One of the deadliest weapons in the enemy's arsenal is that of fear. It grips us, paralyzing our lives and preventing us from moving forward. The aspect of how fear can paralyze an individual and indeed, even a ministry, can be seen in how people view small groups, or what we call Home Teams. At first, we may have an urging to get connected, a desire to share our lives with other Christians, to see what a Home Team is all about. But fear grips us and tells us there will be people there we don't know. Fear tells us we aren't ready for this, we aren't far enough along in our walk, and surely we will have to at least know more about the Bible than we do! So, one of two things happen, we either move past the fear and take the step of faith, or we submit to the fear and continue to struggle on our own. When we listen to God's voice of truth and join a Home Team, and then in fact attend one, we find a place where the people are just like us. We find friends that don't care about all the baggage we may be tagging along with us, or the knowledge we don't have. After a while, we even become as close as any family we have ever known, sharing things we don't share even with our genetic family, and growing more in Christ than we have ever grown before.
As the Home Team grows, (and if it is healthy, it will grow), the sheer number of people attending begins to squelch its effectiveness. It goes from being a close, intimate family, to being more like a large family reunion every time we get together. Not to say there's not lots of fellowship, but life change begins to diminish. So, then the "Fear Factor" sets in again. There is talk of splitting the group. Actually, as is mentioned in Pastor John's book, Go Big with Small Groups, "effective small groups seldom split". "Most of them multiply". But the fear among us is that we will lose this precious family in Christ and the relationships we have built. It's almost like when a family begins to mature and the kids start to leave home to raise families of their own. There is fear, of change, of loss. But what actually happens is we gain more into our family.
So, now it's time to listen to the voice of truth again. Jesus gave us the great commission in Matthew 28:19 when he said, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit". We can't go forth, if we don't even leave our own city limits! Fear tells us it's all about us, "we'll never find the same kind of relationships that we have here". "It's not fair that we finally found something as wonderful as this Home Team, and now we're expected to give it up". But truth is, there are others out there, experiencing the same "Fear Factor" that we experienced when we were first thinking about joining a Home Team. And if we do not multiply, they won't find that same family in Christ that we have now, and we won't gain all of them into our family.
The "Fear Factor" can stop us in our tracks, it can effectively bring to a standstill not only ours, but others' spiritual growth. That is exactly what the enemy would have, because he knows just how deadly the church, through the Home Team, is to his plans to kill and destroy. When you begin to experience this "Fear Factor", ask God to reveal to you what his will is, then follow Joshua 1:9, "I command you, be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." That means He will be with you wherever you go, even out to multiply your Home Team and invite others to experience all the joy and the love you have found.
Pastor Dave
(Excerpts from: Go Big with Small Groups, Bill Easum & John Atkinson, Abingdon Press)