Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 (New American Standard Bible)

Every week I get together to fellowship with a very special band of people from church – my Growth Group.

We’re a team of friends, 10 in all, that is committed to studying the Scriptures and understanding God’s will for our lives.

We want to know more about Jesus, love Him completely, and grow in the Christian faith. We meet to build each other up by speaking the truth in love, encouraging each other when times are hard, enjoying each other when times are awesome, and praying for each other regardless of the season.

Next to my family, this is my most precious company. Not just because we’re great friends and find strength and joy in being around each other, but because we all understand and rally around one thing – letting the Word of Christ dwell richly in us.

This is what the Christian life is all about. Reading the Bible and letting God’s truth guide us, transform us, and make us more like Christ. And there’s no better way to pursue this than in the company of caring, likeminded believers.

For it is in fellowship that we can really dig deep into the Word and mine its riches. The more Christians around you to listen to and share your insights with, the better an understanding of the Word you can come to. The Bible doesn’t say “study the Word and keep it to yourself.” It says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another” (Col 3:16). We are to share the Truth with each other, not conceal it.

Being part of a small yet genuine group of Christians who want to study the Word and grow in Christ is essential if one is to mature in the faith. I can give two reasons why:

Discipleship
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another…”

We are all called to be followers of Christ and to make disciples of other believers. Yet discipleship doesn’t just happen to us. It’s not something that flourishes as we read the Bible alone every morning over breakfast.

Our “quiet time” is where we get real with God on a personal, one on one basis. It’s the beginning act of letting the Word of Christ saturate and color our lives.

Discipleship is when we step it up a notch by learning and growing under the wings of other believers.

It’s about spiritually connecting with other Christians, about being accountable to them, to a mentor. It’s about acknowledging that we are human, frail, and in need of leadership and support because the world is a perilous place and the Evil one is relentless in his attacks.

Discipleship allows us to relate with others in the faith. It’s humbly saying, “I know Jesus but I want to know more through others.” It opens up channels of learning that are impossible to patch into alone, and it guarantees growth and maturity.

And when you’re ready to disciple others, starting a growth group is one of the best ways to communicate God’s Truth on a regular and consistent basis.

Having a quiet time is essential to growth too, of course. It should be our first spiritual priority. But maintaining a personal time with Christ divorced from fellowship with others is like training to compete in a rowing contest without ever rowing with a team. Going it alone you’ll find it extremely hard to paddle after a while.

Also, because discipleship is an inherent Growth Group mission, it’s crucial that a knowledgeable leader or leaders are present and part of the group. While it’s great for everyone to all pitch in on what they think a particular verse means, it’s important that someone is around to make sure the true meaning of the passage is always reached. Genuine growth can’t happen if the Word is mishandled in any way.

Fellowship
The tail end of Col 3:13 speaks of fellowship: “singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” via hymns and spiritual songs. It’s about being joyful together, thankful for God’s great love and the warm company of friends.

Anyone who’s tried barbequing knows that embers die when pulled apart. But keep lighted coals together and you can produce an effective and lasting fire.

Likewise when two, three, or more Christians get together to study God’s Word and share their lives, genuine relationships blossom. Friendships are forged, bonds are strengthened.

And in friendship we can find the strength to face our troubles, our daily problems, and practice the love of Christ. The fellowship of a growth group is perfect for fostering lasting and fruitful friendships.

I’m passionate about the concept of the Growth Group because not only do I believe it’s a Biblical mandate but also because I’ve always struggled to keep my Christian life together when I go it alone. The encouragement, learning, and fun I experience with my current Growth Group help me live victoriously. It’s a great avenue for me to develop Christ-like character, deal with my flaws, and help others do the same.

Growth Groups are not to be exchanged with corporate worship, in case you were wondering. Gathering on the Lord’s Day is still a crucial Biblical practice. Growth Groups are simply extensions of our Sunday experience. They are church on an intimate scale. (See Matthew 18:20)

Not all growth groups are the same of course and each one has a different collective personality. My group, for example, likes to change venues every week to keep things environmentally interesting. We also like to eat! So exploring every restaurant, pizza place, and coffee shop in our area helps make our gatherings always twice as fun.

If you have a Growth Group (or Small Group, Bible Cell, or Outreach Group as some churches might say) then good for you. I can tell you, as far as spiritual growth, excitement, and increased passion for God is concerned, there’s nothing else like it.

If you’re a believer and you’re not yet part of a Growth Group, I encourage you to find one. If you’re a member of my church (Greenhills Christian Fellowship South Metro) ask any leader for help and they’ll gladly help hook you up with a team.

And when you find the right group, nurture the fellowship and uphold the discipleship. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.