The key to vital, growing, contagious faith is believers meeting together in small groups.  And this is an especially critical time for any new Christian who needs to be discipled and trained in the faith, and this only happens in relationships of meaning and closeness.

• Did you have a small group of people that helped you in your early experience as a Christian?  Explain.

Read Matthew 18:19-20 & Acts 2:1, 44-47.  The first thing you must understand about the way of community is that Jesus calls everyone to follow not as individuals but follow in groups.  Following Christ is a group journey and Jesus demonstrated the importance of the group by not only appearing after the resurrection to small groups of people, but also by sending the Holy Spirit on the group as they were meeting in the upper room.  It is this new community of believers that are supposed to live the “shared life” together while demonstrating heaven’s presence and purpose on the earth.  Read Acts 12:11-12.

• How does your group demonstrate Koinonia or a “shared life” together?
• Describe a time your group prayed and God moved on behalf of someone in your community.

Read Jeremiah 1:5.  Once you find yourself living a shared life within the community of believers you begin to discern a whole new identity for yourself, defined by God and not by the world around you.  It is in the true community of those bound by faith and Spirit that speaks God’s promising future for your life and launches you to become the person God created you to be.

• Have you discovered something different about yourself since being in a cell group?  Explain.
• Has God shown you a clearer life picture since you’ve been in a cell group?  What is it?
• What person do you see yourself becoming because of your fellowship in your cell group?

Read Ephesians 4:16.  Not only does the small community of believers help you define your new identity in Christ, it also activates new life purpose for both you and your group.  As a community of believers, you are to demonstrate Christ’s presence in the world and as you use the spiritual gifts and passions God has given you within the community, you discover your life purposes.

• How does your group demonstrate Christ’s presence and power in the world?
• What are the spiritual gifts and passions God has given you?  How do you practice those in your cell group?
• How will you begin using what God has given you in your cell group?  
• What steps does your cell group need to take to begin living out its purpose as a powerful people building community?