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Hope Happenings is our weekly newsletter connecting you to all the Lord is doing in, around, and through Hope Community Church.
WEEKLY
Life-on-Life Discipleship Groups
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)
GOSPEL HOPE IN ALL OF LIFE
How centered on Jesus are our souls? When helping Jeremiah and the Israelites discern their answers to this question, God called them to consider what they boast in — or what overflowed from their souls. In comparison, what overflows outwards from our souls? Asked another way, “What do we so deeply embrace that we begin to embody?”
Life-on-Life Discipleship Groups are same gender, multi-generational groups that are designed to equip, encourage, edify, and empower one another towards embracing more and more of the Gospel, in every arena of life, with all of one’s unique and God-given abilities, for the sake of realizing God’s Great Commission, Great Requirement, and Great Commandment, embodying Jesus where we live, work, study, and play.
STRUCTURE
Life-on-Life Discipleship Groups prioritize five key Biblical characteristics, championed by trained and equipped Group Leaders:
Eye to Eye (Jn. 15:15)
Each group gathers as pride-less peers, despite differences in age, education, and experience, yearning collectively to grow in the Gospel together and speaking to one another eye-to-eye.
Face to Face (2 Tim. 1:4)
Recovering from the isolation introduced by the pandemic, Discipleship Groups prioritize meeting in-person so as to create a safe and secure space for face-to-face conversation.
Heart to Heart (Col. 3:9-10)
Discipleship Groups take sin seriously, deeply desiring each person to be rescued out of darkness, redeemed in brokenness, and committed to spiritual emotional health. This requires honest, transparent, and at times, vulnerable conversation.
Step by Step (Amos 3:3)
Some discipleship groups can slowly become “social groups” that lose focus and intention in meeting. This priority centers the group around growing in the Gospel, moving forward step-by-step with one another and in the Spirit, even as members feel more and more comfortable with one another.
Week to Week (Heb. 10:25)
Discipleship groups meet weekly, taking a break seasonally as groups agree to do so. This regularity is intended to build friendships and create a culture of accountability.
Additionally, the PDF below entitled “Living Theologically” is a required preliminary reading, introducing Discipleship Groups to their ultimate object: to embrace and embody Gospel hope in all of life. In the document, Dr. Paul Stevens helps define what it means for the Gospel to be embraced in “all of life” as he describes orthodoxy, orthopathos, and orthopraxis.
RHYTHM
Discipleship Groups meet throughout the year based on the availability of a Group Leader. These leaders use the five-point model to measure, week to week, the health and resilience of the group. In the example here, this particular group excels in connecting with one another weekly, in-person, and as peers; however, could work on being more intentional (walking step-by-step) and invest heavily in connecting more honestly and vulnerably (heart-to-heart).
If you would like to sign up for a Discipleship Group, please fill out the Google Form and someone will get in touch with you shortly (note: if you would like to be a Group Leader, you must have at least one season of Life-on-Life Discipleship Group experience).
