Hindrances to Oikos Expansion

Posted by Bill on October 13, 2012

A healthy Oikos (cell/small group) is an expanding Oikos. For those who are passionate about seeing their Oikos expand, it’s important to navigate around the many hindrances that stand in the way of expansion success. Satan does not want to see your Oikos survive, and thrive. He will do everything in his power to fail you in this endeavor. However, we are advantaged … in Christ we have the victory!

Here are a few of the many hindrances you, or others in your Oikos, may encounter along the way:

Not having a close walk with the Lord is a mega-hindrance … attend to this right now!
Not having a target group of close relationships (un-churched family, friends, and associates)
Not praying constantly for these people (remember, without prayer you will not succeed!)
Distracted and caught up in the busy-ness of every-day life
Failing to see the need to build genuine, long term, loving relationship with un-churched friends (like Jesus, become a ‘friend of sinners’)
Fear of rejection when you share the good news about Jesus
Believing that …
- “I don’t know enough” of the Bible (If you belong to Jesus, you know enough!)
- “I’m not the type” (Moses was slow in speech, Jeremiah was too young)
- “I’m not good enough” (that’s ok … just have a firm belief that the Lord is good enough)
- “I’ll be rejected” (yes, that may well happen – it happened to Jesus, and His disciples)
- “There are no obvious results” (evangelizing is your business – results is God’s business!)

Whatever is standing in your way; get sound, godly counsel … then navigate around your hindrance as soon as possible. An expanding Oikos is a blessed Oikos.

Doing LIFE together!

Posted by Bill on September 29, 2012

Small groups are groups of 5-12 people (believers, with or without un-churched friends), who meet in homes and other places each week for the purpose of “doing LIFE together”. (LIFE is an acronym for Living In Fellowship to Evangelise.)

In the context of mutual acceptance and love, healthy small groups aim at providing safe and intimate environments whereby strangers can become friends, and friends can become family. In this ideal setting, believers can discover, use, and develop their gifts, enabling their church to grow in health, strength, and love (Ephesians 4:16).

I believe, as a consequence of healthy, growing, and full of love small groups, our un-churched friends will be attracted to the church, and will, in time, taste the goodness and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ – resulting in their salvation! Friends, we were created to do life together.

The danger of becoming loveless

Posted by Bill on March 22, 2012

As you know by now, I’m writing to you from my palatial caravan in Port Headland.

Since making the decision for me to relocate to Western Australia for work, Beryl and I have been ‘flat-out-like-a-lizard-drinking’, setting up my home-away-from-home in a 21 feet, four-wheeled caravan. This busyness has disrupted our routine that was set in place to keep Beryl and me growing closer, more personal, and intimate with each other. We now have to work harder to ensure that our physical separation of 5,360 kms doesn’t weaken our love for each other. Busyness, and other causes, in life is a real and present danger of weakening our love for each other, and for the Lord.

In the Book of Revelation 2:1-7, the Lord singles out the Church at Ephesus as being a “loveless church” (“You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first!” …v 4). The church didn’t start out in that condition, but, in time, became that way.

THE PROBLEM (v 4): How does one lose one’s first love?

It is usually a gradual process. For example, a person is saved, unites with a Bible believing church and becomes doctrinally sound. After some time, that person becomes a highly respected leader in the church, but something happens in the process. That person finds that his/her motivation is to have people look up to them – they enjoy being in the spotlight and the power of the position they hold. Thus, the first love is replaced and the believer may not even be aware of what has happened.

THE SOLUTION (v 5): The Lord commands all Believers to ‘remember’, ‘repent’, and ‘return’:

Remember … how marvellous God is; His works, wonders, and judgements (Psalm 105:5)

Repent … of loveless, mechanical service, saying, “Lord, I’m sorry. I want that first love with you again.”

Return … we must restore our original fellowship with the Lord with quality:

Bible study
Prayer
Fellowship with Believers who genuinely love the Lord.

Friends, please be as careful as you can … the degree of your satisfaction and success in life and leadership is proportionate to the degree of your love for the Lord, and for others.

I pray that my love for the Lord and you may never stop growing.

Bill (and Beryl) J

Becoming Bigger and Better

Posted by Bill on March 10, 2012

Isn’t it true that at times, God’s people can be discouraging?

At a particular time when David’s men were facing a trial, they said, “This is it … who can help us!” (Psalm 4:6). But David called on the Lord, and God enlarged him … “You have relieved me when I was in distress (v 1).

With the Lord, pressure on the ‘outside’ can make us bigger on the ‘inside’. The trials of life will press against us and make us either midgets or giants – either smaller or bigger. “You have relieved me when I was in distress” (v 1) … How did this happen?

In verse 7, David cried out, “You have put gladness in my heart” (v7). David started out with sadness, and ended with gladness – He started out with tears, and ended with triumph.

Once again David is enjoying his sleep … “I will lie down in peace and sleep; for You alone, O Lord make me live in safety” (v8). David discovered that what was important in life was not the circumstances around him but the attitude within him. Going through the many distresses of life will be enlarging times if we place our trust in the Lord.

We will continue to be enlarged if we maintain the right attitude when facing trials. Remember: Trusting the Lord is all we need to do to be ‘overcomers’ of life’s trials.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You!”
(Isaiah 26:3 NLT).

Bill

Jimmy’s vision for a small groups church!

Posted by Bill on March 3, 2012

Pastor Jimmy and his wife Christie - Southport Baptist Church

Jimmy & Christie

Jimmy is the youth pastor of Southport Baptist Church here in Queensland, Australia. I first met Jimmy when he signed up for small groups development training, a course I facilitated at Gold Coast Christian Family a few years ago. Jimmy, is a tender-hearted ‘Timothy Type’. He’s an absolute delight to know and partner with. Oh, Lord … how can I adopt Jimmy as a son!

Last week I received the following testimony from Jimmy. Let me tell you: This is the stuff that fuels my passion in life. Jimmy says …

Without a doubt, our Life-group is our favourite time of the week. God is doing great things! We’ve seen our group reach out to our un-churched friends (currently we have 4 un-churched friends as part of our group!). We’ve seen people begin to exercise and develop their gifts through serving in the group, and the we’ve seen a real growth in fellowship and accountability.

It is such a joy at the end of the night to see an un-churched friend take steps forward in their spiritual journey, to see a friend grow in confidence as they serve the group, and have such good friends around you to help you stay strong in the Christian life. And most of all, it is actually so simple, anyone can do it!

God has encouraged me so much through our Life-group. What I really have on my heart is to plant a simple church, starting with three or four groups as the core (just like the three groups that meet at SBC on Tuesday nights). They are functioning how they should – they are ‘reaching in ‘ and ‘reaching out’. This is what excites me the most – It’s my biggest joy!

This is my passion in life: I love evangelising and seeing non-believers join the church; I love seeing shy people develop their leadership potential; I love encouraging people; I love to see Christians growing together, and keeping each other accountable.

Life-groups are so simple. I don’t know why we make church so complicated!