  

Pam - They all flow together, right through building.  

Henry - So how are you? Or how are you going to start? When will it meet? How long will the meetings last? What type of leadership structure will you use?  

Pam - Proverbs 6:6, go to the ant you sluggard. Consider His ways and be  wise,  

Henry – will there be daily meetings, weekly meetings, monthly meetings, online meetings. Now, I took that passage about sluggard not because of lazy and all  that, but because of how awesome when you were doing homeschooling we  studied ants once. And I found those actually fascinating, that is our mission,  that their strategy, and they had their role  

Pam - in determining it from where it's  

Henry - around. I know, I know. And that's part of part of that. The vision, you  know, the mission, the strategy, and you know, when you're going to meet, how  are those things going to happen? And then there's one thing needs to do yet in  that is simple. Promotion. How do you get the word out, we're about, internet.  How do you lead your group to get the word out.  

Pam - All right, getting the word out, Acts 13:47-49. For this is what the Lord  has commanded us, I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad  and honored the word of the Lord and all who are appointed for eternal life,  believe the Word of the Lord spread to the whole region.  

Henry - What I like about that passage is the promotionist type of wording there.  And the Gentiles heard, things happened. The word of law was honored.  

Pam - They felt that God wanted them.  

Henry - And those who were appointed to salvation were saved. In the whole  region. exactly what maybe you're called to start a fellowship type of ministry.  And it maybe you've never had before. This is a big step. Maybe your pastor  

asked you to start a small group and you're just wondering whether or not you're going to do that. And essentially, here's an area of prayer is the Lord the Why  am I called in? Why am I the mission? You know? What am I going to do? To get

five people in a Bible study five people hearing the Word of God? What's our  strategy? How often is it going to meet, when you know all of those questions?  And then how am I going to get the word out? A little tidbit is don't depend on the church bulletin. If you go to a church, lots of times people try to get in the  bulletin. That doesn't work. They get frustrated, actually. Invite people especially  you'll invite people you know, because  

Pam - - the other believers getting a group together, it's going to help us start.  We want to expand it into a church. Right? Depending on what your fellowship  is.  

Henry - will come eventually, you ought to think about promotions, a nice tie into  The next part of this course hospitality, totality. Now you're gonna like, you're  going to include people you don't know. Right? So if you want to plant a church  you know, and then at some point you've got to find new people. At the next  session, we're going to begin our discussion of what is the biblical  understanding of hospitality. So, may God bless you as you pray about your role in the fellowship ministry.