Simply put, when we talk about connection we are talking about getting connected to God's Word and staying connected with the people of the Word. We are talking about loving the scriptures to the degree that we hear from God with the people of God who learn it with us and hold us accountable to it. We are connecting the dots of Gods Word to our daily life with people who are agreeing with us in the Spirit.
Therefore, a connection class is an environment where people can make connections with others and can connect to the timeless truths of God's Word. We connect with God's Word as we are connecting with others. It is different from personal Bible study in that we are learning it with others. People resonate and find joy in the Lord as they connect to other believers and as they hear from God through His Word. That pretty much sums up the connection class. Connecting to Gods Word, connecting to others.It may sound a little trite and simplistic, but this actually a very powerful process within the New Testament church. Read this scripture about the early church as an example:
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
Do you see it? They were connecting to the Word of God (apostles teaching) AND to the people of God (fellowship).So the New Testament church was characterized as a church where people were continually devoted (connected) to God's Word and they were staying connected to one another.
Scripture is very clear on the importance of these values. We are commanded to stay connected to Gods Word because:
- It is our very life (Deut 32:47)
- By His Word we are created and sustained (Ps 33:6, Heb 11:3)
- His Word is what saves us (1 Peter 1:23)
- We cannot live by bread alone, but by His Word (Matt 4:4; Deut 8:3)
- Our faith depends on it (John 20:31)
I submit that unless we have multiple environments for this kind of connection, it will be difficult for people to be helped in the journey. If we are going to be true to our mission of loving people to Christ, we must move them from the big room to the small room to the living room- from celebration to connection to community to cause.
People need to connect and to stay connected to His Word, as they are connected with others who have the same goal.Think of it this way, we all need a place where we can connect with others. God has built in each of us a need for relationships and our spiritual and emotional health is dependent upon our success in finding them! We naturally seek out those places where we can find meaningful friendships.So we strive to accomplish this through our Sunday morning Connection Classes. These are well defined friendship networks where people can find great Bible Study, fellowship and good friends.
I believe people gravitate toward groups, seeking some kind of connection. We all need to see ourselves within a context. We look in the mirror and we ask, "who am I?". If we are not able to see ourselves as belonging, the effect is profound. We all seek identity with a group of people who will help us to define our place in the world. The term "get connected" is meaninful in that it states plainly a deeper need. "No man is an island", John Donne wrote with conviction. We must all be able to see ourselves as belonging to others.
There is necessary accountability and direction that comes from connection.As important as big group celebration is to our spiritual formation, it is the ability to form lasting friendships that keeps us engaged. So we call it connection because in these groups we find friendship, but we also find a connection to God's Word that guides our life. We connect the truth of God's Word to our everyday experience .
Connection is about connecting to one another and to God's Word so that we can help others on the journey and give glory to God.
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