MENTORING-5 (Healthy Cell Group, Church Growth,

Prayer, & Conversation Evangelism)

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Table of Contents PENDAHULUAN .........................................................................................................iv

BAB I. CELL GROUP ................................................................................................... 1

7 Keys to Developing Healthy, Lasting Small Groups ........................................... 1

Seven Marks of a Healthy Small Group ................................................................ 4

Four Practical Reasons for Small Groups .............................................................. 8

Why Small Groups Are a Big Deal ....................................................................... 11

Six Tips for Keeping New Small Groups Healthy ................................................. 18

Six Essential Steps to Recruiting Small Group Hosts .......................................... 21

Keys to Making Cell Groups Work ...................................................................... 24

PERCEPTIVE PORTRAITS .................................................................................. 27

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES ............................................................................... 28

PRACTICAL PROPOSALS .................................................................................. 29

How Healthy Are Your Groups? .......................................................................... 32

Is your small group healthy? ............................................................................... 38

6 Habits of a Healthy Group Leader ................................................................... 40

CONSISTENT DEVOTIONAL LIFE .......................................................................... 41

BALANCED FAMILY LIFE ...................................................................................... 42

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT............................................................................... 42

INVITING NEW PEOPLE ....................................................................................... 43

VISITATION .......................................................................................................... 44

NATURAL EVANGELISM ...................................................................................... 44

A PARABLE OF THREE GARDENERS ..................................................................... 45

Five Essentials for Small Group Health ............................................................... 47

BAB II. CHURCH GROWTH ....................................................................................... 50

8 Karakteristik Pertumbuhan Gereja Alami ................................................ 50

Tujuh Dimensi Pertumbuhan Gereja adalah: ..................................................... 50

Jenis-jenis pertumbuhan .................................................................................... 50

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Perilaku pertumbuhan ........................................................................................ 51

20 Church Growth Principles for Maximum Impact ............................................ 51

Beberapa faktor terhambatnya pertumbuhan gereja. ....................................... 54

Church Growth Principles — Keys to Lasting Health and Vitality ....................... 57

Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches ..................................................... 59

Ibadah yang Inspiratif (Yesaya 6:1-8) .............................................................. 61

KOMPONEN PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA ................................................................. 63

PENDAHULUAN ............................................................................................... 63

Mengenal PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA ALAMIAH .................................................... 68

PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA DI SINGAPURA ............................................................. 72

Apa itu pertumbuhan rohani? ............................................................................. 79

BAB III. PRAYER ........................................................................................................ 81

Apa itu berdoa dalam Roh? ................................................................................. 81

Apa itu doa keliling? Apakah doa keliling itu Alkitabiah? ................................... 82

Apa itu meditasi Kristen? .................................................................................... 83

Apa kata Alkitab mengenai peperangan rohani? ................................................ 84

Bagaimana supaya doa-doa saya dijawab oleh Tuhan? ...................................... 87

Mengapa berdoa? Apa gunanya berdoa jika Tuhan mengetahui masa depan dan

mengontrol segala sesuatu? ............................................................................... 88

Puasa Kristen – apa kata Alkitab? ....................................................................... 90

BAB IV. CONVERSATIONAL EVANGELISM ................................................................ 92

PENGANTAR ........................................................................................................ 92

Here are six things Jesus does with the Samaritan woman and ways you can

emulate their interaction: ................................................................................... 94

1. Start Conversations with Anyone ........................................................... 94

TRY STARTING: ............................................................................................ 94

2. Adjust Your Life Patterns to Make Conversations Possible ............. 95

TRY ADJUSTING: .......................................................................................... 95

3. Chat about Everyday Life ......................................................................... 95

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TRY CHATTING: ........................................................................................... 95

4. Ask Questions ............................................................................................. 95

TRY ASKING: ................................................................................................. 96

5. Listen to Questions, Then Answer the Question Behind the

Questions .......................................................................................................... 96

TRY LISTENING: ........................................................................................... 96

6. Share Jesus ................................................................................................. 96

TRY SHARING: .............................................................................................. 96

Starting Up Conversations with Nonbelievers .................................................... 98

44 Spiritual Conversation Starter Questions .................................................... 109

20 Evangelism Questions To Start a Conversation ........................................... 113

5 Great Spiritual Conversation Questions ........................................................ 115

1. What are some joys you are experiencing in this season of your

life? .............................................................................................................. 116

2. What challenges and struggles are you facing?......................... 116

3. What is your personal history when it comes to faith and God?

...................................................................................................................... 116

4. What do you believe about God? .................................................... 117

5. What is your perception of Christians? ....................................... 117

SOME VERSES ON EVANGELISM ....................................................................... 119

PENUTUP .............................................................................................................. 123

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PENDAHULUAN

Ibadah Raya (Praise-worship celebration) pada

hari Minggu mempunyai makna yang sangat

besar bagi kehidupan kekristenan di seluruh

dunia. Ada kebersamaan, persekutuan, pujian

dan penyembahan pada Tuhan, kotbah, doa,

persembahan, dan mengikuti update berbagai

aktivitas dari selkuruh departemen.

Karena ibadah raya hanya 1x dalam 7 hari, maka dirasa kurang untuk

supply makanan rohani dan diperlukan pertemuan tengah minggu atau

hari selain Minggu. Bisa hari Senin, Rabu atau Kamis. Bentuknya kelompok

sel/Cell group, doa malam, pertemuan pendalaman Alkitab, pertemuan

komisi wanita/pria, dll.

Kelompok sel harus bertumbuh sehat, melahirkan pemimpin, dan

membelah diri untuk multiplikasi. Sel yang sehat akan mendukung

pertumbuhan gereja yang sehat pula.

Dalam semua aktivitas, kita tidak bisa terlepas dari peran dan karya Roh

Kudus di tengah-tengah kita. Gunakan karunia-karunia Roh Kudus untuk

membangun jemaat.

Selamat melayani Tuhan.

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BAB I. CELL GROUP

7 Keys to Developing Healthy, Lasting Small

Groups We all want to see our small

groups grow and thrive. But

when we don't have a strategy

for that growth and

transformative potential in

every group, they will fade into

being just another program.

Here are some key ingredients

to tap into and increase your

small group potential.

It seems the my consulting conversations as of late tend to focus around

programmatic thinking. There a more and more churches that are either

just now beginning to start and develop small groups or are reassessing

them. Frankly I'm surprised that some churches are just beginning small

groups. I thought everyone by now, would know about the potential of

small group ministry in the church. But surprisingly that is not the case.

Here are what I believe are the core requirements to starting, developing

and maintaining healthy small groups in your church.

1. A clear vision, focus, purpose for small groups. I don't care what you

call it...but if you shoot at nothing you'll hit it every time. What is it you

believe God desires to do through and in your groups? What is your

church's vision and how do small groups support it by their focus? What

role will they play in developing disciples? Hopefully that is the ultimate

focus of your church too. Know why you're developing small groups in your

church otherwise it's just another program of many which may or may not

develop disciples. 2. Know what they are. At times when I ask folks why they have or want to

have small groups in the church they will say something along the lines of,

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"because we feel it's important to have our people learn more about the

Bible." So they want a Bible study that meets in a small group format.

When I ask how they believe that Bible Study will transform the lives of the

participants, they begin to struggle to clarify. What I have discovered in

some churches is that they are not certain how a small group is meant to

function. Every group needs a sense of community, purpose and

accountability if it is going to develop people as disciples. Most of

the resources we've included in this Small Group Network will help to clarify

these things. 3. The value of coaching and training. This is often the most overlooked part of

developing small groups in our churches. A programmatic mindset often

approaches new programs via the "if we build it they will come" principle which

more than not falls flat perhaps over a few years, leaders burn out and groups

become stagnant. There seems to be the idea that if we just get this new

program going it will take care of itself. Not the case. There needs to be constant

encouragement and support for the leaders to help keep them focused and

confident that they can accomplish what they have been called to do. Put $$

toward leadership development in your church budget and keep your leaders

trained and focused. You will not regret it.

4. Never underestimate a group covenant. When I bring this up to people

starting new groups they cringe slightly and sometimes respond wondering

if a group covenant is necessary. I recently posted an article by Allen

White called "Why Do We Need a Group Agreement?" which gives a great

argument for this point. The short of it is that you agree to your purpose as

a group, the logistics of how the group will function and necessary

commitments to one another for accountability and support. It takes the

guesswork out of the functioning of your group and gives you an avenue by

which you can evaluate based on your common agreement. 5. Do mission together. I've said it many times before, a group that loves,

prays for and serves others in their local communities -- not just in the

church -- grows and stays together. Isn't that what the Gospel transforms

us into being and doing? 6. Disciples make disciples and discipling churches make discipling

churches. I borrowed that from Alan and Deb Hirsch in their

book Untamed: Reactivating a Missional a Missional Form of

Discipleship. The church's primary calling is to make disciples who make

disciples. They don't just grow in their knowledge, but as the gospel of

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Christ changes their lives they naturally and intentionally reach out to

others to share it and pointing them to a relationship with Christ. If it's not

happening then something needs to change. 7. Pastor as champion. Again, I've written earlier on this topic "Are Small

Groups Just Another Program?". If the pastor does not participate and

challenge others to participate the true value of small groups will be

missed by the congregation. They will feel that small groups are not all that

important and they can take them or leave them.

While there are other areas I could raise, it has been my experience and

the common belief throughout the movers and shakers of the small group

movement that these are key areas of focus. Without them, small groups

struggle to survive, stay focused and truly transform lives making disciples.

For many churches, they just become another program of many never

really accomplishing the mission of the Church, but rather being programs

for programs' sake.

http://network.crcna.org/small-groups/7-keys-developing-healthy-

lasting-small-groups

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Seven Marks of a Healthy Small Group By Rick Warren

Pastor Rick shared these practical reasons during his weekly webcast

for pastors involved in 40 Days in the Word. You can hear the whole

message at http://40daysintheword.com/webcast/.

Here are seven marks of a healthy small group, based on Acts 2:42-47

(NIV):

1. Healthy small groups study the Bible. Small groups in the New

Testament studied the Bible together. Acts 2:42 says, ―They devoted

themselves to the apostles‘ teaching …‖ Of course, we know the

teaching of the apostles is what we call the New Testament today. They

lived in an oral culture, but they were still studying lessons from the

apostles.

One thing you can do is have your small groups study what you taught

the congregation on Sunday. At Saddleback, we have a group of

volunteers who create ―Talk It Over‖ guides that we put online Sunday

night. These can be printed out and used by small groups during the

week. They include questions related to the Scriptures we studied in the

weekend services, plus additional verses to consider.

The benefit of this is that it helps people focus on one Bible truth. Too

often we teach too much. When I was growing up, I could go to church

throughout the week and end up with as many as 13 different Bible

studies. I started thinking, ―My life can‘t change that much.‖ Sometimes I

think we teach too much, so something like the ―Talk It Over‖ guide will

allow your congregation to focus on one biblical truth a week.

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2. Healthy small groups share life together. The Book of Acts says

the early believers were devoted to fellowship (Acts 2:42). This means

they were serious about their friendships. Notice the Bible says they

were devoted to the fellowship, not just to fellowship. In other words,

fellowship is not just something the church does; we are the fellowship.

Jesus calls us to be committed to one another, and it is through small

groups that we learn the skills of relationship. Small groups are

laboratories of love, where we learn to obey the command of Jesus to

love your neighbor as you love yourself.

3. Healthy small groups remember Jesus together. The Bible says

the early believers devoted themselves ―to the breaking of bread and to

prayer‖ (Acts 2:42). The ―breaking of bread‖ in this passage specifically

refers to Communion (or the Lord‘s Supper). In the early Church, they

did not take Communion in a large worship setting. They served it in

small groups.

You will, of course, want to work within the tradition of your church, but

at Saddleback we allow small groups to serve Communion. For one

thing, Communion is only for believers, so a small group setting ensures

only believers will take part.

4. Healthy small groups pray together. The Bible says the early

believers devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42). Jesus taught that

there is a power to prayers spoken aloud for each other, and he made

an incredible promise about small groups of believers: ―For where two or

three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst‖

(Matthew 18:20 NASB). In the intimacy and confidentiality of small

groups, we can pray for each other as we share our hurts, reveal our

feelings, confess our failures, disclose our doubts, admit our fears,

acknowledge our weaknesses, and ask for help.

5. Healthy small groups are generous. The Bible says these small

groups gave ―to anyone who had need‖ (Acts 2:45 NIV). Small groups

allow us to help each other with practical needs. Can I loan you a car?

Can I provide you with some meals when you are sick?

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Check Out Steve Gladen's newest must-have book for small group leaders!

We tend to centralize ministries, creating a food pantry or a counseling

center. But this wasn‘t the New Testament model. The early Church had

decentralized ministries, so that‘s what we try to do at Saddleback. Let

me give you an example. A few years ago, one of our members met

someone who had been in a bad situation and ended up homeless. She

bought the homeless person a meal and then provided him with a bus

ticket to where a sister lived.

The next day, the Saddleback member told me about it and said, ―There

are lots of homeless people. The Church should do something about it.‖

I said, ―The Church just did.‖ The next Sunday, I got up and told the

congregation, ―I release you to assist the poor and feed the hungry and

help the homeless.‖ There are small groups at Saddleback doing all

kinds of ministry that I know nothing about. We‘ve decentralized by

giving them permission to engage in ministry as a small group.

6. Healthy small groups worship together. The Bible says the New

Testament small groups worshiped together, ―praising God and enjoying

the favor of all the people‖ (Acts 2:47). We need to worship God more

than once a week, and small groups offer an opportunity to worship

together.

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7. Healthy small groups witness together. As these small groups met

together, ―the Lord added to their number daily those who were being

saved‖ (Acts 2:47). They were inviting others to join them. One of the

proofs of a healthy small group is that it reproduces, so a small group

may add members, but a small group may also help start another small

group.

Small groups can be creative in outreach. For instance, one small group

at Saddleback pooled their money and bought season tickets for the

San Diego Chargers for everyone in the group, but they also bought

some extra tickets. They go together to each game, but they also use

the extra tickets to invite others to come with the group. They don‘t start

a Bible study at the game; they just have fun. But that allows them to

say, ―This same group meets on Tuesday nights for Bible study. Would

you like to join us?‖

http://pastors.com/seven-marks-of-a-healthy-small-group/

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Four Practical Reasons for Small Groups

By Rick Warren

Pastor Rick shared these practical reasons during his weekly webcast

for pastors involved in 40 Days in the Word. You can hear Pastor

Rick‟s full message here.

We may attract attenders through preaching, but disciples are made in

small groups.

Small groups provide the kind of accountability and support we need to

mature as believers, so I want to give you four reasons why they are

important to your congregation.

As you‘re doing 40 Days in the Word, or any time in the future as you

lead your congregation toward a deeper relationship with Jesus, you‘ll

want to explain to your members why small groups are so important to

their spiritual growth and why they are more than just a Bible study.

1 – Small groups are relational.

You can‘t have a conversation with 600 people or 60 people, but

you can have a conversation with 6 people. Generally, when there are

more than 10 in a group, people stop talking. It is impossible to learn

how to love your neighbor as yourself unless you are involved in a small

group of some kind. You don‘t need a lot of friends in life, but you do

need a few good ones, and you find those solid, supportive friendships

in small groups.

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Sometime I hear someone say they don‘t want their church to grow

larger because, if it does, they won‘t know everybody in the

congregation. The reality of that is it means the church shouldn‘t grow

beyond about 60 people. The average person knows 67 people.

Small groups allow you to know people, regardless of how big the

congregation becomes. You don‘t have to know everyone in the church

as long as you know somebody in the church. If you miss a weekend

service, not everyone will know you weren‘t there, but your small group

will know. Even the largest congregations seem small when your

members are in small groups.

2 – Small groups are flexible.

Small groups can meet anywhere. They can meet in a library, at a

coffee shop, in a park, outside, inside, in an office during lunch, or in a

home. The Bible says, ―For where two or three come together in my

name, there am I with them‖. (Matthew 18:20 NIV)

3 – Small groups are expandable.

You will run out of space and money if you try to build enough

classrooms for your groups to meet at church. On the other hand, if your

small groups are meeting across the community, then you will never run

out of space.

We have small groups spread over 100 miles around Saddleback

Church. Don‘t let buildings limit the number of small groups you can

have. That‘s like letting the shoe tell the foot how big it can be. Buildings

are just a tool for ministry. Invest in people; they will last forever.

4 – Small groups are economical.

When people meet at the church, we pay for the lights, and we pay for

the janitors to clean up. But if a family hosts a small group in their home,

they don‘t expect the church to pay for utilities that night or to send a

janitor over to clean up. In fact, they‘re usually glad to take care of those

things as part of their ministry to others.

Here‘s another thing: you bring a guy into the church for a meeting and

he might sit there like a bump on a log, but you put him in a home and

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give him a cup of coffee, and he may talk his head off. Why? Because

you‘ve put him in an environment that encourages fellowship.

http://pastors.com/four-practical-reasons-for-small-groups/

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Why Small Groups Are a Big Deal

By Brett Eastman

Seven things every pastor needs to know about the emergence of

small group ministry.

by Brett Eastman, founder and president of Lifetogether

There is no simple solution to growing a healthy, balanced body of

believers. However, a thriving small group ministry may be one of the

best ways to fulfill the biblical purposes of the church—and solve many

of the issues of evangelism and stewardship that can confound pastors.

Here are seven reasons why every pastor should consider investing

resources into building a healthy small group ministry:

1. Small group community is a primary felt need in America, let

alone in our churches.

In South Orange County, there is a community known as one of the top

10 fastest growing developments in the country. For every new home

construction, there are 10,000 applications from interested buyers.

Part of the appeal of this community is that it is built from the ground up

for community. Its ads sell a return to ―Mayberry‖ days, when everyone

had a front porch, a true neighborhood community, and a sense of

family among friends.

I met the Community Director for one of these kinds of neighborhoods

and was fascinated to learn that her job is to create and cultivate a

sense of community—where people feel loved, supported, needed, and

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have a true sense of belonging. She hires, trains, and manages cul-de-

sac leaders, helping them launch social events, such as progressive

dinners, costume parties, and charades nights. Her job includes a

weekly trip to new and existing cul-de-sacs with a truck filled with fresh

Starbucks and Krispy Kreme Donuts.

This model is very simple, effective, and transferable to any church. It

can work for small groups or the entire church, and is easy to establish.

Encourage your members to host a back-to-school picnic, end of the

summer party, or a weekend barbeque—not for the purpose of selling

homes, but to see their homes used for Christ.

For example, I did this last summer by renting a bounce house on our

block. It cost me $75.00 for the day, and almost every family joined in

the fun. I asked every adult who came if they would be open to

participating in a 6-week Bible study on the topic of marriage, family, or

relationships. It was a success.

This fall, instead of trying to get the community to come to your church,

why not consider bringing your church to the community?

2. Significant life transformation can happen in small groups.

Most pastors and church leaders assume small groups are a great way

to create a sense of community among the members of their

congregation. It‘s true. Small groups are a great tool for helping people

transition from doing life alone to doing life together.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, says small groups provide a

place for people to fulfill all five purposes of the church: 1) grow warmer

through fellowship, 2) deeper through discipleship, 3) stronger through

worship, 4) broader through ministry, 5) and larger through evangelism.

Other Christian leaders endorse small groups, as well. Bill Hybels says

―life change happens best in small groups.‖ Rob Lacey says it‘s a great

place for people to ―talk back‖ about the Bible and discuss the

implications of its message, leading to greater application of truth in the

lives of those who attend. Bob Buford, founder of the Leadership

Network, said to me recently, ―There is a definite shift in the church from

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just a procrastination model seen in churches all across America, to a

greater demonstration model of Christianity that leads to greater

transformation of our hearts.‖

With the introduction of video teaching delivered directly into living

rooms and classrooms in our churches, we can get the best of both

worlds—proclamation and devotion. The churches we have had the

privilege of coaching have had a positive response about our teaching

and training materials from members who say they are glad not only to

have more teaching, but more talking about teaching, as well. Talking

about teaching leads to greater integration of truth in the lives of

people—resulting in the transformation of the minds, hearts, and hands

of believers for Christ!

3. Small groups can exponentially grow your church.

Most pastors deep down would love to grow their church. Rick Warren

says, ―Balancing the purpose in your church leads to growth and

balance to health and that health ultimately leads to growth.‖ But how?

As your church grows larger in attendance, you need to counteract that

by simultaneously growing it ―smaller‖ through small groups ministry.

I‘ve had the privilege of serving at two megachurches with thousands in

attendance, but I grew up in a small church of less than 100 members. I

now know that if my pastor would have followed some of the simple

steps we learned in the ―40 Days of Purpose‖ campaign, he could have

easily doubled or tripled the active attendance in our church.

In the early 1950s, Sunday school was designed as a tool for

evangelism and assimilation, but over the years, its primary purpose is

for education. Today, few churches have an extra Sunday school

classroom available, and the average Sunday school class size is 12

people. It‘s difficult to grow your church through Sunday school because

brick and mortar limit growth, unless you keep building more educational

space—which most churches can‘t afford. Don‘t miss the opportunity for

growth through small groups community.

The beauty of off-campus groups is the potential for unlimited growth.

An onsite Sunday school program is limited unless complemented with

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off-campus small groups. As Rick Warren says, ―Don‘t let the shoe tell

the foot how big it can grow.‖

Ironically, during the first 300 years of the church, people didn‘t meet in

temple courts; they met in homes. Since then, we‘ve done just the

opposite—moved from homes to church buildings. The truth is, we need

more house-to-house ministry to grow our churches.

4. Small groups are not a program but a primary model for doing

church.

I‘ve talked with many senior pastors who say small group ministry is one

of many programs in the church. But small group ministry is the primary

model found in the New Testament.

The book of Acts teaches that the early church met as a

church gathered and a church scattered.Somehow, we have forgotten

the ―scattered‖ church, and small group ministry can help us model the

early church.

We must work together on what it takes to help our people do life

together just like Jesus. And the best part about this is that Jesus didn‘t

just tell us to do it—he modeled it through his own life and ministry. How

about your church? Are your members doing life in community with a

few like Jesus did? Maybe it‘s time.

Doing life together is a biblical model, not a fancy program.

5. Small groups ministry will become the primary means to lifestyle

evangelism in the future.

Building relationships is the most non-threatening, natural way to

connect authentically with an unchurched person. And your home is the

best place on earth to hear the most important message in eternity. Fifty

percent of people invited by a friend will say yes to a short six-week

Bible study in your home. Fifty percent!

If you simply challenge your people to follow God‘s call to do life

together, it will have a positive impact on your church. Ask church

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members to write down names of 6-10 people with whom they would

enjoy doing life together and challenge them to call those people on that

list this week. Then, create a video table they can check out after each

Sunday service. Provide DVD/Video curriculum with a few study guides

for the week so they can have the tools they need to be able to host

Bible studies in their homes with their friends. Challenge them with the

value of community.

Here is the best part! We‘ve found that in at least 40 percent of the

churches we work with, when people jot down the names of friends to

invite to their group, most don‘t worry if those friends are Christian or

not. They just ask, ―Is this someone I‘d like to do life together with or

hang out with for six weeks?‖ So they end up inviting people who do not

know Christ, are new in their relationship with Christ, are not growing in

their relationship with Christ, have never been in a small group, or

haven‘t made spiritual life decisions in a long time.

6. Small groups are the crock-pot for training unlimited leaders.

Bill Hybels said at the Leadership Summit that small groups were one of

the top performance drivers in the church of tomorrow. Rick Warren said

they are a ―Leadership Engine or Factory of the Future.‖ Either way,

don‘t underestimate the power of community to train and develop the

leaders of the future.

I call it the crock-pot method, because mobilizing small-group leaders is

getting easy. The real challenge is developing leaders who don‘t just

launch a group for six weeks, but leaders who continue on for a lifetime.

Here are a few ideas that can work right away for you.

First, challenge all groups to de-emphasize apprenticeship and focus on

rotating and sharing leadership. The best way to learn how to lead is to

experience it. This will grow every member into a leader … not overnight

but over time. When you rotate leadership in the groups, ultimately

people are being better prepared than if they were to participate in a 10-

week small group leadership training course. Each person gets a turn to

lead and passes the curriculum on to the next person to facilitate the

next time.

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Second, use campaigns two or three times a year to align the weekend

with the small group study to create an excuse to ask all existing groups

to take a six-week vacation to host a short-term group in their

community for their church community. Thirty percent of the Saddleback

groups did this during our first 40 Day Campaign. But you could do this

every fall, even if you have done it before in the past. The Beginning

Lifetogether DVD is an excellent resource for our first small group

campaign. You could launch 20-40 percent of your church into groups. It

comes with live weekly teaching (from Bruce Wilkenson, John Ortberg,

Henry Cloud, Joe Stowell, etc.), live leader training, live testimonial, and

live small group worship. It‘s the first plug-and-play curriculum on the

market with a built-in small group leader ―GPS‖ system for your leaders.

Do it again every fall, even if you have done 40 Days before. Each

week, a new teacher shares about one of the five purposes, helping

bring back the vision and momentum gained from the previous

campaign. It will amaze you as it did us at Saddleback!

Third, give them plug-and-play DVD/video curriculum. Not everyone is

called to be a teacher or a leader, but some are called to be shepherds

of a few. Simply get one DVD and study guide for each leader as a gift

or recommend the series in your weekend services using bulletin

inserts.

7. Small groups will help to increase weekly giving and the

response to any capital campaign.

Glen Kruen, the executive pastor at Saddleback, said that giving

increased well over 25 percent during the ―40 Days of Purpose‖

campaign. This was true across the country. Not only will a church‘s

weekly giving rise, but when they have a capital campaign, they will see

a significant return on their investment.

I have seen this work with every church we have coached. Many of

these churches postponed their campaigns until after they connected

another 25-75 percent of their church into groups. This is critical not only

because it will improve the overall financial health of the church, but the

spiritual health, as well—and it is the spiritual benefits that are vital to

factor in when considering church finances.

17 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

Willow Creek‘s executive pastor Greg Hawkins, who ran its capital

campaign, said that over 60 percent of the people who gave to the

capital campaign to raise over $75 million for their new facility came

from people in small groups. Overall, the water level in any church‘s

giving goes up. When people are cared for and feel loved, there‘s a

tendency for them to give more. One pastor likened it to when Peter was

fishing all day on one side of the boat and then Jesus instructed him to

toss his nets on the other side.

Well, how about you? If you consider all these ideas that have worked in

other churches, I promise that you won‘t come home empty. Instead, the

people in your community will be more likely to come home where they

belong!

Brett served as the small group champion at

Saddleback Church for six years and at Willow Creek for five years prior

to that. He is the author of the Gold-medallion finalist curriculum, Doing

Life Together, the first Purpose Driven curriculum. Brett, along with

Steve Gladen from Saddleback Church co-host The Small Group

Show for pastors and small group leaders. Brett is the founder and

president of Lifetogether Ministries which specializes in helping

churches produce custom curriculum, create church-wide campaigns,

and connect their congregations into community. He is married to Dee

Eastman, Director of The Daniel Plan at Saddleback Church. To contact

Brett:brett@lifetogether.com or visit lifetogether.com for more

information.

http://pastors.com/why-small-groups-are-a-big-deal/

18 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

Six Tips for Keeping New Small Groups Healthy

By Brett Eastman

In our 40 Days of Purpose campaign at Saddleback, we saw God work

―exceedingly abundantly beyond what we asked or thought,‖ as Paul

said. We discovered that using videotape of Rick teaching the material

enabled ordinary members to effectively lead small groups because

they didn‘t need the same skills for teaching, facilitation, and knowledge

of the Scripture as the pastor or other

trained leader might have.

The result was that we trained more than

2,000 new hosts and launched 2,300 small

groups that reached more than 20,000

people!

Suddenly, we had a powerful way to

change the community around us through

people who were living healthy, balanced,

purpose driven lives together in these small groups. The challenge we

faced was how to keep those small groups healthy and vital.

Here are six tips for keeping new small groups healthy so they can

make the impact God wants:

1. Reload and re-fire

The number one mistake several of my closest pastor friends have

made is to get enamored with the small group harvest and then let

everyone settle back into those cozy couches and chairs. They become

traditional small groups that exist primarily for the purpose of fellowship

and Bible study. Every existing group must be expected to not just do

life together but also to give life. The two best ways to do this are to

constantly rotate leadership and to develop an unlimited army of leaders

over time.

2. Curriculum is the second most important tool

Many churches I have consulted did 40 Days of Purpose campaigns in

what I call ―old country-western style:‖ launch them, love them, and

leave them — way before they were ready. Groups that began with a

19 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

DVD/video resource for teaching need to have a similar resource

available to them for the next series they do. Don‘t leave your groups to

figure things out for themselves until they have leaders capable of doing

that. Be sure they have the kind of curriculum resources they need to

succeed.

3. Realize that reformation could be coming

Most churches had no idea what was coming when they began small

groups like these. You must recognize — and help your people

recognize — that church life from this day forward will never be the

same. Don‘t close your fist, but open your hand, because greater

implications are in the works. Churches all around the country will

struggle with serious questions about how developments are changing

the church and community, especially when they get into the second

and third phase of their small group efforts. The sooner you realize what

is coming, the sooner you can help others process it.

4. Focus on what really matters

Recruiting new hosts is 10 times more vital than connecting members.

It‘s the difference between spiritual addition and multiplication.

Leadership rallies, end-of-the-year small group staff lunches,

celebrations, and retreats all build community among your leadership.

Best of all, it gives you one of 100 reasons to get your senior staff in the

game.

5. Begin with the end in mind

The end is to build healthy churches, groups, and lives. Do whatever it

takes to get them involved, then turn the temperature of the group way

up. Use a survey to have them assess their own health — and do it with

the entire church as well. Also, remember that connecting people is only

the first step. Cultivating health is the ultimate goal. That‘s why a

balance of the curriculum, preaching on the weekend, weekly group

agenda, and seasonal group alignment is critical to your success.

6. Recruit and develop a senior “leader of leaders”

Return to a bi-vocational model of staff. Many times, the typical person

drawn to small group ministry has gifts of shepherding and

encouragement, but not leadership and administration. They are

20 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

caregivers, not campaign managers. I know this one is a bit scary, but

it‘s just the truth. Three of the small group pastors in the 40-Day

churches have been let go. Why? It‘s not that they weren‘t good people

or that they weren‘t capable. They just didn‘t have leadership gifts.

Those who do have these gifts may not be on your staff or your current

team, but they are in your church. Ask for the senior pastor‘s help to

recruit the best set of gifts your church has.

Brett served as the small group champion at

Saddleback Church for six years and at Willow

Creek for five years prior to that. He is the author of

the Gold-medallion finalist curriculum, Doing Life

Together, the first Purpose Driven curriculum. Brett,

along with Steve Gladen from Saddleback Church

co-hostThe Small Group Show for pastors and small group leaders.

Brett is the founder and president of Lifetogether Ministries which

specializes in helping churches produce custom curriculum, create

church-wide campaigns, and connect their congregations into

community. He is married to Dee Eastman, Director of The Daniel

Plan at Saddleback Church. To contact Brett: brett@lifetogether.com or

visit lifetogether.com for more information.

http://pastors.com/six-tips-for-keeping-new-small-groups-healthy/

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Six Essential Steps to Recruiting Small Group Hosts

By Rick Warren

A pastor must be in a small group.

You need to show your congregation

that small groups are so important for

spiritual growth that even you belong to

one. This allows you to share about

your experiences, such as how being

in a small group helped you during a

difficult time or how the small group

keeps you from becoming isolated as a

pastor. I‘ve been a part of a small

group for almost ten years.

In addition, require your staff and key lay leaders to be part of a small

group. It will not only help them, but it will also show the congregation

that becoming part of a small group is essential to Christian growth.

Being a host is not limited to leaders and teachers. In fact, we

started using the term HOST at Saddleback Church because many

people do not think of themselves as leaders or teachers, and so they

assume they are not qualified to facilitate a small group. We stress that

being a HOST simply requires four things: Have a heart for

people, Open up a place to meet, Serve something to drink, Turn on a

DVD.

I used to ask if people could open up their homes, but changed this to a

place to meet because so many people today have their small groups at

coffee houses, restaurants, even in the park. Can you serve something

to drink? In other words, we‘re pointing out that hosting a small group

only requires some basic hospitality? Can you Turn on a DVD? I even

explain that, if the group is small enough, the host can use a laptop

computer.

The point is, anyone can be a small group host: teenagers, senior

adults, brand new believers. And be sure to tell your congregation

that the host grows the most.

22 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

Start new groups with new people. It is easier to start new groups

with new people that it is to assimilate new people into existing groups.

When new people come into an existing group, there‘s always the

feeling that they are behind everyone else or that they aren‘t quite a full

member.

Keep small groups small. It doesn‘t take a lot of people to start a small

group. In fact, small groups are better as a small group, such as 6-8

people instead of 18-20. The Bible teaches that wherever two or three

are gathered in the name of Jesus, he will be there. So just two or three

people can make a group.

Make hosts visible. I suggest honoring small group hosts by having

them stand during a service, then say, ―Look around. Do you see any

super saints? These hosts are just normal believers, but they are willing

to serve. Being a small group host is not limited to super saints, pastors

or missionaries. Can you turn on a DVD and then, when it is time to ask

the next question from the study guide, ask the question?‖

Then, release the small group hosts early so they can go to the foyer, or

patio, wherever you have set up to distribute the small group material.

Allow the hosts to get the material first, but then say, ―If you are willing

to be a host, then you can go now to sign-up‖.

Tie 40 Days in the Word with a vision night. If you‘re recruiting small

group hosts for 40 Days in the Word, take the time to cast a vision for

the spiritual growth of your congregation. Remind people, ‗This is where

we‘ve been, and this is where we‘re going.‘ Saddleback Church is

emphasizing the next ten years as a ‗Decade of Destiny‘, so, at this

week‘s vision night, the theme was ―Change Your Life! Change the

World!‖

You know that changing lives starts with the Bible, and that‘s why 40

Days in the Word emphasizes eight laws of Spiritual Growth —

1. Intentional: We make a commitment, and we are deliberate in the decision to grow.

2. Incremental: We grow step-by-step. 3. Personal: We all grow at different rates. 4. Habitual: We grow by developing habits and being consistent.

23 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

5. Relational: We grow in community. 6. Multi-Dimensional: We grow by hearing, learning, speaking, and living

the truth. 7. Seasonal: We grow in seasons. A tree does not produce fruit in every

season. 8. Incarnational: We become more like Jesus.

I hope you can join us for 40 Days in the Word. It‘s not too late to get

your church involved in the campaign (see below). I‘m committed to

giving you everything you need to succeed. The sermon topics include –

Introduction – Why Should I Build My Life on the Bible. Week 1 – Can I Trust the Bible? Week 2 – The Purpose of the Bible. Week 3 – How Do I See what God Wants Me to See in the Bible? Week 4 – How Do I Know what it Means? Week 5 – How Do I Hide God‘s Word in My Heart? Week 6 – How Do I Know What to Do About It?

http://pastors.com/2382-recruiting-small-group-hosts/

24 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

POWERFUL PRINCIPLES

Keys to Making Cell Groups Work

There were several underlying principles that made the first-century cell

groups work. Without these principles, any attempt at implementing cell

groups is doomed to fail.

1. Cells must be the basic unit (building block) of the church. Everything--

and I mean everything--flows in and through the cells in the local church.

Through these cells relationships are built, evangelism takes place, new

Christians are nurtured, pastoral care is given and new leaders are

developed.

Carl George, in his book, The Coming Church Revolution, explains what he

calls the "Meta Globe" way of looking at your local church. It is possible to

use his concept to analyze your church and diagnose where and why you

may be having problems. Our team, led by Chee Kang Seng and Dominic

Yeo, has modified and used this tool (with George's permission) in many

countries of the world, with amazing success. It is a real eye-opener for

pastors to see the importance of restructuring cells in their churches.

2. Every believer can and should be a spiritual parent. A spiritual parent is

one who has been trained how to share their faith with others and then to

nurture that "new baby" to become a reproducing disciple of Jesus Christ.

Every trained and commissioned spiritual parent will make a commitment to

pray for, win and nurture at least two people every year. Few may realize

that the genius strategy of the world's largest church is really very simple:

Each cell group is to grow annually by an average of just two people. This is

a very manageable goal, and it produces amazing growth.

Larry Kreider wrote in his book, The Cry for Spiritual Fathers and Mothers:

"Cell ministry without the dynamic of spiritual fathering and mothering

[spiritual parents] will quickly become a dead church program."

For too long the laity have been relegated to the spectator stands and made

to watch as the clergy have done the work of the ministry. The apostle Paul

reminds us in his second letter to the church at Corinth that it was God

25 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

Himself who gave everyone a ministry and committed to everyone a

message. Therefore every believer has the "ministry of reconciliation."

According to Ephesians 4:11-16, it is the saints who must do the work of the

ministry, not the pastor. The Great Commission is such a mammoth task

that God knew it could not be fulfilled unless every believer was mobilized

(see 2 Cor. 5:18-20).

3. Leaders must be developed through relational discipleship. Jesus invested

most of His time with the 12 disciples. He was not distracted from His task

of making disciples, even though speaking to the adoring crowds seemed

much more glamorous. These disciples were on a three-year internship with

Him. They received on-the-job training. They were taught both by

instruction and by modeling.

In order to disciple them, Jesus did not separate His disciples into a

monastery, nor did He try to just instruct them in a classroom. He taught

them in a life-related context. He gave each disciple the opportunity to relate

to Him, to be with Him and to do what He did (see Mark 3:14).

Joel Comiskey, in his book, Reap the Harvest, writes: "Cell ministry

presents what is perhaps the most excellent opportunity for every person to

fulfill his or her role as a minister. Small-group leaders are enabled to

minister, pastor, counsel, visit, evangelize and exercise their leadership." In

the cells, each new leader is mentored and trained on the job. That

constitutes relational discipleship.

4. The purpose of cells is evangelism and nurturing. Our CareCells are

focused on three very clear objectives. First, they are to evangelize and

nurture people in their community. Second, they are the primary pastoral

caregivers of the church. Every cell leadership team is trained in the skills

necessary to fulfill this ministry. Third, it is in the CareCell that potential

leaders are discovered. Their spiritual gifts are developed in the cells and

they are then released into a larger sphere of ministry.

Many other things begin to happen in the process of meeting the main

objectives. The Bible is discussed, prayer goes on at every level, and deep

relationships are formed as cell members fellowship together by drinking

coffee, prayer walking the community or going to the hospital to pray for

someone. But these could be termed the by-products, not the primary

objectives. The overall goal of the CareCell is community transformation

through multiplication.

26 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

5. The leader is a facilitator, not a teacher. There is no preaching or teaching

in our CareCells. Each cell-group leader is a facilitator. He or she facilitates

discussion and self-discovery among all who attend.

The emphasis is on life application, not knowledge accumulation. This

alone will free many people to become involved as leaders, as the fear of

having to have all the answers is removed. It is all right for the leader to

admit he or she does not know something and to call in another leader to

facilitate the discussion of a specific topic.

6. Nurturing tools must be able to be used in a repeatable cycle. In our open

CareCells, the primary objective is evangelism.

Rarely would the pastor's sermons offer consistent content that would allow

people at different levels of spiritual maturity to grow effectively. Thus you

need to have a separate set of tools to be used in the cell groups that are

limited to the objective, yet allow for a repeatable cycle to take place every

time a new person comes into the cell.

Functional steps would follow this pattern: First, a person will experience

the materials (tools), then they would combine those with their spiritual

parent or leader. Later, they are trained to use the tools as they become

leaders of new people who come into the cell groups.

Because your tools are producing your desired product, you do not change

the tools each time you have a new person in your cell. The same tools

produce the same kind of product. First you are a learner, then you become a

leader. You continue to use the tools again and again--it's a repeatable cycle.

7. The subgroup concept is essential. One of the unique features of our

CareCells is the way their meetings are conducted. Cell members can come

together as one group. They have times of prayer and maybe testimonies,

but when it comes time to discuss the lesson for the evening, they create

subgroups.

Each subgroup is formed according to their various levels of spiritual

maturity. For example, you could have three subgroups: one for pre-

believers, one for new Christians and another for the older or more mature

Christians. This way you can focus on meeting needs and discussing and

answering questions, which will be coming from similar levels of

understanding. This also means the cell group is always ready to assimilate

new people, while meeting the needs of growing Christians.

27 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

8. Two tracks are necessary for the train to run. Every church needs to have

the necessary infrastructure to facilitate its vision. For instance, there are

two tracks that must be in place. One track is the care-cell track in the

structure of the church. The second track is the equipping track in the

church.

Each track is running parallel. In a classroom environment, the equipping

track should do the empowering and training of believers in Bible

knowledge and the skills necessary for ministry. The cell groups should

emphasize the evangelism and nurturing of converts.

PERCEPTIVE PORTRAITS

Practical Ministry Within Cell Groups

Transitioning into a cell-based church requires a paradigm shift in our

thinking concerning who does the work of ministry. It also spells major

changes in the way we do ministry.

1. Evangelism. The saints are to do the work of the ministry, and the

fivefold ministries must equip them to do the ministry. The laypeople are in

contact with the lost (pre-believers) every day, and they have access to

networks of relationships that the full-time pastor and evangelist does not

have. The responsibility of the evangelist, then, is to equip the saints to win

souls. Each of the fivefold ministries should equip believers according to

their gift to the body.

2. Pastoral care. The primary task of the pastor is to equip the saints for the

work of the ministry. If this is to take place effectively, then the pastor

cannot spend all of his or her time praying for people, visiting the sick and

dedicating babies. There will not be enough pastors to go around. These are

ministry tasks that laypeople can be trained to do effectively. Members

should also be taught that their pastor will not be there on every occasion.

3. Nurture and discipleship. We are commanded to make disciples, not

converts. The disciple-making process starts with evangelism, but it does

not end there. Every new Christian must be nurtured, and every growing

Christian must be discipled. This nurturing takes place not in the classroom,

where a teacher lectures from a didactic point of view, but first in an open

(evangelistic) cell. Then as the individuals grow spiritually, they become

spiritual parents and part of a leadership care cell in which there are

relationships, transparency and accountability.

28 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

4. Equipping. For too long we have confused Sunday school with equipping.

Sadly, even seminaries have trained people in Christian education, with

their main focus on preparing pastors and leaders to work with children,

rather than producing pastors and leaders who know the demands of Christ

or developing an equipping track to prepare every believer for their divine

calling and destiny.

In Matthew 28:19-0, Jesus said: "'Go therefore and make disciples of all

nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded

you'" (NKJV).

The word "teaching" that Jesus used has the meaning not of didactic

impartation, but teaching that equals training. This means teaching and

training that include both Bible knowledge and skills for ministry.

Unfortunately, we have concentrated on the formerthe Bible knowledge.

This has been done to the neglect of training (equipping) the saints in the

necessary skills for them to do the work of the ministry.

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES

The Pastor is the Key

Cell groups are not an "end";they are only the beginning of a process

required to fulfill the Great Commission.

1. Make leadership development your priority. John Maxwell puts it this

way: "Add a follower, and you add one person to your organization.

Develop a leader, and you add 15 people to your church."

Jesus had a "leadership care cell" of 12. He invested most of His time with

them, not with the crowds. In fact, He seemed to want to get away from the

crowds and spend time teaching them. Because Jesus developed them, these

disciples became the leaders of the first-century church.

2. Be willing to pay the price. The full-time pastor must give up his or her

need to be needed. There is also the temptation to seek the personal

fulfillment that comes from being in close contact with every member. You

must now multiply yourself by relating with and mentoring mainly your

leaders--your inner circle. They will then minister to the membership.

29 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

3. Equip and mentor people for ministry. If the believers do the work of the

ministry, what do the pastors do? Pastors, along with the other fivefold

ministries, "prepare God's people for works of ministry" (see Eph. 4:12).

Pastors, trust your laypeople! Don't be afraid to share the tricks of the trade

with your leaders. Equip them and release them to serve. Let them know

you will be there to help if they should encounter any difficult situation.

You are their coach.

PRACTICAL PROPOSALS

Steps Toward Implementing Cell Groups

1. Expect growth, but not instantly. If you think cell groups are a quick-fix

method for growth, you will be disappointed. Initially, it may seem to be

slow, but cells gain momentum as you begin to see steady growth in the

church.

However, in some instances, cell groups could have the opposite effect.

Some people simply don't want to do more than warm a pew. But then

again, we cannot totally blame the people--we as pastors have failed to teach

and train our congregations properly. As a result, they are still living with

clergy/laity concepts and functions that are carryovers from the Dark Ages.

For example, the pastor of a certain church constantly depended on big-

name speakers and events to attract crowds. He soon discovered that the

people began to enjoy being "entertained." Thus, when he changed his focus

and vision for the church to cell groups and ministry involvement, suddenly

half the congregation decided that God had called them to another church.

The question is this: Is the pastor willing to pay the price when it is obvious

change must occur?

2. Cells must be more than just another department. Ever tried having cells

as an appendage in your body? You can't. It is impossible. Cells are the

building blocks of every organ in your body; they are the basic components

of life.

In the same way, you cannot have cell groups as a ministry or department in

your church. Cells are the basic life-form of the cell-based church. The cell-

based church is organized and functions in and through cells. They must

become the basic building block, or cells will not work at all.

30 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

In some ways, having cell groups is like having children. You cannot have

kids "on the side" and hope for minimal disruptions to your lifestyle. Once

you have children, you are in it for the long haul. Similarly, cell groups are

not something you try, or merely dabble in. Either go all the way or not at

all. Both Carl George and George Barna would agree that churches that are

not cell based in the new millennium will become a declining breed.

3. Values must change before structure changes. Just dividing people into

small groups does not make your church a cell-based church. The cell-based

church is not only a structure; it carries with it inherent values. For instance,

does your church value the priesthood of all believers? Leadership

development? Vision? Evangelism? Nurturing? Spiritual gifts? Community

life? Expectant prayer? Without these values, you will not have an effective

cell-based church.

Carl George quotes David McKenna in his book, Prepare Your Church for

the Future, saying, "Church leaders must remember that the Information

Age brings with it a set of values and priorities, just as does every other 'ism'

and trend." This would leave us to answer the question, Are we, the church,

prepared for the rapid changes going on in today's society? George even

suggests that unless we are able to cope with change, our ability to influence

others will diminish.

4. Methods and materials alone are not enough. Healthy churches are a

result of applying God's principles, not merely methods and materials. All

too often, pastors get inspired by what someone else is doing and apply it

without distilling the principles from the methodology. You must depend on

God, not methods alone, and have a transferable model.

Remember, principles are timeless and transcend culture. The model of cell

groups has proven to be a transferable model. Romania has pioneered

churches using cells. In India, churches have grown from 120 to 500 in two

years. Another church grew from 800 to almost 4,000. In Mar de Plata,

Argentina, pastors in the city are adopting cell groups as part of their city-

taking strategy.

Churches in India, Asia, Latin America, Romania, Poland and Africa are all

experiencing dynamic transformation since transitioning from old methods

to cell groups. Now is the time for dynamic transformation in the United

States--but the pastor is the key.

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Check out different models for cells. Hear from God, know His vision for

your church and then choose one model of cells that will achieve your

desired objectives.

A word of caution: Don't mix different methods together. Each method has

been designed to achieve certain objectives; mixing them makes it difficult

to determine your outcome.

But I am convinced that God wants apostolic people and apostolic churches

powerfully invading the land and establishing God's reign. As we move out

in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will see the harvest fields of today

become God's harvest force for tomorrow.

Naomi Dowdy pastors Trinity Christian Centre in Singapore and

apostolically leads the Global Leadership Network.

Healthy Church Cell Groups

By developing the right cell-group philosophy and structure, you can better

equip people

for ministry and impact your community for Christ.

by Naomi Dowdy

- See more at: http://ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-today-

archives/104-ministries-today-institute/838-healthy-church-cell-

groups#sthash.fJnuhpzb.dpuf

Sumber: http://ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-today-

archives/104-ministries-today-institute/838-healthy-church-cell-groups

32 |HEALTHY C E L L G R O U P

How Healthy Are Your Groups?

Article by Randall Neighbour; online assessment tool designed by Jim Egli

[Note to pastors: This is a great page to email to your group leaders! Paste the html address above into an email sent to your cell leaders to take this assessment and ask them to email you with the results! It‟s quite eye-opening and you‟ll have their full attention.]

This assessment tool will help you determine the health of your group and your own strength as a group leader in four basic areas of group health:

Upward – Your relationship to God and your group‘s corporate relationship to God.

Inward – The depth of your relationships with your members and their relationship to each other.

Outward – The level of relationship and passion your group possesses to reach pre-Christians and unchurched people for Christ.

Forward – The number of discipled and trained leaders your group is producing so it can multiply its ministry.

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Note there are no correct or incorrect answers on this assessment. It is not a test. You cannot fail. You can only find out where you are – your current point of origination - so that you can make a plan to increase the four values of small group life and enjoy God‘s destination for you group.

As you read each question, answer quickly with your first answer. The longer you ponder the question, the greater the tendency will be to answer it in a way that yields a high score versus an accurate score.

Before you begin, why not pray this simple prayer?

"Lord, I live for you and you alone. My small group is yours. Help me to take this assessment with an eagerness to see how You want to move through us to minister to each other and a hurting world."

This assessment is found within the Upward, Inward, Outward, Forward Workbook for cell groups. After you complete the assessment, come back here and read how to increase your scores!

GO TO ASSESSMENT (lihat file terlampir)

Upward:

If your score is 17 or higher for this section, you‘re doing well. Keep praying and then pray some more! One thing is for sure…you can never pray enough. Prayer allows a believer to hear the voice of God and know His will. Praying as a group will invite the Holy Spirit to move and work among you, and bring you together as an incredible ministry team with infinite kingdom-building resources.

If your score is at or between 11 and 16, you are above the danger zone, but it could be higher. If you are willing to press in and pray more each day, pray with your spouse and family, and pray more with your group, you‘ll see powerful things happen in your group. Jim Egli, the designer of this assessment, says this: "No prayer, no power; little prayer, little power; lots of prayer, lots of power!" ‗Nuf said!

If your score is at or between 0 and 10 for this section, you are at or below the danger point. It is essential to your spiritual well-being and the health of your small group that you pray more. Without prayer, there is no power. It does not matter what kind of small group you lead… prayer is the base from which all ministry emerges! When you get into bed tonight, think about your day. If you have not spent any focused time in prayer, roll out of bed and find a quiet place to pray for 10 minutes.

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If you just can‘t seem to find the time to pray, then consider fasting. Missing a meal or two will really help you focus on God. Check with your doctor before you begin fasting, and always have at least one spiritual goal in mind when you fast. Also, do not fast indefinitely, but for a reasonable period of time.

Upward Resource:

To learn more about how to pray for others and develop God‘s heart for your group, you‘ll want to read Leading From The Heart by Michael Mack.

Inward:

If your score is 17 or higher for this section, you‘re doing well. Keep spending time with your small group members between meetings, loving them in an ever-increasing way. Jesus spent lots of time with his disciples, and this is one of the ways he prepared them for their own powerful ministry to others.

If your score is at or between 11 and 16 for this section, you are above the danger zone, but it could be higher. Grab your day planner or calendar and schedule time with different group members to eat dinner, catch a movie or do a project together (ie, trimming trees, painting a room, scrap booking, repairing a car, etc.) The more time you spend with your small group members individually, the greater their desire will be to share their lives with you and your small group during your meetings.

If your score is at or between 0 and 10 for this section, you are at or below the danger point. Take a moment and consider something important about God‘s nature. The Trinity (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit) have been together for an eternity. Three in one, yet distinctly different persons. God enjoys the fellowship of His Son and the Holy Spirit and created you in His image. With this in mind, realize that God wants His people to live together in community and fellowship, sharpening each other by lots of contact and loving each other by laying down our lives to help and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Therefore, it‘s vital to the success of your small group and especially your own spiritual walk that you make your small group more than just a two hour meeting. Grab your day planner or calendar and begin to pencil in time investments into each of your small group members. It doesn‘t have to be deeply spiritual time together, just connection time to develop a deep relationship. After all, no one wants more meetings in their life, but everyone wants better friendships! So find the time to connect and be an example to your group members. Relationship is the very heart of ministry!

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Inward Resources:

To learn more about community and fellowship as it pertains to the life of your small group, you‘ll want to read 8 Habits of Effective Small Group Leaders by Dave Earley and How to Lead a Great Cell Group Meeting by Joel Comiskey.

Outward:

If your score is 17 or higher for this section, you‘re doing great! There‘s nothing more fun that seeing the lost won to Christ and find the peace and freedom they have been searching for all their lives. Keep up the great work, and don‘t get discouraged if you don‘t immediately see fruit. God uses all your efforts to draw people to Himself.

If your score is at or between 11 and 16 for this section, you are above the danger zone, but it could be higher. It‘s important to realize that God has given us a two-fold purpose in life as described in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. We should love one another deeply and make disciples as a team. At your next meeting, ask your group to plan at least one additional event each quarter to connect to the lost friends known to the group members. Hold a barbecue, go to a ball game or invite everyone to your house just to watch movies. Building relationships with the lost is how they are won to Christ. And don‘t forget to pray for the lost every time you meet together, regardless of the stated focus of your group. Evangelism is what we were designed to do!

If your score is at or between 0 and 10 for this section, you are at or below the danger point. When believers gather together in God‘s name, it‘s important to know that God wants more from us than just fellowship only…we‘ll have that together when we get to heaven. What he hungers for us to do is to love the lost enough to spend time with them. At your next meeting, ask your group members to share something about one or two friends or family members in your town that don‘t know Jesus. As each person shares, pray for those people and write their names down.

Challenge each person in your group to spend two hours a week with an unbeliever, just being a good friend. Model this for them, and invite them along when you hang out or visit your lost friends at work, at home or somewhere in between.

If you‘ve ever led someone to receive Christ as Lord, then you know how it feels…that‘s why God made us in His image! To share our lives and speak the truth in love to anyone who will listen. Invest your life into the only inheritance you can take with you when you die…the lost in this world.

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As you consider ways to share your faith, remember that God never intended you to work alone when Jesus said "I will make you fishers of men." He was talking about net fishing, not fishing with a pole and a line. It takes two or three to work a net properly and secure your catch.

Outward Resources:

To learn more about evangelism and reaching out to unchurched people, you‘ll want to use these small group-based tools by Randall Neighbour: The Blessing List and Are You Fishing With A Net? by Randall Neighbour.

Forward:

If your score is 17 or higher for this section, you‘re doing great! The best thing you can do now is to give your group over to your intern(s) or apprentice(s) and let them learn how to minister to people and facilitate group meetings in a safe environment. This will help you from becoming burned out, and allow the members of your group to build respect for the new leaders. If you‘ll do this now, when it comes time to multiply your group, the members will be happy to support their new leader.

If your score is at or between 11 and 16 for this section, you are above the danger zone, but it could be higher. Remember some basic facts of life. You can never be too good looking, have too much memory in your computer or have too many interns or apprentices in your group! Now is the time to press in and develop your replacement. Spend time with your intern, apprentice or assistant each week. Pray for each person in the group and what God wants to do in your next meeting. Then, allow your new leader to learn by doing… give him or her an increasing amount of responsibility over the next few months and begin looking for another leader to mentor through the process!

If your score is at or between 0 and 10 for this section, you are at or below the danger point. "Our group has grown! We‘re almost 20 strong each week and it‘s time to multiply." Well, your group may be large, but you can‘t multiply unless you have trained leaders. So, begin the process today by giving away responsibility to others in your group. People will see their leadership potential when they have the opportunity to serve in the capacity without the pressure of the title.

If your group is dwindling and fewer people show up this month than last, it‘s not too late to make changes and see your group turn around. Begin to pray for each member every day. Spend time with them between meetings. Invite them to join you when you serve others or visit their home to pray for them. Show your members what a leader really does!

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Forward Resources:

To learn more about developing leaders and multiplying your small group, check out this super resource: The Pocket Guide to Burnout-free Small Group Leadership by Mike Mack.

Finally, we highly recommend you take your group through Community Life our curriculum series, which increases all four levels and helps each member to learn about and start using their spiritual gifts.

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Is your small group healthy? Is it thriving, surviving, or declining?

Is your group missional or in maintenance mode?

Do you want answers to these questions? How about a viable plan of action for the future of you group? This book contains a revealing small group health evaluation and principles that will help you determine and increase your group‘s level of health in seven vital areas:

Christ-centered Community Overflowing Leadership Shared Leadership Proactive Leadership Authentic Community Ministry to Others Discipling Environment

In Small Group Vital Signs, you‘ll gain a new appreciation for the way Mike Mack explains why each of the areas above are critical to your group‘s health. His helpful stories, biblical principles, and practical ideas for health and vitality will help you and your group grow in each area. If you‘ve wondered why some small groups thrive and their leaders seem so energized and happy, you‘ll discover it in this revealing book—and learn how to become this kind of leader!

WANT TO TAKE THE ONLINE ASSESSMENT FROM THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW? CLICK HERE!

What Others Are Saying About This Resource:

“One of the best books out today to help you build a fl ourishing small group‟s ministry in your church! I can‟t wait to get this resource in the hands of all of our leaders.” - Brian Jones, Pastor of Christ‘s Church of the Valley, and author of ―Hell Is Real (But I Hate to Admit It)‖

“In „Small Group Vital Signs‟ Mike makes you really think about your small group ministry. He forces you to wrestle with the big questions, so you won‟t settle for groups that are „good enough.‟ Instead, you‟ll long for all of your small groups to be great! This is a powerful read that is not for small group wimps!" - Alan Danielson, Senior Pastor, New Life Bible Church

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“This book speaks to the heart of what‟s missing in many small group ministries—a true focus on life change and authentic discipleship in the context of group life. I was inspired, encouraged, and challenged to refocus my efforts to build a small group ministry that embodies the essence of biblical community, to be the Body of Christ.” - Randy Boschee, Life Groups Pastor, Liquid Church

“I‟ve found great value in self-assessment for personal spiritual health. Mike‟s small group health assessment is revealing, the seven vital signs are biblically-based, and his recommendations to improve each area are grounded in years of practical application.” - Steve Gladen, Small Groups Pastor, Saddleback Church, and author of ―Leading Small Groups with Purpose‖

Author: Michael C. Mack ISBN 978-0-9825352-5-7 208 Pages Published 2012

http://www.touchusa.org/resources/small-group-vital-

signs.asp

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6 Habits of a Healthy Group Leader By Joel Comiskey

By developing these habits, any cell leader can lead a group to grow and

multiply.

“How could this man multiply his cell group six times? He lacks the enthusiasm and bubbly excitement so necessary for small group multiplication.” Then in my interview, Carl Everett, the man they call “Mr. Multiplication,” confirmed my suspicion and told me that he was a very shy person. “How did you multiply your group so many times?” I inquired.

“Prayer, prayer, and prayer,” he asserted.

Carl and his wife, Gaynel, lead a cell at Bethany World Prayer Center in Louisiana. Their cell preparation includes fasting and prayer the day of the cell meeting. Before the meeting, they anoint the food, the sidewalks, the yard, every room in the house, even each seat to be used that night. They wait until after the meeting (during the refreshment time) to eat. The Everetts’ example is not unusual at Bethany.

Is a day of fasting and prayer the only reason why some cell leaders succeed at evangelizing and giving birth to new groups while others stagnate? I visited eight prominent cell churches in search of the answer. More than 700 cell leaders completed my 29-question survey that explored such areas as the cell leader’s training, social status, devotions, education, preparation of material, age, spiritual gifts and gender. This statistical analysis helped me discover common patterns across eight diverse cultures.

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For example, I discovered that healthy cell leaders come in all shapes and sizes, and the anointing for successful cell leadership doesn’t reside with a mysterious few. Some believe that healthy cell leaders are specially gifted, more educated and own more vibrant personalities than other leaders. Not so. The educated and uneducated, married and single, shy and outgoing, those gifted as teachers and those gifted as evangelists equally multiply their small groups.

However, several characteristics do distinguish successful cell leaders. These differentiating factors relate to what a person does as a part of his or her typical weekly lifestyle. It has nothing to do with personality, background or how long one has been a Christian. Instead, healthy cell leaders have incorporated certain habits into their lives. You can join them.

CONSISTENT DEVOTIONAL LIFE

“I couldn’t believe that the President of the United States wanted to meet with me! You better believe that I prepared for that special meeting. I wanted to honor him. I arrived at the White House hours early just to be ready. How awesome to be in the presence of the President!”

This scenario illustrates the excitement and anticipation of an important meeting. I’ve never met with the President, but someone far greater desires to meet and talk with me and you every day—Jesus Christ. He’s the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

The life of a healthy cell leader begins and ends with God. Only God can give success. My survey of cell leaders clearly showed that time spent with God is the single most important principle behind successful cell leadership. A cell leader filled with the power and love of Jesus Christ knows how to minister to a hurting member of the group, how to deal with the constant talker or how to wait for a reply to a question.

Why, then, don’t cell leaders properly prioritize this time? There are at least three hindrances. First and foremost is drowsiness. We’ve all battled sleepiness during personal devotions. I’ll never forget David Cho’s advice about early morning devotions: “Get out of bed!” In bed, deep prayer can too easily become deep sleep. Instead, get up, wash your face, drink some coffee or go for a jog if necessary. Get the blood flowing.

Another impediment is our mind. How often I have approached the throne of God only to battle my thoughts—what that person thought of my comments last night, or when I should wash my car. “Your thoughts, Lord, not mine” is the battle of devotions. Ask Him to take over your thoughts in the “listening room.”

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Lack of time is another problem. Leave the fast-food mentality at McDonald’s. In order to drink deeply from the Divine, you must spend time in deep meditation. As the Psalmist says, deep calls to deep (Psalm 42:7). Don’t leave your devotional time without touching God, feeling the glow of His glory. This demands extended periods before God’s throne. One or two short visits won’t suffice.

BALANCED FAMILY LIFE

Everything smelled of success. The cells were multiplying. The church was growing and experiencing salvation and healing. But as staff members talked, it became evident that many cell leaders were suffering in their personal lives. They were busy every night of the week. One pastor asked, “Isn’t it a contradiction to succeed in cell ministry but fail with our families?” Of course it is! In the life of a healthy cell leader, family is paramount. God desires to maximize our effectiveness as cell leaders, but not at the expense of our family life.

Cell ministry is a family affair and is meant to draw your family closer together. It’s best to place your family inside your cell ministry. For example, your teenager can direct the children’s cell or lead worship. Your child can lead the ice breaker. My wife, Celyce, and I minister together as a team in our cell. She plans the icebreaker and prepares the refreshments. I prepare the worship and the lesson. When she’s leading the group, I care for our 2-year-old. Likewise, she covers for me when I’m ministering.

After cell meetings, we analyze together what happened. Once Celyce told me, “Joel, you should have been more gracious with Inez. I know she talked too much, but you could have handled it better.” “That’s not what I wanted to hear,” I thought. But it’s what I needed to hear. Our intimacy grows as we pastor our group together and openly discuss the details of each meeting, sharing our observations and learning together. This honest feedback also helps us mature as cell leaders.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

George Whitefield and John Wesley were contemporaries in seventeenth-century England. Both dedicated themselves to God’s work in the same small group at Oxford University. Both were excellent in open-air preaching. Both witnessed thousands of conversions through their ministries. Yet John Wesley left behind a 100,000-member church, while George Whitefield could point to little tangible fruit toward the end of his ministry. Why? Wesley dedicated himself to training

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and releasing small-group leaders, while Whitefield was too busy preaching and doing the work of the ministry.

Yes, it’s exciting to lead a cell group. But what will your group look like when you leave it in the hands of your current intern? Will it continue to meet or will it fold? Will you look back at your leadership with joy as you recall the cell groups that you left behind, or will you wonder how so much effort could result in so little?

We all know about the tyranny of the urgent. The cell lesson needs fine-tuning, someone must bring the refreshments, John needs a ride, and on and on the list goes. Cell leaders can be overwhelmed with worship choruses, ice-breakers, calls, visits, etc. Everything demands immediate attention. Or does it? In the midst of a fast-paced life, are there priorities? Can a cell leader confidently say, “This one thing I do”?

Yes. Successful cell leaders look beyond the urgency of the present to the importance of future daughter cells. Because of that, they spend priority time training new leaders. This passion to raise up new leadership drives successful cell leaders to spend quality time with potential leadership. As a result, common cell members become visionary leaders.

Leadership success in the cell church is clear: How many leaders have been spotted, trained, and deployed? Raising up future leaders is a Biblical way of life. Moses tutored Joshua, and Elijah trained Elisha. The Apostles were recruited and trained by Jesus. Barnabas discipled Paul, who in turn developed Timothy. The Lord has brought future leaders to your group. Are you developing them?

INVITING NEW PEOPLE

The way to add future leaders to your group is to invite people to your cell—and keep inviting. Most cell leaders have heard the well-intentioned promises of those who failed to follow through. “Steve promised to come.” “I planned dessert for four people who didn’t show.” Have you heard these comments before? Have you made them yourself? Welcome to cell leadership!

Experienced group leaders understand that you have to personally invite 25 people for 15 to say they will attend. Of those 15, eight to ten actually will show up. Of those, only five to seven will attend regularly after a month or so. Don’t let rejection discourage you. Successful cell leaders don’t depend on one or two verbal commitments. They continually invite new people.

One group at Bethany World Prayer Center faithfully met each week but experienced little growth. One member previously attended a group that had

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multiplied. After analyzing both groups, he said, “In the other cell group, we received a constant flow of visitors.”

Another cell was celebrating the birth of a new group. The cell leader testified that the group went through a dry, difficult period. With only six people, the group did all of the “right things” to win non-Christians and receive visitors, but few visited and fewer stayed. Yet they kept on trying, praying and inviting until they broke through. Several visitors started attending and invited their friends. Because this cell resisted discouragement, the mix came together.

Cell leader, you personally must be vigilant about inviting new people. The right mix for your group is right around the corner. New blood in your cell will bring new life. Newcomers invigorate your group with their fresh insight. Keep inviting and don’t give up.

VISITATION

Luis Salas has a large, well-worn map hanging in the entryway of his Bogota apartment. This “war map” is overflowing with names of potential cell members. “I’m always dreaming and praying about new people to invite to my cell groups,” he said. “All day long I think about them and eventually make personal contact with them.”

In just 18 months, Luis multiplied his original cell to 250 cells because he goes after potential members. More importantly, he follows up with them after they visit. Some of them become cell members and then cell leaders.

If you want your cell to grow and multiply, one vital key to effective cell evangelism is immediate contact of visitors. When someone new attends your group, plan an immediate visit, send a card and/or pick up the telephone and call. The saying is true: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

NATURAL EVANGELISM

New members sense a freedom to share deeply in the warm atmosphere of an accepting, loving group. The “cell atmosphere” is the most effective way to expose non-Christians to the truth of the Gospel.

During one cell meeting, leader René Naranjo of Ecuador began a lesson on how Jesus cleared out the temple (John 2). Discussion flowed from the Jewish temple, to our own bodies as God’s temple, to home cells as God’s temple today. René guided the discussion when necessary, but the conversation flowed naturally and

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orderly. One couple said little, but they were asked to share their thoughts. This couple lacked a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, yet no one pounced on them with the Good News. They felt liberty to express themselves. René closed the cell by asking those who wanted to receive Jesus Christ to pray a simple prayer with him and visit with him after the meeting concluded.

In the last six months, René Naranjo has planted three daughter cells. He personally supervises these new cells and disciples the leaders. In his cell group, non-Christians feel comfortable to express their opinions, as he graciously points them to the Savior.

Are you targeting non-Christians in your group and including them in the lesson? Cell evangelism is not a programmatic, canned approach. Rather, it’s a personal process of sharing Good News about forgiveness of sin and new life in Jesus. Because of the intimate, caring atmosphere of small groups, evangelism happens naturally.

A PARABLE OF THREE GARDENERS

A man had a beautiful garden that yielded rich and abundant food. His neighbor saw it and planted his own garden in the spring, but he did nothing to it: no watering, cultivating or fertilizing. In the fall, his garden was devastated, overgrown with weeds and bearing no fruit. He initially concluded that gardening does not work. After more thought, he decided that the problem was bad soil or maybe that he lacked a “green thumb.” Meanwhile, a third neighbor started a garden. Though his garden did not immediately yield as much as the first man’s, he worked hard and continued learning. As he practiced new ideas year after year, his garden reaped an increasingly abundant harvest.

The truth of this parable is obvious. I traversed the globe to discover the secrets of small-group growth, and the same principles made the difference between cell growth and stagnation in every country, culture and church. Prayer, hard work and the steady application of proven principles set apart the successful cell group leaders. The insights outlined here will work for you if you are willing to pay the price. These habits require time and effort.

Successful cell leaders spend time seeking God’s face and are dependent on Him for the direction of their group. They prepare themselves first and then turn their attention to the lesson. They pray diligently for their members as well as for non-Christian contacts. But successful cell leaders do not stop with prayer. They come down from the mountaintop and interact with real people, full of problems and pain. They pastor their cell members and visit them regularly. They invite new people, visit newcomers and evangelize naturally in their small groups. By

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developing these habits, any cell leader can lead a group to grow and multiply. That is God’s heart and His Great Commission. How are you doing?

Joel Comiskey (Ph.D. Fuller Seminary) is an internationally recognized cell

church coach and consultant. He has served as a missionary with the C&MA in

Quito, Ecuador and is now founding pastor of a cell-based church in Southern

California. Joel has written best selling books on the worldwide cell group

movement. He teaches as an adjunct professor at several theological

seminaries. Joel Comiskey Group is a tax exempt, non-profit organization

dedicated to helping complete the Great Commission in this century by providing

resources and coaching to plant new cell churches and transition existing

churches to cell-based ministry. For further reading on this topic, see Comiskey's

books Making Cell Groups Work Navigation Guide and Home Cell Group

Explosion.

More from Joel Comiskey or visit Joel at http://www.joelcomiskey.com

http://www.churchleaders.com/smallgroups/small-group-

articles/143885-six-habits-of-a-healthy-cell-leader.html

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Five Essentials for Small Group Health

How to keep your groups growing vibrantly.

by Randall Neighbour

Churches all over the nation are recognizing a need to get small groups going in their congregations. But getting small groups started in a church and keeping the groups healthy are two completely different jobs.

As head of Touch Outreach Ministry, my job is to look at churches that have failed with small groups and to try to help them find health. As I've done that, I've seen several principles of health emerge:

1. Relationships must be a priority. Holistic small groups can only work

when relationships between group members are considered number one.

And that means having regular contact outside of meetings. I've

experienced a vast majority of the transformation in my life through a small

group experience, and it happened because of this principle. The groups

have been very intimate friends of mine with whom I can share

transparently. They've loved me unconditionally, and we've been able to

show Christ to one another. I didn't view it as an opt-in thing. Without it, it

would be like not having enough air to breath. They've been that valuable.

2. Leaders need adequate training. Jesus is the best example of this. He

discipled his people. He spent a lot of time with them, and out of

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relationship they started mimicking him, doing things the way he did them.

Lots of leaders were produced this way, and they did great things-like

planting churches and going to the uttermost parts of the world.

Many churches get the process backwards. They want to give people a title

and then train them. Jesus never did that. He spent three and a half years

training and developing. Then he said, "You are my disciples." I think this is

the way we ought to do it. We need to get people to serve in ministry and

affirm them as we see their gifts. Then we can say "You're really good at

this. Do you realize that? Wouldn't you like to be a leader?"

Another reason adequate training is so important is that it gives you the

opportunity to get to know the character of potential leaders. One of my

biggest fears is promoting people to small group leadership too quickly.

Sometimes when churches are desperate for leaders, they'll fast-track

people into leadership without really knowing their character. Then a year

later they find out the person's marriage is on the rocks or they're addicted

to pornography or something like that. Had they gotten to know these

people and their personal problems, then they could've said, "Your house

isn't in order. We're not going to give you leadership elsewhere."

3. Everyone should be viewed as a leader. Everyone in the group has

some spiritual gift and should be encouraged to develop it. These gifts

often surface through leading. So everyone should be given the opportunity

to lead in some way.

4. Healthy groups divide and multiply. A healthy family raises children who

want to become independent and start families of their own. They don't

break relationship. They just move out and start their own family. They

come back and visit, and eventually the parents might move back in with

the kids. Small groups should function in the same way. It really bothers me

when the "fifty-year-old kid" stays at home in our churches and never wants

to be a leader.

5. The focus of the group should be living out the Gospel. I don't think

holistic small groups should be Bible studies. I think they should be a place

where the group applies God's Word to their lives. They should gather

together on a weekly basis to experience the presence, the power and the

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purpose of Christ in their lives. I suggest that if we stopped learning

anything new about the Bible and only put into practice what we know

today, we'd have three or four lifetimes of practical application that we could

make in our small group setting without ever learning one more new truth

about the Bible.

As with any health or fitness program, success is not instantaneous. This is definitely a transferable truth when it comes to developing small group ministry. Good health takes time and dedication. So remember to be patient!

http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/spiritualformati

on/040901.html

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BAB II. CHURCH GROWTH

8 Karakteristik Pertumbuhan

Gereja Alami

1. Kepemimpinan yang memberdayakan

2. Pelayanan yang berorientasi pada karunia

3. Kerohanian yang haus dan penuh antusias

4. Struktur yang tepat guna

5. Ibadah yang inspiratif

6. Kelompok kecil yang menjawab kebutuhan secara menyeluruh

7. Penginjilan yang berorientasi pada kebutuhan

8. Hubungan yang penuh kasih

Tujuh Dimensi Pertumbuhan Gereja adalah: (1) ibadah kepada Allah

(2) Pelayanan di tengah-tengah Persekutuan

(3) konseptualisasi Alkitab

(4) penginjilan kepada kelompok masyarakat

(5) mengakomodadi tuntutuan (kebutuhan) lingkungan

(6) memperkenalkan gaya hidup kristiani

(7) proklamasi injil ke seluruh dunia.

Jenis-jenis pertumbuhan (1) pertumbuhan bersifat kuantitatif

(2) pertumbuhan bersifat kualitatif.

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Perilaku pertumbuhan (1) pertumbuhan biologis

(2) pertumbuhan yang spontan

(3) pertumbuhan yang terencana

(4) pertumbuhan melalui krisis-krisis khusus.

20 Church Growth Principles for Maximum Impact by Jay Dennis

Regardless of the size of your student ministry, location, or financial

resources, your church has great growth potential. Here are 20 church

growth principles to implement for maximum growth in your student

ministry and church.

1. Make sure your commitment to daily prayer is greater than the enemy’s

desire to prevent you from growing. That means constantly staying on your

face before God and asking him for His anointing upon your life, your

preaching, and your ministry.

2. Work harder and smarter than anyone else. Often people will ask me,

“What is the secret of your growing church?” When asked that question I

say, “There are two secrets: prayer and hard work.”

3. Constantly demonstrate your love for people. Tell them. Show them.

Make it part of who you are. Use any means to communicate that you love

them. It’s amazing how love attracts. Be a people person no matter what

your personality type.

4. Pray with people, not just for them. Take the time to pray with individuals

and groups of people. As you do, incorporate your vision – what you would

like to see accomplished – as part of a prayer list.

5. Contact people by visiting, calling, writing, and emailing. Let people

know that you care about them and what is going on in their lives. Be

known as a church that demonstrates great grace.

6. Concentrate more on what you are “for” rather than what you are

“against.” I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t be against certain things.

We should. However, make sure that what you are for is communicated

more than what you are against. Remember, people need hope, not a

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dressing down or guilt heaped upon them. Let the Holy Spirit convict, and

don’t try to play His role.

7. Spend the necessary time preparing fresh, relevant Bible-centered, life-

application messages. I plan to neglect other things for that which God has

primarily called me to do. That means calls, appointments, and emails

simply will have to take a back seat. Although people trying to reach you

may not appreciate it at the time, the difference will be seen when you

deliver your message.

8. Prepare music that will exalt Christ, stir the soul, and appeal to the

students you are attempting to reach. Whatever style God leads you to

adopt, do it with excellence. Don’t make it your goal to meet everyone’s

tastes. Make it your goal to have authentic worship that pleases God and

engages people.

9. Make your facilities the best they can be with the resources you have

been given. Clean costs very little. Paint costs very little. Enlist someone to

come through and determine what needs to be done to improve appearances.

10. Be intentionally and unapologetically evangelistic. Be a soul winner.

You as the leader and model will lead your ministry team to reach student.

Be clear in your presentation of the gospel and give multiple opportunities

for people to respond to the gospel.

11. Learn to laugh, celebrate, and have joy in the church. It’s okay for a

church to have some fun. Learn to lighten up a little. People are attracted to

happy places. I’m not suggesting a circus atmosphere. I am suggesting an

atmosphere of joy.

12. Confront issues lovingly, yet immediately. The longer you wait to deal

with issues the worse they will become. It’s difficult initially, but it sure

beats having to deal with a bigger problem later on.

13. Always have a God-sized project. It helps focus people on something

bigger than they are that only God could do. This builds faith among the

people and brings them together. The church can never function as if it has

arrived.

14. Have faith that if you will do what you can do, God will do what only

He can do. Remember Matthew 17:20. Write down your mountains and take

45 days to pray that God will move them.

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15. Mentor young leadership. Take the time to meet with, disciple, pour

yourself into, and have off leadership to student leaders. Give them the

freedom to make mistakes, and love them through those mistakes.

16. Make yourself accountable and let people know it. Have an

accountability partner or group. It not only helps you stay on track; it will

encourage those in your ministry to know that you have put yourself under

constant scrutiny. Don’t think you are too strong to fall prey to Satan’s

attacks.

17. Prioritize your programs and make reaching students your top priority.

Always communicate the importance of student ministry. Make sure you

continually recruit new leaders with a similar passion.

18. Immediately admit with humility when you have made a mistake as a

leader. Transparency is a wonderful asset. Admitting your mistakes will

draw you closer to your people.

19. Find ways to practically demonstrate the love of God in your

community. Discover needs in your community that on one else is

addressing. Start a ministry that will get people involved who are not

members of your church. There is an emerging atmosphere of volunteerism

especially among students and young adults.

20. Go after the men. More churches already have an established women’s

ministry, but men must step up to the plate of spiritual leadership.

Intentionally develop programs to gain men’s attention. Engage fathers in

the student ministry. Equip them to parent their teenage sons and daughters.

Constantly look for ways to involve men in ministry.

These twenty ideas are the planting and watering part of church growth.

These are the things we can go as we remember that it is God who is

causing the growth” (See 1 Cor. 3:6). Work smarter and harder, but trust

God to touch people’s lives and draw them to Himself. You are a vessel that

He works through to build His church and His Kingdom.

Jay Dennis is the author of The Prayer Experiment and Taming Your

Private Thoughts. He also coauthored Dangerous Intersections: Eleven

Crucial Crossroads Facing the Church in America.

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Beberapa faktor terhambatnya pertumbuhan

gereja.

Banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi pertumbuhan normal dan perkembangan tubuh manusia, kurangnya makanan yang bergizi menghambat pertumbuhaan jasmani; kurangnya vitamin-vitamin dalam tubuh manusia maka terhambat pertumbuhan tubuh manusia maka tubuh tidak akan bertumbuh sebagaimana yang diinginkan. Alkitab membandingkan gereja dengan tubuh jasmani. Seperti tubuh jasmani maka pertumbuhan dan perkembangannya dipengaruhi oleh banyak faktor. Kadang-kadang berbagai masalah timbul dalam gereja. Masalah ini dapat menghambat pertumbuhan rohani; apabila pertumbuhan rohani “terhambat” maka gereja tidak akan berlipat ganda sebagaimana mestinya. Pada bagian ini masalah-masalah umum yang menghalangi pelipatgandaan gereja :

1. Kekurangan makanan rohani Tubuh manusia harus mendapatkan makanan dan air atau jika tidak ia akan mati. Demikian juga dengan halnya tubuh rohani yang memerlukan makanan rohani. Ada gereja-gereja yang sama sekali tidak mengajarkan firman Allah. Mereka hanya mengajarkan doktrin-doktrin manusia. Mereka mengatakan apa yang ingin di dengar oleh orang-orang (2 Timotius 4:3). Kekurangan makanan rohani adalah akibat dari kelaparan firman Allah (Amsal 1:1-12). Ada orang-orang yang hanya mengajarkan “susu” firman allah oleh sebab itu banyak orang-orang percaya tidak pernah bertumbuh dewasa secara rohani. Orang-orang percaya mengabaikan penyelidikan Alkitab sehingga tubuh rohani mati tanpa makanan.

2. Kekurangan visi Alkitab berkata: Jikalau tidak ada visi, umat binasa (Amsal 29:18). Visi rohani orang-orang tertentu terbatas pada keluarga dan lingkungan mereka sendiri saja. Ada juga yang dipenuhi dengan visi yang nan jauh disana dengan sebutan yang aneh-aneh, sementara orang-orang di luar gereja mereka sendiri mati tanpa mengenal Kristus.

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3. Pertumbuhan yang dangkal Injil Markus 4:1-20, menegaskan bahwa ketika benih firman Allah tidak berakar dalam hidup kita, maka hasilnya adalah pertumbuhan rohani yang dangkal. Apabila dating penganiyaan dan kesukaran, maka akan mati secara rohani (Markus 4:17).

4. Kurangnya pembersihan

Gereja-gereja seringkali memiliki metode-metode dan program-program yang tidak produktif. Apabila kegiatan-kegiatan itu tidak dibersihkan, maka buah-buah yang dihasilkan akan semakin menipis. Tanpa pembersihan, proses kematian yang lambat tapi pasti akan menghancurkan kehidupan umat Allah. Di dunia lahiriah, apabila sebuah pohon tidak dibersihkan, pohon itu mungkin akan tetap tegak berdiri, tetapi mati. Tidak ada buah tidak ada pertumbuhan dan pelipatgandaan. Strukturnya ada tetapi kehidupannya sudah musnah, demikian juga halnya dengan kehidupan rohani.

5. Prioritas-prioritas yang salah

Para pemimpin rohani memiliki prioritas-prioritas yang salah, mereka lebih prihatin terhadap urusan-urusan gereja dari pada doa dan pelayanan firmah Allah. Prioritas-prioritas diberikan kepada proyek-proyek sekunder seperti proyek-proyek pembangunan gereja dan sebagainya menjadi leibn penting dari pada misi.

6. “Datang” dan “lihat” dan bukan “pergi” dan “beritakan”

Gereja-gereja yang memakai strategi “datang" ke gereja danm bukan metode “pergi” sebagaimana yang diperintahkan oleh Yesus Kristus. Mereka hanya sekedar dating dan lihat ke gereja tetapi mereka tidak pernah “pergi” untuk menjangkau orang-orang dengan Injil dan membawa mereka masuk.

7. Masalah-masalah pribadi yang tidak terselesaikan

Konflik terjadi apabila para anggota gereja memiliki masalah-masalah pribadi yang tidak terselesaikan di antara mereka. Jika konflik-konflik ini tidak ditangani dengan benar, maka hasilnya adalah perpecahan. Masalah-masalah yang tak terselesaikan menghambat proses pertumbuhan.

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8. Kepemimpinan rohani yang tidak memenuhi syarat Pertumbuhan gereja terpengaruh apabila para pemimpin tidak memenuhi syarat-syarat rohani yang ditegaskan dalam Alkitab tidak menaruh perhatian yang benar dan sungguh-sungguh pada firman Allah, pendidikan dan kemampuan tidak pada ukuran yang benar.

9. Tidak mau berubah

Orang-orang yang cenderung untuk menolak perubahan, tidak ada pelipatgandaan, banyak orang yang puas sebagaimana adanya mereka tidak siap dengan metode-metode baru, tidap punya pandangan-pandangan baru yang Alkitabiah.

10. Masalah-malasah komunikasi Pelipatgandaan terhalang oleh sikap penyampaian Injil para pemberita Injil berusaha menarik perhatian dengan kata-kata yang hebat dan memamerkan pengetahuan teologia, mereka tidak berkomunikasi pada tingkat kebutuhan manusia. Tindakan-tindakan mereka tidaklah sejalan dengan kata-kata mereka.

11. Penonton dan bukan peserta

Penonton adalah orang-orang yang melihat tetapi tidak berpartisipasi di dalam rencana Allah. Mereka tidak bereproduksi secara rohani. Tugas-tugas menginjili hanya kepada hamba-hamba Tuhan. Gereja yang dipenuhi penonton tidak akan bertumbuh.

12. Ketakutan

Takut akan kegagalan adalah musuh yang terbesar dari pelipatgandaan. Hal ini ditegaskan oleh Yesus tentang talenta Injil, Matius 25:14-30. Hamba yang takut tidaklah menguntungkan, ia tidak berlipat ganda secara rohani.

13. Ketidak-percayaan

Israel tidak memasuki tanah perjanjian karena ketidakpercayaan mereka (Bilangan 13). Mereka kembali mengembala di padang belantara sampai seluruh generasi itu mati selama kurun waktu 40 tahun. Ketidak-percayaan menghambat pertumbuhan rohani dan pelipatgandaan.

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14. Pengelompokkan di dalam gereja

Kadang-kadang “kelompok-kelompok” terbentuk di dalam gereja dan persekutuan yang lain, sebuah kelompok adalah kumpulan orang-orang yang terpisahkan dan tidak mau menerima orang lain di dalam persekutuan mereka.

15. Kekurangan sumber-sumber

Manusia dan dana adalah dua sumber vital yang diperlukan bagi pelipatgandaan. Pertumbuhan terhambat apabila adanya kekurangan orang-orang yang mempunyai komitmen pada visi. Kekurangan dana dapat juga mempengaruhi pertumbuhan dan perkembangan gereja.

Church Growth Principles — Keys to Lasting

Health and Vitality

If you're looking for church growth principles, here's one: church growth

begins with church health, not the other way around. We see in nature that

healthy things grow. This is by no means a new concept, but it's still true.

But how do you know if you're a healthy church? What can you use as a

measuring stick? Based on extensive field testing and research with

thousands of churches and individuals, we've compiled these church health

categories and use them regularly in helping churches measure and monitor

their own church health:

› God's Empowering Presence

› God-Exalting Worship

› Spiritual Disciplines

› Learning and Growing in Community

› A Commitment to Loving and Caring Relationships

› Servant-Leadership Development

› An Outward Focus

› Wise Administration and Accountability

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› Networking with the Body of Christ

› Stewardship and Generosity

Using the above categories for measurement, we encourage churches to lean toward the following attributes in pursuit of lasting health and vitality:

› Stay Humble. Humble people listen, humble churches listen. They are open to what God has to say to them and what other people have to say to them. The day we stop listening is the day pride begins to eat away at the framework of our ministry. The key to lasting health and vitality is to stay humble and grounded.

› Be Teachable. A life-long learner who is submitted to the will of

God has nearly limitless potential. Are you open to learning new things? Do

you acknowledge your mistakes or cast blame on others? Are you willing to

defer to others who have specialized expertise?

› Exude Gratitude. Stop regularly to count your blessings. Express

gratitude to God for all He has done and continues to do in the life of your

church. Regularly show appreciation to those around you who are faithfully

serving. People rarely complain of being excessively appreciated.

› Remain Open. Open hands. Open hearts. Open minds. Open people

are pliable in God's hands. Are you open to feedback and change? Do you

let people see your humanity and imperfections or do you lead from behind

a rigid, got-it-all-together exterior? Are you open to other people's ideas or

do all the good ideas have to originate with you?

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Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches

- Does being a healthy church mean that it is “successful,” growing by leaps and bounds?

Maybe… -Is a healthy church simply a place where people come to meet

God and neighbor, as small as 2 or 3 people gathered together? Perhaps…

-What then are some of the key elements that will help ensure a congregation’s optimum health?

Christian Schwarz studied 1000 congregations in terms of both quantity and quality standards and identified 8 essential elements

in healthy churches. He recognized that God’s church will grow naturally if it’s functioning in a healthy manner. The job of the

church staff and vestries then, is to be aware of the important areas, which if not functioning well, will tend to block healthy church development.

It is interesting to note that Schwarz’s research findings, although

presented in terms of statistics, diagrams, and charts, parallel both common sense and Scripture. He further advises that according to his study, all 8 elements are essential, none may be

missing. He also noted that whenever each of these elements scored 65 or higher on his quality index in a church, that the

congregation was indeed growing. Schwarz suggests identifying which areas need the most

improvement and concentrate on them. The areas of strength can also be used to find creative ways to deal with weaker areas.

Specific staff and vestry goals can be made for the areas that need to be worked on and developed.

Essential quality characteristics for churches:

1. Empowering leadership

Leaders empower others for ministry. Leaders let go of responsibility and let God’s energy be seen in other members. Pastors need to be both goal and relationship oriented.

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2. Gift-oriented ministry People are able to recognize and use their God-given talents and

Spiritual gifts for ministry both inside the church and in the local community.

3. Passionate spirituality Christians in these congregations are “on fire” (Spirit filled). They

have a genuine relationship with God. People’s lives are committed to their faith. They are enthusiastic and joyful.

4. Functional structures The structure in a healthy church promotes growth rather than

hinders it. This book suggests that department heads may work best, recommending that a co-leader (or a person in training) also be an automatic part of the structure. The right person for

each job is one who has the appropriate Spiritual gift.

5. Inspiring worship service Spirit-filled worship with the people thoroughly involved in the services.

6. Holistic small groups

Groups are to go beyond study and discussion to applying God’s message to daily life. Small groups are the place where Christianity can really be practiced. Groups multiply by having the

co-leaders form two separate groups after a time. Each new group invites new participants and selects an additional co-leader.

7. Need-oriented evangelism The pastor knows which 10% of the congregation have the gift of

evangelism and encourage them to make use of it. She/he also encourages all members to individually share Christ with those

they do know. Evangelism efforts should be focused on the person’s questions and needs. Congregationwide efforts would

take the energy of the people’s interests and the community’s needs and redirect them to God’s ways.

8. Loving relationships This is the experience of Christian love, not just talking about it.

Examples include spending time together, compliments, being aware of personal problems, and laughter.

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Based on Christian A. Schwarz’s book: Natural Church

Development: A Guide to Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches, 4th ed. St. Charles,

IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 2000.

Nancy McLaughlin, D.Min.

Ibadah yang Inspiratif (Yesaya 6:1-8)

Dalam bukunya ―Pertumbuhan Gereja yang Alamiah‖,

Christian Schwarz menjelaskan bahwa salah satu kebutuhan yang penting dalam gereja adalah adanya ibadah yang sungguh-sungguh memberikan pengalaman yang inspiratif bagi jemaatnya. Kriteria yang membedakan antara gereja yang bertumbuh dengan gereja-gereja yang mandeg adalah pengalaman penyembahan yang dirasakan sebagai pengalaman yang inspratif, menyegarkan, mencerahkan kehidupan para pribadi yang hadir dalam gereja. Indikasi umum adalah bahwa jemaat merasakan bahwa pergi ke gereja adalah hal yang menyenangkan. Ibadah yang inspiratif bukanlah sekadar ibadah yang kita nikmati sebagai pujian penyembahan yang menyentuh hati saja, tetapi penyembahan yang mengubahkan kehidupan penyembah.

Kita yang hadir dalam ibadah disebut sebagai penyembah. Penyembah, bukanlah kita yang disembah, bukan kita yang harus mendapatkan sesuatu; tetapi, Allah yang kita sembah untuk Dia sajalah kita membangun ibadah seperti ini. Ibadah bukanlah soal kita yang hadir, bukan soal penyembah, bukan untuk penyembah; tetapi untuk Tuhan saja. Baiklah. Lalu, apakah memang kita tidak seharusnya mendapatkan sesuatu dari ibadah yang kita bangun dan hadiri? Adakah kepuasan yang kita mungkin dapatkan dari ibadah? Ada! Kepuasan kita adalah bahwa kita puas memberikan segenap hati, jiwa dan pikiran kita untuk memuaskan dan menyenangkan hati Allah. Sebaliknya, kepuasan Allah adalah Ia menikmati penyembahan kita. Kesenangan Allah adalah bahwa kita pun puas menikmati penyembahan yang kita naikkan. Apa yang kita lakukan untuk membangun ibadah yang inspiratif?

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1. Ibadah yang inspiratif memuliakan nama Tuhan

Ketika Yesaya masuk ke dalam hadirat Allah, jelas sekali bagaimana hatinya di hadapan Tuhan. Ia melihat Tuhan hadir dan duduk di atas tahtanya yang tinggi menjulang. Responnya merupakan indikasi keyakinannya yang teguh akan Allah. Ia merasakan ketakjuban akan Tuhan. Para malaikat surgawi menyanyikan, ―Kudus, kudus, kuduslah Tuhan semesta alam, seluruh bumi penuh kemuliaanNya‖ [v.3]. Jelas sekali ditunjukkan di sini bahwa tujuan utama kita datang bersama ke gereja dan beribadah adalah untuk menyembah dan memuliakan Tuhan.

2. Ibadah yang Inspiratif Memimpin kepada

Ketakjuban

Seperti tadi telah dikatakan, ketika datang ke bait suci dan bertemu dengan Tuhan, Yesaya takjub. Kita tentu mengimani bahwa Allah ada di mana-mana, tetapi firman Tuhan berkata jika ada dua-tiga orang berkumpul dalam namaNya, maka Tuhan hadir. Artinya, pasti ada sesuatu yang berbeda dan istimewa ketika kita datang bersama dan membangun ibadah kita bersama dalam ketakjuban akan Tuhan. Ini penting. Sebab ada banyak jemaat Tuhan yang semakin lama semakin tidak menghargai kehadiran Tuhan.

3. Ibadah yang Inspratif Menyadarkan akan Dosa

Semakin dekat dengan Tuhan, kita semakin menyadari betapa tidak layaknya kita di hadapanNya. Dengarlah baik-baik, semakin kita dekat dengan Tuhan, semakin kita akan menemukan semakin kita membutuhkan Dia untuk menolong kita bertumbuh. Semakin kita intim dengan Tuhan, semakin Tuhan leluasa menolong kita. Jika kita berhenti berusaha dan menghindar dari Tuhan, selamanya kita akan mati dalam dosa kita.

4. Ibadah yang Inspratif Memberikan Sukacita

Yesaya mengakui dosanya, Tuhan menyucikan dia. Betapa ia sungguh bersukacita. Demikian juga kehidupan kita bersama dengan Tuhan. Tuhan tidak menginginkan kita terus dalam rasa bersalah karena dosa. Tuhan Allah memanggil kita untuk menikmati Dia dengan sukacita.

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5. Ibadah yang Inspiratif Mendorong untuk Melayani ―Ini aku, utuslah aku.‖ Begitu luar biasanya keindahan yang Yesaya nikmati bersama Tuhan sehingga ia tidak ragu memberikan dirinya untuk melayani. Jika kita sungguh ingin menyembah Tuhan, jika kita sungguh ingin hidup dalam penyerahan diri yang utuh pada Tuhan, kita sepatutnya memberikan diri dengan ketulusan untuk melayani Tuhan. Jika kita sungguh ingin menyembah Tuhan, jika kita sungguh ingin hidup dalam penyerahan diri yang utuh pada Tuhan, kita sepatutnya memberikan diri dengan ketulusan untuk melayani Tuhan. (sumber : Pdt. Willyem Onggo Wijaya)

KOMPONEN PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA

PENDAHULUAN

Gereja adalah lembaga persekutuan orang percaya yang dibentuk oleh Allah

berdasarkan kasih Kristus. Di dalam persekutuan tersebut hidup anggota-

anggota tubuh Kristus yang bergerak bersama dengan sebuah komitmen untuk

hidup di dalam kebenaran firman Allah. Gerak kehidupan orang percaya bukan

untuk sebuah tujuan yang sifatnya duniawi tetapi gerak kehidupan dinamis dan

memiliki dimensi kekekalan. Tujuan kehidupan yang dibangun di dalam

persekutuan tersebut adalah memuliakan Nama Tuhan Yesus sebagai ungkapan

syukur atas anugerah kehidupan dan keselamatan.

Tidak ada lembaga atau organisasi yang seerat kesatuan tubuh Kristus.

Perbedaan tersebut jelas nampak dari beberapa dasar kehidupan persekutuan

itu, yaitu:

1) Berdasarkan kasih Kristus

2) Kehidupan saling mengampuni

3) Kehidupan saling Mendoakan

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4) Kehidupan pelayanan berdasarkan karunia Rohani

1. PENGERTIAN PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA

Sebagaimana kehidupan tanaman memerlukan pertumbuhan secara alami, maka

gereja pun memerlukan pertumbuhan yang berlangsung secara sehat dan

alamiah. Suatu tumbuhun dapat bertumbuh dengan baik bila terdapat

ketersediaan media dan sari makanan yang cukup. Demikian pula gereja dapat

bertumbuh dengan baik bila kehidupan orang-orang percaya di dalamnya

memiliki kehidupan dan memaknai dan menghayai kebenaran firman Allah

sebagai makanan rohani bagi pertumbuhan tersebut. Sehingga dengan demikian

pertumbuhan gereja tidak dapat didasarkan pada karya tangan manusia.

Megahnya sebuah gedung ibadah, peralatan musik, dan meriahnya suasana

perkumpulan bukan sebuah indicator utama dalam sebuah pertumbuhan gereja

local.

Hal tersebut dilihat secara obyektif bahwa ada orang-orang Kristen yang

mengalami penganiayaan, mereka berada di tempat yang sunyi dan besembunyi

di balik batu-batu untuk beribadah. Mereka memiliki iman yang tidak kalah

dengan orang-orang di perkotaan yang sering kali nyaman dengan kehidupan

gereja yang melimpah dalam hal fasilitas. Dalam pertumbuhan gereja yang

sehat tidak pula ditentukan dari banyaknya orang dan ramainya orang

berkumpul dalam suatu peribadatan yang berlangsung di hari Minggu atau

tengah minggu.

Dengan demikian sebaiknya orang Kristen melihat lebih dalam lagi untuk

memahami arti pertumbuhan yang sesungguhnya. Keseimbangan antara

kualitas dan kuantitas tentu sangatlah penting,. Kulaitas iman yang baik dari

perkumpulan orang percaya harus dapat menarik banyak orang datang kepada

Allah. Namun sebuah realitas yang baru harus dipahami bahwa gereja yang

bertumbuh harus pula dapat mengembangkan pos-pos pelayanan yang pada

akhirnya didewasakan dan terus berkembang. Jadi gereja yang bertumbuh harus

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dapat menyebar. Hal ini tentu sangat Alkitabiah sekali bila berpijak dari

Amanat Agung Tuhan Yesus dalam kitab Matius 28:19,20. Kisah Rasul 1:8.

2. KOMPONEN PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA

1) Pertumbuhan Kuantitatif

Pertumbuhan kuantitatif atau jumlah merupakan pertumbuhan yang alkitabiah

sebagaimana terjadi dalam sejarah pertumbuhan gereja dimulai sejak zaman

para Rasul. Pertumbuhan tersebut berlangsung secara berkesinambungan.

Dalam kitab Kisah Rasul dituliskan bahwa pada awalnya orang-orang yang

mengikut Kristus dan disebut sebagai murid Yesus berkumpul di Yerusalem

untuk menanti turunnya Roh Kudus. Pada saat janji turunnya Roh Kudus

tersebut digenapi maka orang-orang percaya tersebut dipenuhi dengan Roh

Kudus dan atas mereka tampak seperti lidah-lidah api.

Dari peristiwa pentakosta inilah terjadi suatu titik balik dimana para murid yang

kemudian menjadi rasul-rasul memiliki kuasa untuk memberitakan Injil di

seluruh negeri. Para rasul kemudian dengan berani memberitakan Injil,

demikian pula murid-murid yang lain pada waktu itu menerima pencurahan

Roh Kudus dengan keberanian memberitakan Injil.

Multiplikasi dan pertumbuhan terjadi setelah mereka menerima Roh Kudus dan

berani memberitakan Injil Kristus. Khotbah Petrus telah menguncang banyak

orang dengan penuh kuasa dan keberanian dari Allah, Ia menyampaikan Karya

Kristus kepada orang-orang Yahudi sehingga pada hari itu sekitar tiga ribu

orang menerima diri dan dibaptis.

Peran gereja disini adalah menarik banyak orang melalui kesaksian,

persekutuan, penggembalaan dan pemberitaan Injil. Sehingga bertambahlah

para pengikut Kristus. Pemberitaan Injil disini memiliki peran yang besar baik

secara langsung maupun melalui kesaksian pribadi.

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Contoh pertumbuhan gereja secara kuantitatif dalam kitab kisah Para Rasul:

Kisah 1:5; sebanyak seratus dua puluh orang bertobat dan menerima

Yesus

Kisah 2:14; pertobatan tiga ribu jiwa saat Petrus berkhotbah

Kisah 2:41-47; pertambahan yang berlangsung setiap hari karena kuasa

Roh Kudus bekerja di tengah-tengah jemaat

2) Pertumbuhan Kualitatif

Pertumbuhan Kualitatif adalah pertumbuhan yang berlangsung berdasarkan

nilai-nilai hubungan pribadi para murid atau anggota jemaat dengan Kristus

sebagai Tuhan dan Juru selamat. Pertumbuhan kulaitatif ini berlangsung secara

progresif yang dicerminkan dalam kehidupan yang saling mengasihi dan ikatan

persatuan yang erat. Jadi Pertumbuhan kualitatif berhubungan erat dengan

kesatuan tubuh Kristus. Kesatuan adalah sebuah indicator penting, dimana

tubuh Kristus hidup saling mengasihi, menerima perbedaan satu dengan yang

lain dan berjalan menuju kepada satu tujuan kesempurnaan seperti Kristus

Yesus.

Dalam pertumbuhan kulaitiatif sangat ditekankan kedewasaan rohani; tindakan,

ucapan dan pemikiran yang berazaskan kepada karakter Kristus. Ada banyak

hambatan dari suatu pertumbuhan kualitatif karena orang-orang di dalamnya

tidak pernah mencapai pertumbuhan iman yang baik atau sehat. Sikap

mementingkan diri, hasutan iblis, pola pikir yang tidak berubah, silat kata dan

pertengakaran merupakan penyebab mandegnya suatu pertumbuhan.

Contoh pertumbuhan gereja dalam Kitab Kisah Para rasul:

Mereka setiap hari berkumpul bersama berdoa dan memecahkan roti di

rumah-rumah

Persekutuan dan kerelaan untuk berbagi dengan saudara seiman

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Kejujuran untuk mempersembkan harta milik kepada Allah

Kerelaan dan semangat untuk memberitakan karya keselamatan Kristus

3) Gereja sebagai organisme yang hidup

Pertumbuhan organic dicerminkan dalam pertumbuhan organisasi dan

structural gereja. Sebuah gereja yang sehat tentunya memiliki sistim

kepemimpinan gerejawi yang lebih teratur dan dapat menyerap orang-orang

didalamnya untuk membangun kerjasama. Semua program dan rencana gereja

dapat berjalan dengan maksimal bila ada sistim kerja dan tata usaha yang baik

di dalamnya. Hal ini didasarkan pada pemahaman bahwa tata laksana dan

manajemen gereja bertujuan untuk menjalankan kepemiminan yang efektif.

Pengaturan kerja dan pemilihan orang-orang yang masuk dalam bidang-bidang

pelayanan harus berlandaskan karunia yang dimiliki. Sebagai contoh dalam

pelayanan sebuah ibadah atau kebaktian gereja; disana ada yang bertugas

sebagai pemain musik, pemimpin pujian, penghitung persembahan, usher dan

pengkhotbah. Semua acara tersebut dapat berjalan bila di atur melalui sebuah

managemen gereja yang baik.

Dalam sebuah pelayanan tentunya bukan hanya acara kebaktian yang diatur,

tetapi lebih dari itu adalah pengaturan dalam memberdayakan dan mengelola

jemaat sehingga tujuan gereja dapat tercapai. Dalam kitab Kisah Para rasul ada

pelayan meja, di Kitab Timotius disebutkan ada para diaken, rasul, dan

pemberita Injil. Tingkatan jabatan gereja pun diatur dengan suatu aturan

khusus. Demikian pula pendaftaran suatu lembaga gereja di kantor pemerintah

memerlukan syarat kelengkapan pengurus. Jadi dengan demikian sudah

seharusnya gereja menyadari betapa pentingnya pertumbuhan organisme.

Kepemimpinan yang cakap hanya dihasilkan dari sebuah pengaturan yang jelas

dari sebuah organisasi. Demikian pula struktur dan bagan organisasi sangat

membantu dalam pertumbuhan secara organic Pelayanan yang diatur melalui

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organisasi gereja tentunya lebih erat hubunganya supaya kesatuan tubuh Kristus

tetap terjaga dan disiplin gereja dapat ditegakkan.

Gereja yang sehat dan Alkitabiah memiliki keseimbangan dalam pertumbuhan;

kualitatif, kuantitatif dan organic. Ron Jenson dan Jim Stevens dala buku

Dinamika Pertumbuhan Gereja menuliskan definisi pertumbuhan gereja sebagai

berikut: “Pertumbuhan gereja adalah kenaikan yang seimbang dalam kauntitas,

kualitas dan kompleksitas organisasi sebuah gereja lokal. (2000; hal.8 ).

Mengenal PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA ALAMIAH by Paul D. Leichty

Konsep Natural Church Development dikembangkan oleh A. Schwarz.

Buku NCD (Natural Church development) menggabungkan beberapa

elemen seperti penelitian empiris, observasi intutitif, dan studi Alkitab untuk

menunjukkan bahwa memang ada kaitan antara kualitas kehidupan jemaat

dan pertumbuhan gereja. Berdasarkan riset lebih dari 1.000 gereja di 32

negara di 5 benua, NCD adalah bersifat keilmuan dan praktis juga.

Schwarz menghilangkan perbedaan antara cara berpikir teknokrat yang

bersandar kepada usaha manusia dan apa yang disebutnya sebagai

pendekatan alamiah atau ‗biotik‘, yang menemukan kembali prinsip-prinsip

illahi dari pertumbuhan dan kehidupan. Schwarz meletakan 4 tiang

bangunan dan 10 tindakan ke arah pertumbuhan gereja yang berfokus

pada suatu kualitas kehidupan gereja yang secara alamiah membawa

pertumbuhan angka juga. Buku NCD tersusun dengan cara sebagai

berikut:

Tiang bangunan no 1: Apa yang harus kita lakukan? – Isi

Tiang bangunan no 2: Kapan kita harus lakukan? – Waktu

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Tiang bangunan no 3: Bagaimana kita melakukannya? – Metode

Tiang bangunan no 4: Mengapa kita melakukannya? – Latar

belakang

10 Langkah tindakan penerapan

Tiang Bangunan no 1: Apa yang harus kita lakukan? – Isi

Schwarz menyadari bahwa begitu banyak model pertumbuhan gereja yang

mendorong gereja menirunya. Banyak dari model-model itu disebut ―mega-

churches‖ yang memiliki sukses yang sangat terkenal dlam pertumbuhan

gereja. Schwarz menyadari juga bahwa sekalipun kita dapat

mempelajarinya, kesemuanya itu seringkali tidak bisa cocok untuk semua

gereja. Proyek risetnya berfokus pada prinsip-prinsip yang memang ada

dalam gereja-gereja yang sukses, yang dianalisanya berdasarkan pola

pertumbuhan kualitas dan angka.

Schwarz mengidentifikasi 8 karakteristik kualitas yang jika kesemuanya

ada dalam sebuah gereja secara cukup maka secara praktis akan

menjamin pertumbuhan angka. Karakteristik ini adalah sebagai berikut:

1. Leadership yang sifatnya memperkuat “empowering

leadership”

2. Pelayanan yang berorientasi pada karunia

3. Kerohanian yang penuh semangat

4. Struktur tepat guna

5. Kebaktian yang penuh inspirasi

6. Kelompok kecil yang memenuhi seluruh kebutuhan manusia

7. Penginjilan yang didasarkan kepada menjawab kebutuhan

orang

8. Hubungan yang penuh kasih

Tiang Bangunan no 2: Kapan kita melakukannya? – Waktu

Dalam bagian 2, Shwarz mengantisipasi keberatan banyak orang yaitu

bahwa semuanya tidak mungkin ada secara sekaligus dalam sebuah

gereja. Ia menjelaskan bahwa ia menyebut ‗faktor minimum‘ yang biasanya

membatasi pertumbuhan gereja. Ilustrasi yang paling mengesankan adalah

tong air yang terbuat dari 8 papan yang mewakili 8 segi pertumbuhan

alamiah di bagian 1. Papan-papan itu mungkin panjang, mewakili kualitas

yang tinggi, tetapi gereja tidak dapat ‗menahan‘ air atau bertumbuh secara

angka jika salah satunya itu rendah. Pasti akan terjadi kebocoran. Ia

kemudian menunjukkan bagaimana menggunakan kekuatan gereja dari

suatu jemaat untuk memperbaiki kelemahan yang ada.

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Tiang Bangunan no 3: bagaimana kita melakukannya? – Metode

Pada bagian 3, Schwarz menjelaskan secara lebih detail erbedaan antara

‗cara berpikir teknokrat‘ yang biasa kita pakai, dengan prinsip-prinsip ‗biotik‘

yang harus kita temukan kembali. Ia mengidentifikasi 6 prinsip ‗biotik‘ yang

utama:

1. Interdependensi

2. Multiplikasi

3. Energy Transformation

4. Multi-usage

5. Simbiosis

6. Fungsionalitas

Tiang Bangunan no 4: Mengapa kita melakukannya – Latar belakang

Pada bagian 4, Prinsip yang berasal dari alam diperiksa dengan standard

Alkitab. Schwarz mengidentifikasi apa yang disebutnya ‗teologi bipolar‘ di

seluruh Perjanjian Baru di mana kutub dinamis menekankan pertumbuhan

organik dan kemerdekaan, harus konstan berinteraksi dengan kutub

tetap/statis, yang menekankan bangunan teknis dan perintah agar manusia

mengatur ciptaan. Ia mengatakan bahwa kutub dinamis menghasilkan

kutub statis, yang kemudian menstimulai dinamikanya kembali.

Schwarz tahu adanya bahaya ke kiri dan ke kanan ketika salah satu kutub

itu hilang. Terlalu menekankan kutub statis akan menghasilkan monisme,

yang memandang hanya kepada paradigma teknokrat. Ia berpikir bahwa

inilah yang menjadi kecenderungan gerakan pertumbuhan gereja. Di sisi

lain, ia menyesali penekanan berlebihan kepada kutub dinamis yang

memproduksi dualisme, atau apa yang disebutnya paradigma spiritualistik.

Mereka yang dengan paradigma spiritualistik cenderung berpikir bahwa

suatu pekerjaan tidak rohani sampai Allah yang melakukannya secara

supranatural, seperti tindakan yang berlawanan dengan hukum normal

yang ditetapkan Allah.

Schwarz percaya secara mendalam bahwa kebergantungan pada Allah

berarti kita mengambil secara serius cara ‗alamiah‘ dan ‗normal‘ dalam

kerja sementara terus menerus terbuka kepada kejutan-kejutan yang Allah

bisa lakukan. Ia terus menjelaskan secara baik tentang bipolaritas ini dan

menerangkan bagaimana perbedaan pandangannya dengan pragmatisme.

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10 Langkah Tindakan Penerapan

Dengan begitu banyak yang harus dipikirkan dalam tiang-tiang bangunan,

bagian ke 5 mendaftarkan 10 langkah praktis untuk menerapkan

Pertumbuhan Gereja Alamiah. Sebagai berikut:

1. Bangunlah momentum rohani

2. Tentukan faktor minimum gereja anda

3. Tetapkan sasaran kualitatif

4. Identifikasi halangan-halangan

5. Terapkan prinsip pertumbuhan biotik

6. Latih kekuatan anda

7. Gunakan perlengkapan biotik

8. Monitor keefektifannya

9. Lihat lagi mana fsktor minimum berikutnya

10. Lipat gandakan gereja anda.

Demikianlah sepintas, semoga kita dapat mengambil manfaat dari buku

Pertumbuhan Gereja Alamiah, lalu mulai terapkan sedikit demi sedikit. Jika

ada yang belum jelas, bisa email ke kami, kami akan jawab sebisa kami

untuk membantu anda.

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PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA DI SINGAPURA

Pendahuluan

Singapura adalah sebuah negara-kota yang menurut statistik

negara itu tahun 2008 berpenduduk 4,8394 jiwa. Dari jumlah tersebut, yang

beragama Buddha 39,5 %, Kristen (Katolik dan Protestan) 17,5 %, Islam

13,9 %, Taoisme 8,5 %, Hindu 4 %, dan lain-lain 1,6 %. Di samping itu

masih ada 14,8 % penduduk yang menyatakan tidak menganut agama

apapun, yang disebut dengan kaum pemikir bebas (free thinkers). Tujuan

tulisan ini adalah memaparkan sejauh mana pertumbuhan gereja di

Singapura dan tantangan apa saja yang dihadapinya. Dengan demikian

diharapkan kita – yang berada di Indonesia – dapat belajar hal-hal positif

yang ada di sana, menyeleksinya dan menerapkan dalam pelayanan kita

secara kontekstual sesuai dengan pimpinan Roh Kudus.

Namun sebelumnya akan dipaparkan dulu beberapa hakekat pertumbuhan

gereja dan faktor-faktor penentunya sebagaimana dikemukakan oleh

Alkitab dan ahli pertumbuhan gereja.

Hakekat Pertumbuhan Gereja

Menurut Donald M. Gavran, yang dikenal sebagai “Bapak

Pertumbuhan Gereja”, pertumbuhan gereja adalah “segala sesuatu yang

mencakup soal membawa orang-orang yang tidak memiliki hubungan

pribadi dengan Yesus Kristus ke dalam persekutuan dengan Dia dan

membawa mereka menjadi anggota gereja yang bertanggung jawab.” Dari

definisi ini ada beberapa komponen penting pertumbuhan gereja, yaitu misi

dan penginjilan serta pemuridan.

Dasar Alkitabiah Pertumbuhan Gereja

Alkitan sendiri, khususnya Perjanjian Baru memberikan dasar

pertumbuhan gereja yang sangat kuat. Gereja atau Jemaat didirikan oleh

Tuhan Yesus Kristus sendiri dan alam maut tidak akan menguasainya

(Mat. 16:18). Gereja adalah persekutuan orang percaya, lahir pada Hari

Pentakosta, di mana 120 orang murid dipenuhi oleh Roh Kudus di loteng

Yerusalem (Kisah 2:1-13). Kemudian murid-murid tersebut memberitakan

Injil Kerajaan Allah dan banyak orang menjadi percaya, mulai dari 120

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orang menjadi bertambah 3.000 orang (Kisah 2:41), kemudian jumlah

orang percaya terus bertambah (Kisah 2:47), bertumbuh menjadi lebih dari

5.000 orang (Kisah 4:4). Selanjutnya dari Jemaat di Yerusalem yang terus

bertambah (Kisah 6:7), lalu berkembang ke seluruh daerah Yudea dan

Samaria (Kisah 8:1), ke Fenisia, Sipus dan Antiokhia (Kisah 11:19), ke

Makedonia, Filipi (Kisah 16:10), ke Roma, Italia (Kisah 28:30-31), dan terus

bertumbuh dan berkembang ke seluruh dunia hingga kini.

Faktor-faktor Pertumbuhan Gereja

Peter C. Wagner sebagai salah seorang ahli terkemuka mengenai

Pertumbuhan Gereja melakukan banyak penelitian dan ditemukanlah 7

(tujuh) faktor penentu yang menyebabkan sebuah Gereja bertumbuh dan

berkembang. Faktor-faktor yang dimaksud adalah sebagai berikut:

(1) Kepemimpinan – khususnya Gembala Jemaat yang merupakan

seorang yang berpikiran serba mungkin dan yang kepemimpinan

dinamisnya telah digunakan untuk mengubah seluruh gereja agar bertindak

demi pertumbuhan.

(2) Mobilisasi Jemaat – kaum kawan sekerja Allah (“awam”) yang

dimobilisasi dengan baik (sehingga mau melayani sebagai pengerja,

pengurus, bahkan menjadi Majelis) yang telah menemukan dan

mengembangkan serta sedang menggunakan semua karunia rohani untuk

pertumbuhan.

(3) Jangkauan Pelayanan – gereja menyediakan jangkauan pelayanan

yang memenuhi kebutuhan dan harapan para anggotanya.

(4) Keseimbangan – adanya keseimbangan yang tepat dari hubungan

yang dinamis antara perayaan (celebration),jemaat, dan kelompok sel.

(5) Homogenitas – keanggotaan yang diambil terutama dari satu unit

homogen, namun tetap terbuka untuk semua orang,

(6) Penginjilan dan Pemuridan – menggunakan metode-metode

penginjilan yang telah diuji untuk memuridkan.

(7) Prioritas – menyusun prioritas pelayanan menurut urutan Alkitabiah,

yaitu: tanggung jawab kepada Kristus (Penginjilan), tanggung jawba

kepada Tubuh Kristus (keterlibatan sosial), tanggung jawab kepada

pekerjaan Kristus di dalam dunia (pelayanan sosial dan aksi sosial).

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Faktor-faktor tersebut di atas bersifat umum dan saling berkaitan satu

dengan yang lain. Kekuatan atau dominansi faktor-faktor di atas bisa

berbeda di tempat yang satu dibandingkan di tempat yang lain pada waktu

yang berbeda pula. Dengan kata lain, faktor-faktor pertumbuhan gereja

bersifat kontekstual, sesuai konteks situasi dan kondisi setempat pada

waktu tertentu.

Dalam perkembangan berikutnya, Peter Wagner mengamati ada beberapa

ciri khusus pada gereja-gereja yang mengalami pertumbuhan secara

spektakuler. Menurut hasil penelitiannya, ada 9 (sembilan) ciri gereja yang

bertumbuh: (1) nama gereja yang baru, (2) struktur otoritas yang baru, (3)

pelatihan kepemimpinan yang baru, (4) fokus pelayanan yang baru, (5)

corak penyembahan yang baru, (6) bentuk-bentuk doa yang baru, (7)

pengaturan keuangan yang baru, (8) penjangkauan yang baru, dan (9)

orientasi kuasa yang baru. Semuanya berdasar pada kebenaran firman

Tuhan namun dalam bentuk kemasan pelayanan yang baru.

Pertumbuhan Gereja di Singapura

Kekristenan pertamakali tiba di pantai Singapura segera sesudah pendirian

Siangpura modern di tahun 1819. Dalam 6 bulan misionaris Protestan

pertama tiba untuk melayani secara lokal, sedangkan imam Katolik Roma

pertama datang di bulan Desember 1821 untuk melihat kemungkinan

dibukanya pos misi, dan merayakan misa pertamanya di sana.

Kaum colonial saat itu menggunakan kebijakan resmi bersifat netral dan

tidak ikut campur dalam soal keagamaan. Para misionaris mendirikan

gereja dan pelayanan Kristen di Singapura. Mereka juga mendirikan

organisasi kesejahteraan dan banyak sekolah misi yang kini termasuk

seminari berkualitas sangat baik.

Pemimpin gereja setempat secara bertahap mengambil alih pelayanan

para misionaris/ Sekolah Tinggi Teologia didirikan dan menghasilkan

pemimpin gereja generasi berikutnya, dan terjadilah pertumbuhan yang

luar biasa. Persentase orang Kristen bertumbuh dari 12,7 % di tahun 1990

menjadi 14,6 % di tahun 2000, dan menurut sensus tahun 2010 sudah

menjadi 17,5 %.

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Di Singapura, ada gereja-gereja yang bertumbuh secara spektakuler, dari

gereja dengan jumlah anggota jemaat yang kecil

menjadi megachurch, misalnya:

(1) City Harvest Church – didirikan pada tahun 1989 dan kini

digembalakan oleh Rev. Kong Hee, memiliki 23.000 jemaat.

(2) New Creation Church – didirikan pada tahun 1984 dan kini

digembalakan oleh Rev. Joseph Prince, berkembang dari 25 orang jemaat

menjadi 16.000 orang jemaat.

(3) Faith Community Baptist Church – didirikan pada tahun 1986 dan

kini digembalakan oleh Rev. Lawrence Khong, memiliki 10.000 jemaat.

(4) Trinity Christian Center – didirikan pada tahun 1969 dan kini

digembalakan oleh Rev. Glen Stafford, berkembang dari 10 orang jemaat

menjadi 5.500 orang jemaat.

Berikut ini adalah salah satu contoh beberapa strategi pelayanan yang

pernah dilakukan oleh Rev. Lawrence Khong sekitar 10 tahun yang lalu,

melalui perogram “Love Singapore 2001”. Pada tahun 1995, Lawrence

Khong yang adalah Gembala Sidang Faith Community Baptist Church

memperoleh visi untuk menjangkau populasi Singapura yang berjumlah 4

juta orang dengan berita Injil. Dia berencana: (1) mendorong persatuan di

antara gereja-gereja, (2) melayani masyarakat dengan tindakan yang

nyata, (3) memulai sel-sel doa di setiap blok-blok berpenduduk padat di

Singapura, (4) mengadakan 7 tahap kampanye penginjilan di tahun 2001,

dan (5) menghimbau agar setiap gereja Kristen di Singapura untuk

mengadopsi kelompok-kelompok yang belum terjangkau. Hingga hari ini,

sekitar 100 dari 300 gereja-gereja di Singapura telah menggabungkan diri

dalam visi tersebut, dan sekitar 400 gembala sidang menghadiri pertemuan

tahunan Prayer Summit. 50.000 orang percaya mengambil bagian dalam

lomba lari yang berlangsung baru-baru ini, dan hasil dana yang terkumpul

disalurkan ke berbagai lembaga amal Kristen maupun non Kristen. Sebagai

tambahan, „Love Singapore Fund‟ (Dana Cinta Singapura) juga dimulai,

yang dikumpulkan oleh gereja-gereja untuk membantu orang-orang

pengangguran atau membutuhkan dari semua kalangan agama.

Contoh di atas menunjukkan adanya tindakan iman yang dilakukan,

sehingga gereja menjadi berkat bagi sekitarnya. Oreang-orang mengalami

lawatan dan jamahan Tuhan, kemudian berbalik dan bertobat, serta datang

kepada Tuhan Yesus Kristus.

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Penutup

Tuhan Yesus Kristus – Sang Kepala Gereja – juga menghendaki agar

gereja-gereja di Indonesia termasuk Gereja Isa Almasih Pringgading terus

mengalami pertumbuhan dan perkembangan, bukan dengan meniru gereja

lain, melainkan berpedoman pada pimpinan Roh Kudus sendiri melalui

hamba-hamba-Nya. Jangan menjadi penonton saja, melainkan ikutlah

dalam gerekan Roh Kudus yang luar biasa bagi Gereja-Nya. Mulailah

berdoa bagi gereja kita, memberitakan Injil melalui perkataan dan

perbuatan kita, memberikan yang terbaik dari harta kita untuk misi dan

penginjilan, serta menaruh kepedulian padaa masyarakat di sekitar kitta

yang membutuhkan.(PFS)

Kepustakaan:

1. Peter C. Wagner (1979), Gereja Saudara Dapat Bertumbuh (terj.). Malang:

Penerbit Gandum Mas.

2. Peter C. Wagner (1999), Gempa Gereja! (terj.). Jakarta: Nafiri Gabriel.

3. Peter C. Wagner , ed. (2001), Gereja-gereja Rasuli Yang Baru. Jakarta:

Yayasan Pekabaran Injil “Immanuel”.

4. Internet

Petrus F. Setiadarma

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PRINSIP-PRINSIP PERTUMBUHAN GEREJA

Bagaimana sebuah Gereja yang dimulai dengan lima orang anggota di tahun 1958 bisa bertumbuh menjadi gereja terbesar di dunia dengan lebih dari 800.000 anggota ? Ada beberapa prinsip kunci yang dilakukan Yoido Full Gospel Churchsehingga mereka bisa bertumbuh secara fenomenal.

Doa

Pendiri dan Gembala Senior emeritus Yonggi Cho mengajarkan bahwa kuasa doa membuat hubungan gereja dengan Roh Kudus menjadi hidup dan dinamis. Anggota gereja mereka bukan hanya berdoa dengan suara keras dan sungguh-sungguh dalam ibadah-ibadah doa, tetapi mereka juga mengunjungi bukit doa untuk berdoa serta berpuasa. Dr. Cho mengajar jemaatnya kuasa doa sehingga hal tersebut membuat penginjilan serta pemberitaan Injil menjadi lebih mudah, yang pada akhirnya membuat jemaat lebih suka lagi untuk berdoa.

Hidup Dalam Dimensi Keempat

Dr. Cho mengajar jemaatnya untuk tidak dibatasi oleh dimensi ketiga, tetapi mereka harus belajar berbicara dalam bahasa-Nya Roh Kudus yaitu dimensi keempat dari impian dan visi. Mereka perlu mengubah pemikiran mereka dari tidak mungkin menjadi mungkin dan memperkatakannya dengan suara keras, untuk memberikan apa yang tersedia dengan iman, dan mengijinkan Tuhan untuk menangani selebihnya.

Cara berpikir empat dimensi yaitu melakukan empat langkah inkubasi/pengeraman. Diawali dengan suatu hubungan yang erat dengan

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Roh Kudus. Setelah menerima sebuah rhema visi atau mimpi dari Roh Kudus, orang tersebut harus mengerami hal tersebut dengan iman. Yang kedua, perlu didefinisikan secara jelas sasaran yang diinginkan. Yang ketiga, perlu didoakan sampai ada suatu keyakinan dan rasa damai dari Tuhan. Yang terakhir, perlu mengucap syukur kepada Tuhan serta melepaskan iman lewat pengakuan.

Dr. Cho mengatakan bahwa pertumbuhan gerejanya terjadi karena dia mengerami visi yang Tuhan berikan kepada dia. Setelah menerima visi tersebut, gerejanya bertumbuh dari 600 menjadi 3.000 menjadi 6.000 dan akhirnya menjadi 800.000 sekarang ini.

Memperhatikan Kebutuhan Orang

Karena percaya bahwa orang akan memberikan respon pada waktu kita memenuhi kebutuhan mereka, maka para anggota Yoido Full Gospel Church melihat kebutuhan yang ada dalam kehidupan orang-orang di sekitar mereka dan berusaha sebisa mungkin untuk memenuhinya. Hal ini didasarkan pada 3 Yohanes 2 yang berbunyi, " Saudaraku yang kekasih, aku berdoa, semoga engkau baik-baik ( prosper = makmur ) dan sehat-sehat saja dalam segala sesuatu, sama seperti jiwamu baik-baik ( prosper = makmur ) saja." Dr. Cho mengajarkan bahwa ayat ini bisa diaplikasikan dalam 3 berkat berganda dari Tuhan, yaitu berkat secara rohani, secara materi dan kesehatan tubuh. Pada waktu para jemaat semakin makmur dalam ketiga area ini, maka mereka juga bertumbuh dalam kesuksesan.

Sistem Cell Group

Mungkin hal terpenting dalam faktor pertumbuhan gereja Yoido Full Gospel adalah aspek yang paling terkenal dari gereja ini : sel grup - dimana gereja tidak berpusat pada pendeta & staff sepenuh waktu tetapi pada para pemimpin awam dan sel-sel grup. Dengan berfokus pada kehidupan sehari-hari angotanya, Dr. Cho memberdayakan anggotanya untuk menjadi pelayan yang melayani anggota keluarga mereka, tetangga dan rekan sekerja mereka. Karena melihat system sel sebagai dasar gereja, maka semua departemen dan aktivitas dirancang untuk bisa membuat system sel grup berjalan dengan lebih baik. Dengan begitu pertumbuhan gereja tidak terbatas pada ukuran gedung gereja tetapi pertumbuhan gereja bisa melampaui keempat dinding gereja. System sel grup ini juga memperkuat gereja karena anggota jemaat bisa berkumpul di rumah-rumah seperti yang tertulis di dalam Alkitab.

( Terjemahan bebas dari artikel " Principles For Church Growth " di City News Weekly, May 26, 2010 )

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Apa itu pertumbuhan rohani?

Pertanyaan: Apa itu pertumbuhan rohani? Jawaban: Pertumbuhan rohani ada proses menjadi makin serupa dengan Yesus Kristus. Ketika kita menempatkan iman kita kepada Yesus, Roh Kudus memulai proses menjadikan kita makin serupa dengan Yesus, menjadikan kita sama dengan gambarNya. Pertumbuhan rohani barangkali diuraikan dengan paling jelas dalam 2 Petrus 1:3-8 yang memberitahukan kita bahwa dengan kuasa Allah Dia ―telah menganugerahkan kepada kita segala sesuatu yang berguna untuk hidup yang saleh oleh pengenalan kita akan Dia, yang telah memanggil kita oleh kuasa-Nya yang mulia dan ajaib. Dengan jalan itu Ia telah menganugerahkan kepada kita janji-janji yang berharga dan yang sangat besar, supaya olehnya kamu boleh mengambil bagian dalam kodrat ilahi, dan luput dari hawa nafsu duniawi yang membinasakan dunia. Justru karena itu kamu harus dengan sungguh-sungguh berusaha untuk menambahkan kepada imanmu kebajikan, dan kepada kebajikan pengetahuan, dan kepada pengetahuan penguasaan diri, kepada penguasaan diri ketekunan, dan kepada ketekunan kesalehan, dan kepada kesalehan kasih akan saudara-saudara, dan kepada kasih akan saudara-saudara kasih akan semua orang. Sebab apabila semuanya itu ada padamu dengan berlimpah-limpah, kamu akan dibuatnya menjadi giat dan berhasil dalam pengenalanmu akan Yesus Kristus, Tuhan kita.‖ Dalam Galatia 5:19-23 ada dua macam daftar. Galatia 5:19-21 mencatat ―perbuatan daging.‖ Hal-hal ini adalah hal-hal yang merupakan kehidupan kita sebelum kita percaya Yesus untuk keselamatan kita. Perbuatan-perbuatan kedagingan adalah kegiatan-kegiatan yang kita akui, sesali dan dengan pertolongan Tuhan kita kalahkan. Saat kita mengalami pertumbuhan rohani, makin sedikit ―perbuatan-perbuatan kedagingan‖ yang nyata dalam hidup kita. Daftar kedua adalah ―buah Roh‖ (Galatia 5:22-33). Ini adalah hal-hal yang merupakan kehidupan kita setelah kita mengalami keselamatan di dalam Yesus Kristus. Pertumbuhan rohani dinyatakan dengan makin nyatanya buah Roh dalam kehidupan orang percaya. Ketika terjadi perubahan hidup karena diselamatkan, pertumbuhan rohani dimulai. Roh Kudus berdiam di dalam kita (Yohanes 14:16-17). Kita adalah ciptaan baru di dalam Kristus (2 Korintus 5:17). pribadilama kita digantikan dengan yang baru (Roma 6-7). Pertumbuhan rohani adalah proses seumur hidup yang terjadi melalui mempelajari dan menerapkan Firman Tuhan (2 Timotius 3:16-17), dan berjalan dengan Roh (Galatia 5:16-26). Untuk

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bertumbuh secara rohani, kita dapat berdoa kepada Tuhan, minta Dia memberi hikmat untuk bagian-bagian apa dalam hidup kita yang Dia ingin kita bertumbuh. Kita dapat memohon kepada Tuhan untuk menolong kita meningkatkan iman dan pengetahuan kita akan Dia. Tuhan menghendaki kita untuk bertumbuh secara rohani. Tuhan telah memberi kita segala yang kita butuhkan untuk mengalami pertumbuhan rohani. Dengan pertolongan Roh Kudus kita dapat mengalahkan dosa dan dengan pasti makin menjadi serupa dengan Juruselamat kita, Tuhan Yesus Kristus.

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BAB III. PRAYER

Apa itu berdoa dalam Roh?

Pertanyaan: Apa itu berdoa dalam Roh? Jawaban: Berdoa dalam Roh disebutkan tiga kali dalam Kitab Suci. 1 Korintus 14:15 mengatakan, ―Jadi, apakah yang harus kubuat? Aku akan berdoa dengan rohku, tetapi aku akan berdoa juga dengan akal budiku; aku akan menyanyi dan memuji dengan rohku, tetapi aku akan menyanyi dan memuji juga dengan akal budiku‖ (1 Korintus 14:15). Efesus 6:18 mengatakan, ―Dalam segala doa dan permohonan. Berdoalah setiap waktu di dalam Roh dan berjaga-jagalah di dalam doamu itu dengan permohonan yang tak putus-putusnya untuk segala orang Kudus‖ Yudas 20 mengatakan, ―Akan tetapi kamu, saudara-saudaraku yang kekasih, bangunlah dirimu sendiri di atas dasar imanmu yang paling suci dan berdoalah dalam Roh Kudus.‖ Jadi apa itu berdoa dalam Roh? Kata Bahasa Yunani yang diterjemahkan ―berdoa dalam‖ dapat memiliki beberapa makna. Kata itu dapat berarti ―dengan cara,‖ ―dengan pertolongan,‖ ―dalam dunia,‖ dan ―dalam hubungan dengan.‖ Berdoa dalam Roh bukan menunjuk pada kata-kata yang kita ucapkan. Sebaliknya, itu menunjuk pada bagaimana kita berdoa. Berdoa dalam Roh adalah berdoa sesuai dengan pimpinan Roh. Itu adalah berdoa untuk hal-hal yang Roh mau kita doakan. Roma 8:26 memberitahu kita, ―Demikian juga Roh membantu kita dalam kelemahan kita; sebab kita tidak tahu, bagaimana sebenarnya harus berdoa; tetapi Roh sendiri berdoa untuk kita kepada Allah dengan keluhan-keluhan yang tidak terucapkan.‖ Ada orang, berdasarkan 1 Korintus 14:15, menyamakan berdoa dalam Roh dengan berdoa dalam bahasa lidah. Berbicara mengenai karunia bahasa lidah, Paul menyebut ―berdoa dengan rohku.‖ 1 Korintus 14:14 menyatakan bahwa ketika seseorang berdoa dalam bahasa lidah, dia tidak tahu apa yang dikatakannya, karena itu diucapkan dalam bahasa yang tidak diketahuinya. Lebih lagi, tidak seorangpun dapat memahami apa yang dikatakan, kecuali ada penerjemah (1 Korintus 14:27-28). Dalam Efesus 6:18 Paulus memerintahkan kita untuk ―dalam segala doa dan permohonan. Berdoalah setiap waktu di dalam Roh dan berjaga-jagalah di dalam doamu itu dengan permohonan yang tak putus-putusnya untuk segala orang Kudus,‖ Bagaimana kita dapat berdoa dalam dengan

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permohonan yang tak putus-putusnya dan berdoa untuk segala orang kudus kalau tidak seorangpun, termasuk orang yang berdoa, yang mengerti apa yang diucapkan? Karena itu berdoa dengan Roh harus dipahami sebagai berdoa dalam kuasa Roh, dengan pimpinan Roh, dan menurut kehendak-Nya, bukan sebagai berdoa dalam bahasa lidah.

Apa itu doa keliling? Apakah doa keliling itu Alkitabiah?

Pertanyaan: Apa itu doa keliling? Apakah doa keliling itu Alkitabiah? Jawaban: Doa keliling adalah kebiasaan berdoa di lokasi, semacam doa syafaat yang mencakup berjalan mengelilingi atau dekat tempat tertentu sambil berdoa. Ada sebagian orang percaya bahwa berada dekat dengan lokasi doa memungkinkan mereka untuk ―berdoa lebih dekat, berdoa lebih tepat.‖ Doa keliling dilakukan oleh individu-individu, kelompok, bahkan seluruh gereja. Itu bisa dilakukan dalam satu blok atau beberapa mil jauhnya. Idenya adalah menggunakan panca indra – penglihatan, pendengaran, penciuman, pengecap, dan peraba – untuk meningkatkan pemahaman pendoa syafaat akan kebutuhan doa. Misalnya, kalau Anda berjalan di lingkungan termpat tinggal sambil mencari hal-hal untuk didoakan, Anda mungkin akan menemukan halaman yang sangat tidak rapih dan kumuh. Ini akan mendorong Anda untuk berdoa untuk kesehatan, jasmani dan rohani, dari orang yang tinggal di dalam. Beberapa kelompok berdoa keliling mengitari sekolah-sekolah, mendoalan para guru dan siswa di sana, untuk keamanan dan kesejahteraan mereka, dan agar rencana si jahat terhadap sekolah itu dihancurkan. Ada orang yang merasa mereka lebih bisa berkonsentrasi dan mengarahkan doa mereka dengan lebih efektif dengan berjalan dekat orang-orang dan tempat-tempat yang mereka doakan. Berdoa keliling bisa dikata adalah fenomena baru yang asalnya tidak jelas. Tidak ada contoh Alkitab mengenai berdoa keliling, sekalipun berjalan kaki adalah modus utama dari transportasi pada zaman Alkitab, di mana jelas orang pasti berjalan dan berdoa pada saat yang bersamaan. Namun demikian, tidak ada perintah langsung dalam Alkitab bahwa doa keliling adalah sesuatu yang harus kita lakukan. Mempercayai bahwa doa yang dipanjatkan dalam keadaan tertentu, atau sementara berada dalam posisi tertentu sebagai lebih efektif daripada waktu dan cara yang lain adalah

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tidak Alkitabiah. Lebih dari itu, sementara kita merasa perlu berada dekat dengan lokasi atau situasi untuk berdoa dengan lebih jelas, Bapa surgawi kita, yang ada di segala tempat pada segala waktu, tahu dengan jelas apa yang diperlukan dan akan menanggapinya pada waktu-Nya dan kehendak-Nya yang sempurna. Fakta bahwa Dia mengizinkan kita untuk menjadi bagian dari rencana-Nya melalui doa kita adalah untuk keuntungan kita, bukan untuk Dia. Kita diperintahkan untuk ―tetaplah berdoa‖ (1 Tesalonika 5:17), dan karena berjalan adalah sesuatu yang kita lakukan setiap hari, jelaslah bahwa bagian dari tetap berdoa adalah berdoa sambil berjalan. Allah mendengar semua doa yang dipanjatkan oleh mereka yang tinggal di dalam Kristus (Yohanes 15:7), tanpa memperdulikan waktu, tempat atau posisi. Pada saat yang sama, jelas tidak ada larangan terhadap doa keliling, dan semua yang mendorong kita untuk berdoa layak untuk dipertimbangkan.

Apa itu meditasi Kristen?

Pertanyaan: Apa itu meditasi Kristen? Jawaban: Mazmur 19:15 menyatakan, ―Mudah-mudahan Engkau berkenan akan ucapan mulutku dan renungan (Inggris: meditasi) hatiku, ya TUHAN, gunung batuku dan penebusku.‖ Kalau begitu apa itu meditasi Kristen dan bagaimana seharusnya orang Kristen bermeditasi? Ketika kata ―meditasi‖ digunakan sekarang ini, biasanya terkandung makna mistis di dalamnya. Bagi sebagian orang, meditasi adalah menjernihkan pikiran sambil duduk dalam posisi yang tidak lumrah. Bagi yang lainnya, meditasi adalah berhubungan dengan dunia roh di sekeliling kita. Konsep-konsep semacam ini jelaslah bukan meditasi Kristen. Meditasi Kristen tidak ada sangkut pautnya dengan praktek-praktek yang memiliki mistisisme Timur sebagai dasarnya. Praktek-praktek itu meliputi lectio divina, meditasi transendental, dan berbagai bentuk yang disebut sebagai ―doa kontemplasi.‖ Semua ini pada intinya adalah premis yang berbahaya bahwa kita perlu ―mendengar suara Allah,‖ bukan melalui Firman-Nya, namun melalui wahyu khusus melalui meditasi. Beberapa gereja dipenuhi dengan orang-orang yang berpikir bahwa mereka mendengar ―Firman dari Tuhan,‖ sering secara berkontradiksi dan akibatnya mengakibatkan perpecahan dalam Tubuh Kristus. Orang-orang Kristen tidak boleh mengabaikan Firman Allah, yang ―diilhamkan Allah

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memang bermanfaat untuk mengajar, untuk menyatakan kesalahan, untuk memperbaiki kelakuan dan untuk mendidik orang dalam kebenaran. Dengan demikian tiap-tiap manusia kepunyaan Allah diperlengkapi untuk setiap perbuatan baik‖ (2Timotius 3:16-17). Kalau Alkitab sudah cukup untuk memperlengkapi kita secara menyeluruh untuk setiap perbuatan baik, bagaimana mungkin kia berpikir bahwa kita perlu mencari pengalaman mistis? Bagi seorang Kristen, meditasi semata-mata hanyalah pada Firman Allah dan apa yang dinyatakan mengenai Dia. Daud memahami hal ini dan menggambarkan bahwa orang yang ―berbahagia‖ adalah orang ―yang kesukaannya ialah Taurat TUHAN, dan yang merenungkan Taurat itu siang dan malam‖ (Mazmur 1:2). Meditasi Kristen yang sejati adalah proses pikiran secara aktif (memikirkan), di mana kita mendedikasikan diri untuk mempelajari Firman Allah, mendoakan, dan meminta Allah memberi kita pengertian melalui Roh yang telah berjanji untuk memimpin kita ke dalam ―seluruh kebenaran‖ (Yohanes 16:13). Kemudian kita menerapkan kebenaran ini, mendedikasikan diri kita kepada Kitab Suci sebagai pedoman hidup dan perbuatan sehari-hari. Hal ini mengakibatkan pertumbuhan rohani dan kedewasaan dalam hal-hal yang berhubungan dengan Allah sebagaimana kita diajarkan oleh Roh Kudus-nya. Itulah meditasi Kristen.

Apa kata Alkitab mengenai peperangan rohani?

Pertanyaan: Apa kata Alkitab mengenai peperangan rohani? Jawaban: Ada dua kesalahan utama dalam soal peperangan rohani: penekanan yang berlebihan dan ketidakpedulian. Sebagian orang menyalahkan setiap dosa, konflik, dan persoalan pada Iblis yang perlu ditengking. Yang lainnya sama sekali tidak memperdulikan dunia rohani dan bahwa Alkitab menginstruksikan bahwa peperangan kita adalah kuasa-kuasa rohani. Kunci dari peperangan rohani yang berhasil adalah menemukan keseimbangan yang Alkitabiah. Kadang kala Yesus mengusir setan keluar dari diri orang-orang, kadang pula Dia menyembuhkan orang tanpa menyebut tentang setan. Rasul Paulus menasehatkan orang-orang Kristen untuk berperang melawan dosa di dalam diri mereka (Roma 6) dan berperang melawan si jahat (Efesus 6:10-18). Efesus 6:10-12 mengatakan, ―Akhirnya, hendaklah kamu kuat di dalam Tuhan, di dalam kekuatan kuasa-Nya. Kenakanlah seluruh perlengkapan senjata Allah, supaya kamu dapat bertahan melawan tipu muslihat Iblis;

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karena perjuangan kita bukanlah melawan darah dan daging, tetapi melawan pemerintah-pemerintah, melawan penguasa-penguasa, melawan penghulu-penghulu dunia yang gelap ini, melawan roh-roh jahat di udara.‖ Ayat ini mengajar kita beberapa kebenaran penting: (1) Kita hanya bisa menjadi kuat dengan kekuatan dari Tuhan, (2) Adalah perlengkapan senjata Tuhan yang melindungi kita, (3) Peperangan kita adalah melawan kuasa-kuasa kejahatan dalam dunia ini. (1) Contoh yang bagus sekali mengenai hal ini adalah Mikhael, sang penghulu malaikat dalam Yudas ayat 9. Mikhael, kemungkinan adalah malaikat yang paling perkasa dibanding semua malaikat Tuhan lainnya, tidak menegur Iblis dengan kuasanya sendiri, namun mengatakan, ―Kiranya Tuhan menghardik engkau!" Wahyu 12:7-8 mencatat bahwa pada akhir zaman Mikhael akan mengalahkan Iblis. Walaupun demikian, saat menghadapi konflik dengan Iblis, Mikhael menghardik Iblis dalam nama dan otoritas Tuhan, bukan dari dirinya sendiri. Hanya melalui hubungan kita dengan Yesus Kristus kita sebagai orang Kristen memiliki otoritas terhadap Iblis dan pengikut-pengikutnya. Hanya dalam nama Yesus kita memiliki kuasa untuk menengking Iblis. (2) Efesus 6:13-18 memberi kita gambaran mengenai senjata rohani yang Tuhan berikan kepada kita. Kita dipanggil untuk berdiri teguh dengan (a) ikat pinggang kebenaran, (b) berbajuzirahkan keadilan, (c) Injil damai sejahtera, (d) perisai iman, (e) ketopong keselamatan, (f) pedang roh, dan (g) berdoa dalam Roh. Apa arti senjata-senjata rohani ini dalam peperangan rohani? Kita perlu menyatakan kebenaran untuk melawan tipu muslihat Iblis. Kita bisa tenang karena kita dinyatakan benar oleh karena pengorbanan Kristus bagi kita. Kita perlu memberitakan Injil betapapun besarnya hambatan yang kita alami. Kita tidak boleh goyah dalam iman kita sekeras apapun kita diserang. Pertahanan kita yang paling utama adalah jaminan bahwa kita sudah diselamatkan dan tidak ada kuasa apapun yang dapat mengambil itu dari kita. Senjata serang kita adalah Firman Tuhan, bukan pendapat atau perasaan kita sendiri. Kita perlu mengikuti teladan Yesus yang mengenali bahwa ada kemenangan rohani yang hanya dapat dicapai melalui doa. Yesus adalah teladan utama kita dalam peperangan rohani. Perhatikan bagaimana Yesus menghadapi serangan langsung dari si Iblis. ―Maka Yesus dibawa oleh Roh ke padang gurun untuk dicobai Iblis. Dan setelah berpuasa empat puluh hari dan empat puluh malam, akhirnya laparlah Yesus. Lalu datanglah si pencoba itu dan berkata kepada-Nya: "Jika Engkau Anak Allah, perintahkanlah supaya batu-batu ini menjadi roti." Tetapi Yesus menjawab: "Ada tertulis: Manusia hidup bukan dari roti saja, tetapi dari setiap firman yang keluar dari mulut Allah." Kemudian Iblis

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membawa-Nya ke Kota Suci dan menempatkan Dia di bubungan Bait Allah, lalu berkata kepada-Nya: "Jika Engkau Anak Allah, jatuhkanlah diri-Mu ke bawah, sebab ada tertulis: Mengenai Engkau Ia akan memerintahkan malaikat-malaikat-Nya dan mereka akan menatang Engkau di atas tangannya, supaya kaki-Mu jangan terantuk kepada batu." Yesus berkata kepadanya: "Ada pula tertulis: Janganlah engkau mencobai Tuhan, Allahmu!" Dan Iblis membawa-Nya pula ke atas gunung yang sangat tinggi dan memperlihatkan kepada-Nya semua kerajaan dunia dengan kemegahannya, dan berkata kepada-Nya: "Semua itu akan kuberikan kepada-Mu, jika Engkau sujud menyembah aku." Maka berkatalah Yesus kepadanya: "Enyahlah, Iblis! Sebab ada tertulis: Engkau harus menyembah Tuhan, Allahmu, dan hanya kepada Dia sajalah engkau berbakti!" Lalu Iblis meninggalkan Dia, dan lihatlah, malaikat-malaikat datang melayani Yesus‖ (Matius 4:1-11). Cara terbaik melawan Iblis adalah cara yang Yesus tunjukkan pada kita, yaitu dengan mengutip Firman Tuhan karena Iblis tidak dapat menghadapi pedang Roh, Firman dari Tuhan yang hidup. Contoh utama mengenai cara yang tidak tepat dalam menghadapi peperangan rohani adalah ke tujuh anak-anak Skewa. ―Juga beberapa tukang jampi Yahudi, yang berjalan keliling di negeri itu, mencoba menyebut nama Tuhan Yesus atas mereka yang kerasukan roh jahat dengan berseru, katanya: "Aku menyumpahi kamu demi nama Yesus yang diberitakan oleh Paulus." Mereka yang melakukan hal itu ialah tujuh orang anak dari seorang imam kepala Yahudi yang bernama Skewa. Tetapi roh jahat itu menjawab: "Yesus aku kenal, dan Paulus aku ketahui, tetapi kamu, siapakah kamu?" Dan orang yang dirasuk roh jahat itu menerpa mereka dan menggagahi mereka semua dan mengalahkannya, sehingga mereka lari dari rumah orang itu dengan telanjang dan luka-luka‖ (Kisah 19:13-16). Apa masalahnya? Ke tujuh anak Skewa menggunakan nama Yesus. Itu tidak cukup. Ketujuh anak Skewa tidak memiliki hubungan dengan Yesus dan karena itu kata-kata mereka kosong dan tidak memiliki kuasa atau otoritas apapun. Ketujuh anak Skewa bergantung pada metodologi. Mereka tidak bergantung pada Yesus dan tidak menggunakan Firman Tuhan dalam peperangan rohani mereka. Sebagai hasilnya mereka dikalahkan secara memalukan. Mari kita belajar dari teladan buruk mereka dan melakukan peperangan rohani dengan cara yang dilukiskan oleh Alkitab. Secara ringkas, apa kunci untuk peperangan rohani yang sukses? Pertama, kita perlu bergantung pada kuasa Tuhan, bukan kuasa kita sendiri. Kedua, kita menengking dalam nama Yesus, bukan nama kita sendiri. Ketiga, kita melindungi diri sendiri dengan seluruh senjata Allah. Keempat, kita melakukan peperangan dengan pedang Roh – Firman Tuhan. Akhirnya, kita mengingat bahwa dalam peperangan rohani melawan Iblis dan para

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pengikutnya, tidak setiap dosa adalah berasal dari Iblis dan perlu ditengkin. ―Tetapi dalam semuanya itu kita lebih dari pada orang-orang yang menang, oleh Dia yang telah mengasihi kita‖ (Roma 8:37).

Bagaimana supaya doa-doa saya dijawab oleh

Tuhan?

Pertanyaan: Bagaimana supaya doa-doa saya dijawab oleh Tuhan? Jawaban: Banyak orang memandang ―doa yang dijawab‖ sebagai Tuhan mengabulkan permohonan yang dipanjatkan kepadaNya. Jikalau doanya tidak dikabulkan, sering dianggap bahwa doa itu tidak dijawab. Sebetulnya ini adalah pengertian yang tidak tepat mengenai doa. Tuhan menjawab setiap doa yang dinaikkan kepadaNya. Yang harus kita ingat adalah bahwa kadang-kadang Tuhan menjawab ―tidak‖ atau ―tunggu.‖ Tuhan hanya berjanji untuk mengabulkan doa-doa kita kalau apa yang kita minta sesuai dengan kehendakNya. 1 Yohanes 5:14-15 ―Dan inilah keberanian percaya kita kepada-Nya, yaitu bahwa Ia mengabulkan doa kita, jikalau kita meminta sesuatu kepada-Nya menurut kehendak-Nya. Dan jikalau kita tahu, bahwa Ia mengabulkan apa saja yang kita minta, maka kita juga tahu, bahwa kita telah memperoleh segala sesuatu yang telah kita minta kepada-Nya.‖ Apa artinya berdoa sesuai dengan kehendak Tuhan? Berdoa sesuai dengan kehendak Tuhan adalah berdoa untuk hal-hal yang menghormati dan memuliakan Tuhan dan/atau berdoa untuk hal-hal yang Alkitab secara jelas ungkapkan sebagai kehendak Allah. Jikalau kita berdoa untuk sesuatu yang tidak menghormati Tuhan atau yang bukan kehendak Tuhan bagi hidup kita, Tuhan tidak akan memberi apa yang kita minta. Bagaimana kita mengetahui apa yang menjadi kehendak Tuhan? Tuhan berjanji memberi kita hikmat saat kita memintanya. Yakobus 1:5 mengatakan, ―Tetapi apabila di antara kamu ada yang kekurangan hikmat, hendaklah ia memintakannya kepada Allah, —yang memberikan kepada semua orang dengan murah hati dan dengan tidak membangkit-bangkit—,maka hal itu akan diberikan kepadanya.‖ Kenali apa yang Alkitab katakan mengenai kehendak Tuhan bagi hidup Anda. Makin kita mengenal Firman Tuhan, makin kita mengetahui apa yang kita perlu doakan. Makin kita mengetahui apa yang kita perlu doakan, makin efektiflah kehidupan doa kita.

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Mengapa berdoa? Apa gunanya berdoa jika Tuhan

mengetahui masa depan dan mengontrol segala sesuatu?

Pertanyaan: Mengapa berdoa? Apa gunanya berdoa jika Tuhan

mengetahui masa depan dan mengontrol segala sesuatu?

Jawaban: Mengapa berdoa? Mengapa berdoa kalau Tuhan sudah secara

sempurna menguasa segala sesuatu? Mengapa berdoa kalau Tuhan telah

mengetahui apa yang akan kita minta sebelum kita memintanya?

(1) Doa adalah suatu wujud pelayanan kepada Tuhan (Lukas 2:36-38). Kita

berdoa karena Tuhan memerintahkan kita untuk berdoa (Filipi 4:6-7).

(2) Tuhan Yesus dan gereja mula-mula memberikan kita contoh doa

(Markus 1:35; Kisah Rasul 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:23-32; 6:4; 13:1-3). Jika

Yesus memandang perlu untuk berdoa kita juga perlu.

(3) Tuhan menghendaki doa menjadi sarana untuk memperoleh jalan

keluar untuk berbagai situasi:

a. Mempersiapkan keputusan-keputusan besar (Lukas 6:12-13)

b. Mengatasi halangan kuasa kegelapan dalam hidup (Matius 17:14-21)

c. Meminta pengerja-pengerja untuk tuaian rohani (Lukas 10:2)

d. Mendapatkan kekuatan untuk mengatasi pencobaan (Matius 26:41)

e. Cara untuk menguatkan orang lain secara rohani (Efesus 6:18-19)

(4) Kita memiliki janji Tuhan bahwa doa kita tidak akan sia-sia bahkan jika

kita tidak mendapatkan apa yang secara khusus kita minta (Matius 6:6;

Roma 8:26-27).

(5) Dia berjanji bahwa jika kita meminta hal-hal yang sesuai dengan

kehendakNya, Dia akan memberi apa yang kita minta (1 Yohanes 5:14-15).

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Kadang-kadang Dia menunda jawabanNya sesuai dengan hikmatNya dan

untuk kebaikan kita. Dalam situasi-situasi ini, kita perlu dengan rajin dan

bertekun dalam doa (Matius7:7; Lukas 18:1-8). Doa tidak boleh dipandang

sebagai cara untuk memaksa Tuhan melakukan kemauan kita dalam dunia,

tapi sebagai cara untuk menggenapi kehendak Tuhan di atas bumi ini.

Hikmat Tuhan jauh melampaui hikmat kita.

Dalam situasi-situasi di mana kita tidak tahu secara persis apa yang

merupakan kehendak Tuhan, doa adalah cara untuk menemukan kehendak

Tuhan. Jikalau Petrus tidak meminta Yesus memanggil dia keluar dari

perahu ke atas air, dia pasti sudah kehilangan kesempatan itu (Matius

14:28-29). Jikalau si wanita Siro-Fenisia yang putrinya diganggu setan tidak

berdoa kepada Kristus, putrinya tidak akan sembuh (Markus 7:26-30). Jika

orang buta di luar kota Yerikho tidak berseru kepada Kristus, dia akan tetap

buta (Lukas 18:35-43). Tuhan telah mengatakan bahwa sering kita tidak

memperoleh karena kita tidak meminta (Yakobus 4:2). Dalam pengertian

tertentu, doa adalah seperti membagikan Injil dengan orang-orang lain.

Kita tidak tahu siapa yang akan meresponi berita Injil sampai kita mulai

membagikannya. Demikian pula dengan doa. Kita tidak akan pernah

melihat hasil dari doa sampai kita berdoa.

Tidak adanya doa menyatakan tidak adanya iman dan tidak adanya

kepercayaan kepada Firman Tuhan. Kita berdoa untuk menyatakan iman

kita kepada Tuhan, bahwa Dia akan melakukan apa yang telah

dijanjikanNya dalam FirmanNya, dan akan memberkati hidup kita dengan

berlimpah lebih dari apa yang dapat kita minta atau harapkan (Efesus

3:20). Doa adalah sarana utama untuk melihat Tuhan bekerja dalam hidup

orang-orang lain. Karena doa adalah cara kita untuk ―bersambungan‖

dengan kuasa Tuhan, doa adalah cara kita untuk mengalahkan musuh dan

pasukannya (Iblis dan tentara-tentaranya) yang dengan diri sendiri kita

tidak akan berdaya. Karena itu kiranya Tuhan kerap kali menemukan kita di

hadapan tahtaNya, sebab kita memiliki Imam Besar di surga yang dapat

memahami segala yang kita alami (Ibrani 4:15-16). Kita memiliki janji

bahwa doa orang benar apabila dengan yakin didoakan sangat besar

kuasanya (Yakobus 5:16-18). Kiranya Tuhan memuliakan namaNya dalam

hidup kita saat kita percaya dan sering datang kepadanya di dalam doa.

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Puasa Kristen – apa kata Alkitab?

Pertanyaan: Puasa Kristen – apa kata Alkitab? Jawaban: Alkitab tidak memerintahkan orang-orang Kristen untuk berpuasa. Puasa bukanlah sesuatu yang dituntut atau diminta Allah dari orang-orang Kristen. Pada saat yang sama, Alkitab memperkenalkan puasa sebagai sesuatu yang baik, berguna dan perlu dilakukan. Kitab Kisah Rasul mencatat tentang orang-orang percaya yang berpuasa sebelum mereka mengambil keputusan-keputusan penting (Kisah Rasul 13:4; 14:23). Doa dan puasa sering dihubungkan bersama (Lukas 2:37; 5:33). Terlalu sering fokus dari puasa adalah tidak makan. Seharusnya tujuan dari puasa adalah melepaskan mata kita dari hal-hal duniawi dan berpusat pada Tuhan. Puasa adalah cara untuk mendemonstrasikan kepada Tuhan, dan kepada diri sendiri, bahwa Anda serius dalam hubungan Anda dengan Tuhan. Puasa menolong Anda untuk memperoleh perspektif baru dan memperbaharui ketergantungan pada Tuhan. Sekalipun di dalam Alkitab puasa selalu berhubungan dengan tidak makan, ada cara-cara lain untuk berpuasa. Apapun yang dapat Anda tinggalkan untuk sementara demi untuk memusatkan perhatian pada Tuhan dengan cara yang lebih baik dapat dianggap sebagai puasa (1 Korintus 7:1-5). Puasa perlu dibatasi waktunya, khususnya puasa makanan. Tidak makan dalam jangka waktu yang panjang dapat merusak tubuh. Puasa bukan untuk menghukum tubuh Anda, tapi untuk memusatkan perhatian pada Tuhan. Puasa tidak boleh dianggap sebagai salah satu ―metode diet.‖ Jangan berpuasa untuk menghilangkan berat badan, tapi untuk memperoleh persekutuan yang lebih dalam dengan Allah. Benar, siapa saja bisa berpuasa. Ada orang-orang yang tidak bisa puasa makan (penderita diabetes misalnya), tapi setiap orang dapat untuk sementara meninggalkan sesuatu demi untuk memfokuskan diri pada Tuhan. Dengan mengalihkan mata dari hal-hal dunia ini, kita dapat memusatkan diri pada Kristus dengan lebih baik. Puasa bukanlah cara untuk membuat Tuhan melakukan apa yang kita inginkan. Puasa mengubah kita, bukan Tuhan. Puasa bukanlah cara untuk kelihatan lebih rohani dibanding orang lain. Puasa harus dilakukan dalam kerendahan hati dan dengan penuh sukacita. Matius 6:16-18 mengatakan, ―"Dan apabila kamu berpuasa, janganlah muram mukamu seperti orang munafik. Mereka mengubah air mukanya, supaya orang melihat bahwa mereka sedang berpuasa. Aku berkata kepadamu: Sesungguhnya mereka sudah mendapat upahnya.

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Tetapi apabila engkau berpuasa, minyakilah kepalamu dan cucilah mukamu, supaya jangan dilihat oleh orang bahwa engkau sedang berpuasa, melainkan hanya oleh Bapamu yang ada di tempat tersembunyi. Maka Bapamu yang melihat yang tersembunyi akan membalasnya kepadamu."

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BAB IV. CONVERSATIONAL EVANGELISM

PENGANTAR Apakah penginjilan itu sulit? Apakah ada bantuan/sarana/alat supaya kita bisa memberitakan Injil lebih baik dan lebih mudah?

Penginjilan melalui percakapan adalah pendekatan yang alami. Dalam hidup bermasyarakat, kita tidak terlepas dari percakapan sehari-hari; bahkan dengan orang yang tidak kenal sekalipun, kita bisa membuka/memulai percakapan, seperti pada waktu di dalam kereta api, di dalam perjalanan naik bus, di pesawat udara, di cafe dengan tamu kantor atau perjumpamaan tidak sengaja di supermarket. Percakapan adalah hal yang wajar. Tuhan Yesus menggunakan metode percakapan ini dalam pembicaraanNya dengan wanita Samaria dalam Injil Yohanes: 4:5 Maka sampailah Ia ke sebuah kota di Samaria, yang bernama Sikhar dekat tanah yang diberikan Yakub dahulu kepada anaknya, Yusuf. 4:6 Di situ terdapat sumur Yakub. Yesus sangat letih oleh perjalanan, karena itu Ia duduk di pinggir sumur itu. Hari kira-kira pukul dua belas. 4:7 Maka datanglah seorang perempuan Samaria hendak menimba air. Kata Yesus kepadanya: "Berilah Aku minum." 4:8 Sebab murid-murid-Nya telah pergi ke kota membeli makanan. 4:9 Maka kata perempuan Samaria itu kepada-Nya: "Masakan Engkau, seorang Yahudi, minta minum kepadaku, seorang Samaria?" (Sebab orang Yahudi tidak bergaul dengan orang Samaria.) 4:10 Jawab Yesus kepadanya: "Jikalau engkau tahu tentang karunia Allah dan siapakah Dia yang berkata kepadamu: Berilah Aku minum! niscaya engkau telah meminta kepada-Nya dan Ia telah memberikan kepadamu air hidup." Dan seterusnya percakapan ini berlanjut hingga pertobatan wanita tersebut.

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More specifically, we would use our normal conversations in the following ways.

1. Share more in our family and among church members about the role of Christ in our lives and about good things happening at church. We are more likely to talk to those outside the church if we have practiced doing this among those close to us. We should freely talk about what the Lord means to us, how we have benefited from Christ and the church, and what God has done in our lives.

2. Share with our non-Christians friends that we believe in Christ. We can mention in conversations that we go to church, that we read the Bible, that we make moral decisions. These things will come naturally if we look for openings.

3. Share with others good things that happen at church. We can tell of one the church has helped, of missionaries being sent and what they are doing, of youth activities, of Bible classes and sermons that help our lives. To our friends, church should sound like a place where people have friends, learn important things, and receive strength, acceptance, assurance, and help--because it is.

4. Share opportunities available at church. There all ages learn about God, make friends, have joy in serving, and get encouragement. We discuss important matters about how to live life well and how to prepare for eternity. We work together in raising our children and have support when problems come.

5. Sharing Bible passages that guide our conduct and how these have helped. As we talk about decisions all of us are making, we can sometimes refer to passages of scripture that have helped us deal with such decisions.

6. Answering questions from friends about the Bible and religious topics. Once those around us learn we know about the Bible, they will often ask questions that give us good opportunities. If we don’t know answers, we can ask for help from those who do. A preacher recently told me he has calls every week from members who need help with a conversation they are having.

7. Advising the troubled who seek us because we they know us to be spiritually minded. As people see our well ordered lives and know it results from our faith, they will ask us for help in their troubled times. This will give us many opportunities.

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8. Inviting to church events. Sometimes it will seem natural to invite those we are visiting with to such events as Sunday classes, Wednesday classes, VBS, seminars on special topics, home Bible studies, a new class just starting, special events such as "Friend Day," or a seasonal service. Again, this is natural conversation, not something forced. As we are occasionally mentioning our faith and our church activities, it will feel natural to share with others about coming to class with us or to some other special event.

The objective of "conversation evangelism" is build relationships, to open doors, to stir interest, to cast the net to locate those who are seeking and interested in spiritual things. We are not confronting anyone or making anyone uncomfortable. We are not becoming so "one-eyed" that our friends go the other way when they see us coming. We are not arguing religion. We are just seeking to inform people of what interests us and of where we are finding something helpful. We are seeking to create opportunities.

After someone shows interest, after there is a positive response, then we will want to move to another level. This level may be to bring someone with us to a class, a service, a special event. This level may be to start a Bible study with someone. This might be a home study, a series of self-study lessons, a videotape, or just an open Bible study. We may need help with this step and will want to ask someone more experienced in teaching and encouraging obedience to assist.

The goal of conversation evangelism, however, is to get the start: to let people know we believe in Christ, that we are glad we do, and that we would be glad for them to share what we have found. We want them to know we are available if they want to talk about spiritual, personal, or family needs. In short, we want to "let our light shine, so they may see our good works and glorify God." Of course, our lives will have to match our talk if this approach is to be effective.

http://faculty.oc.edu/stafford.north/conv_ev.html

Here are six things Jesus does with the Samaritan woman and

ways you can emulate their interaction:

1. Start Conversations with Anyone

The person Jesus talks with in John 4 is a Samaritan – the hated enemy of

the Jews. She is also a woman, which means that a Jewish man would

never normally speak with her alone. However, Jesus is happy to initiate

conversation with her as soon as she walks into his presence.

TRY STARTING:

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Everyone has good friends with whom they naturally spend their time. But

there are so many other people to interact with: in lectures, dorms, the

cafeteria, the supermarket, the coffee shop, or even at the bar. Why not

see every person you meet as a potential conversation partner?

2. Adjust Your Life Patterns to Make Conversations Possible

Jesus met the woman while he was on a journey, but he could have made

the trip in a way that avoided Samaria. Instead, he intentionally takes a

route into enemy territory so that he can connect with people who need

him.

TRY ADJUSTING:

Join a sports club, start going to a new café every week, shop at a

different store, or sit next to someone new in your lectures. If you’re not

regularly getting to talk to people who need Jesus, make some small

changes, so that you can meet new people.

You might also want to consider whether you are spending too much time

in Christian meetings. Maybe trade one or two chapter or church events

for the opportunity to do things you enjoy with people who don’t yet

know Jesus.

3. Chat about Everyday Life

Jesus begins by asking the woman for a drink of water. He doesn’t leap in

and say, ―Hey, let me tell you about the Messiah—he’s me!‖ He knows

that any serious and authentic conversation is just a hair’s breadth

away from the gospel.

TRY CHATTING:

Tell them a story about your day. Ask them how their week has been,

what they’ve enjoyed eating, reading, or watching lately. Discuss sports

scores. Start light and see where the conversation goes. The worst that

can happen is you have an interesting chat.

4. Ask Questions

Jesus suggests that the woman go and find her husband. He could have

told her she was using romantic relationships as part of a futile search for

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meaning. Instead, he asks a razor-sharp question that gets to the heart of

who she is as a person.

TRY ASKING:

Don’t think of yourself as the expert with all the answers. Until you’ve

asked your conversation partner some questions, you may not even know

quite how to relate the gospel to their lives. You can read more about

asking good questions in Why You Should Ask More Questions in Spiritual

Conversations.

5. Listen to Questions, Then Answer the Question Behind the

Questions

The woman wants to know whether the Jewish temple or the Samaritan

temple is the one true place of worship. Jesus isn’t interested in debating

the finer points of historical theology unless they are relevant. He knows

she is asking him to state whether Jews or Samaritans are following one

true religion. Instead, Jesus points her beyond religious places and toward

relationship with himself.

TRY LISTENING:

Try not to get caught up in arguments, but get to the core of their

concerns. For example: A question about the biblical teaching on

homosexuality is not necessarily an invitation to explain biblical sexual

ethics. The underlying question may be something else like ―Am I

welcome in your Christian community?‖ or ―Do you look down on me?‖ A

good way to discern the underlying question is to say, “Why do you

ask?” or “Good question, what do you think?” and then listen to what

they say.

6. Share Jesus

The pinnacle of Jesus’ conversation with the woman comes when he tells

her that he is the Messiah. She is so amazed by this that she runs off and

brings the whole village to come and meet him for themselves.

TRY SHARING:

A helpful question to ask yourself (and the Holy Spirit) is ―How is Jesus

good news for this person?‖ Is there a story about Jesus or an aspect of

his atonement that is relevant to what you are discussing? Or is there a

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part of your personal testimony that would be helpful? Share it and ask

them what they think.

If people seem receptive, then it’s also good to give them the

opportunity to respond to Jesus. Maybe ask them if they would be

interested in welcoming Jesus into their own lives. If they say yes, find a

quiet corner and pray together.

Jesus never had the same conversation twice, so there is no real

formula for sharing our faith any more than there is for telling people

about new romantic relationships. But we can draw inspiration from

Jesus’ interactions with people.

Why not start some Jesus-style conversations and let us know how it

goes? Share your experience in the comments below.

http://evangelism.intervarsity.org/how/conversation/6-conversational-

evangelism-tips-master-himself

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Starting Up Conversations with Nonbelievers

by CHARLIE H. CAMPBELL

Director of The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry

© Copyright 2000–2014

Author of Scrolls and Stones: Compelling Evidence

the Bible Can Be Trusted

Have you ever longed to share the gospel with someone but wondered: Where do I

start? How should I go about this? Should I just go up to them and tell them, "God

loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life?" Should I just go up to them and

say "Jesus loves you, and died on the cross for you?"

Starting out a conversation like that, cold turkey, with somebody is pretty awkward

don't you think? I've done it. And I have found it to be an uncomfortable situation,

for both me and the person I was talking to. So, what can we do to present the

gospel in a more natural, conversational way?

Let's talk about that.

How many of you have discovered over the years that the favorite subject of

conversation of most people is themselves? Yeah. That's true for most people.

That's the way we are.

Most people love to talk about themselves, their hobbies, their interests, their

job, their family, their history, their dreams.

This being the case, I think one of the best ways to get to the gospel in a natural

kind of way is to start out:

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ASKING FRIENDLY QUESTIONS

Questions are good for a few reasons:

1. People have opinions on almost every subject, and they love to share them.

I know this is true. When I was the college pastor at Calvary Chapel in Vista,

California, we used to take the college group out witnessing once a month or so.

We would just go up to people on the street and start sharing with them. And we

had some success. We definitely had the opportunity to pray with people to receive

the Lord.

But our typical opening line would go something like this:

"Hi, my name is so and so, and this is my friend so and so, and we're with such

and such a church and we're telling people about Jesus, mind if we talk to you for a

few minutes?"

Most people (I'd say about 85%) would say something to the effect, "You guys are

weird. No thanks!"

After a couple of years doing it this way, we decided to try a different approach. We

decided to do on the street surveys. And everything changed. We started going up

to people and asking if they'd like to take part in a survey and about 90% would say

yes.

In that survey we would ask the person a series of questions related to current

events (Do you think marijuana should be legalized? Do you think the legal age for

drinking should be lowered to age 18? Etc). And then we would end the survey

with two spiritual questions:

1. If you could ask God one question what would you ask Him?

2. If God was to ask you why He should allow you into Heaven what would

you say?

Then we would go on to share the gospel with them after the survey was

over.

As I mentioned, about 85-90% of the people who we walked up to on the

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street wanted to take part in the survey.

WHY?

Again (point number one):

1. People have opinions on almost every subject, and they love to

share them.

A second reason why questions are good:

2. Questions are non threatening.

It's hard for an unbeliever to feel threatened, when he/she is the one doing

most of the talking.

3. Questions help a person lower their defenses.

If you start out telling a person what to believe, many people will become

defensive of their own views.

4. Questions allow you to control the direction of the

conversation without you putting your friend on the

defensive.

5. Questions help to communicate humility.

6. Questions lead to questions in return.

Most mature listeners, after being asked several questions about

themselves or their views, sense that it‟s only fair to ask a question or two

in return.

Questions like, "What about you?" or "What do you think?"

7. Questions can help a person to discover truth for

themselves.

I haven't done a survey in a couple of years now. I sort of abandoned that

approach for a couple of reasons:

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A. It looks a little odd approaching a person carrying a clipboard and pen (it

looks a little too official for me).

B. When I didn't have a clipboard and pen on me (which was often) I sort

of assumed I was unable to witness.

So here's what I did. I held on to the IDEA behind the surveys

--the fact that people like to talk about themselves and even spiritual issues

(if you ask for their opinion and have a conversation rather than share a

monologue)

and decided to just start asking people the kinds of questions that used to

be on the clipboard.

This approach works like the surveys, but you can do it anywhere and you

don't have to look like a scientist walking around with a clipboard and pen.

Let's look at a list of some sample questions that I came across that you

can ask that will help steer a conversation towards the gospel.

I found these in a fantastic book by Tim Downs called, Finding Common

Ground. He suggests four categories of questions that I thought might be

helpful to you:

A. Questions about the Listener's Background

These are some questions that you might just ask a person about their history.

These aren't any particular of order.

~ What was it like around your house growing up?

~ What things were important to your parents?

~ Did you get in trouble a lot growing up?

~ What did you get from your family that you want to pass on to your kids?

~ How do you want to do things differently in your family?

Keep in mind that you'd only ask a couple of these. This isn't a list to go through

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with a person.

~ What are your brothers and sisters like? How are you alike/different?

~ Did you grow up going to church? Did you enjoy it? (Of, if the person didn't grow

up going to church ask: Do you wish you had?)

~ Do you think you'll have your kids go to church someday?

B. Questions Asking for the Listener's Opinion or Advice

Many people will be shocked that anybody cares about their opinion and actually

wants to hear it.

~ I see you've got cable. What do you let your kids watch?

~ What do you think of all the junk that's on the internet?

~ Did you see What Dreams May Come? Incredible effects! What did you think of

the way they pictured Heaven?

~ How do you celebrate Christmas at your house?

~ What do you think about the cloning issue?

~ Dr. Kevorkian is in the news again. What do you think of him?

There are endless topics and current events that an ambassador can bring up to

lead into a meaningful conversation.

C. Questions that Involve the Listener's Imagination

These questions call on the listener to put himself in a certain situation and imagine

what they'd do. This kind of "role-playing" can allow you to talk beyond the

monotony of day-to-day concerns.

~ Did you hear about Mary's diagnosis? What would you do if you found out you

had cancer?

~ If you had plenty of money and could do anything you want for a living, what

would you do?

~ What would you do if you found out your parents were planning to get a divorce?

D. Questions that Ask for the Listener's Emotions

~ How do you feel about all these hate crimes? [or the war, the abduction of that 11

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year old girl in Florida, etc.]

~ I have a friend whose husband has just been told he has three months to live.

How would you feel if that were you?

~ What do you think about the cloning issue?

~ How would you feel if one of your kids really began to rebel?

~ How would you feel if your house burned down and you lost everything?

So we ask a question or two (or maybe a few) like those above, and then we listen

closely to the person's response.

What do we do next? The goal is to steer the conversation to the gospel, right? So,

in the midst of the conversation we insert a question that very naturally shifts the

conversation from the natural to the spiritual.

What question is that? (These questions are from a book I highly recommend by

William Fay called: Share Jesus Without Fear).

Jot it down on a piece of paper (You're going to want to memorize these five

questions!)

1. Do you have any spiritual beliefs?

Guys this is a fairly easy, very non-offensive way to move from the natural into the

spiritual arena. I have asked a lot of people this question and I am yet to meet a

person that has been offended by the question. Not once have I ever had anybody

say:

--"How dare you ask me that!"

--"My beliefs are none of your business!"

Never!

Why? You're not forcing any of your beliefs upon them. You're just asking them a

friendly question about themselves. You're showing interest in them. After you ask

this question, you just sit back and listen to what they have to say.

Now, the person might say something as short as, "Yes, I do." Or they might tell

you about their beliefs for 20 minutes. Their beliefs may include some crazy things

about goddesses, angels, gurus, spirit guides, Buddha, etc. They may even say

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"Absolutely not, I'm an atheist."

Regardless of HOW long they go, or WHAT they say, you just say:

"Hmmmmmm."

That's pretty easy isn't it?

Student: "Well what do you mean Charlie? Shouldn't I jump in there and correct

them, or tell them what's wrong about their view?"

I wouldn't.

Why? It is too easy to get entangled or caught up in a debate about some

peripheral issue that you never get to share the gospel.

My uncle is in town right now. He and his wife have been missionaries in Ireland for

the past 10 or so years. He was over at my mom's house for dinner. He got in a

conversation with my younger brother who has largely turned his back on God and

ended the relationship he once had with the Lord. Well, my brother did exactly what

I was hoping would not happen. He drew my uncle into a long drawn out

conversation about whether or not animals will be in Heaven, and whether it's right

or wrong to eat meat. That is a peripheral issue that really doesn't matter a whole

lot. And my uncle never had the time to get on to issues that were more important.

So we want to be careful not to get entangled in issues that people might mention

or bring up that might rob us of the opportunity to get to the heart of the matter,

their standing with God, and the GOSPEL message.

So, there you are. You've asked a person an ice breaker question or two about

themselves. They answer. Then you ask, "Do you have any spiritual beliefs?" Let

them go through their response.

When they are done answering that question, ask them another question:

2. Who is Jesus Christ to you?

And then let them answer. They might say:

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--"Jesus is the Son of God" or

--"He's a man who died on the cross" or

--"He's God's only begotten Son."

Those are correct theological statements aren't they?

Should we assume that the person is saved? I wouldn't. Notice how impersonal

those answers are. If I were to ask you that very same question you'd probably say

something like,

--"He's my Lord and my Savior."

That answer helps demonstrate to me that you have a genuine relationship Jesus,

not just a religious knowledge of Him. There is a chance that somebody who says,

"Jesus is the Son of God," or "A man who died on the cross" is not saved. They

may just have some religious background or upbringing. Jesus said that there will

be many who refer to Jesus as "Lord" in this life to whom Jesus will say on the day

of judgment, "I never knew you" in Matthew 7:23.

So tune in to the person's answer. It may help you diagnose where a person is at

spiritually. Unless you are absolutely convinced that the person is born again, your

response should be:

"Hmmmmmmm."

Student: "But what if they say, that they think Jesus never existed?"

"Hmmmmmmmm."

Student: "What if they say, that Jesus was only a good teacher and philosopher?"

"Hmmmmmmmmm."

We're just taking their temperature.

We're trying to find out what's happening in their heart. The goal here is not to

correct them. After you say "Hmmm," you lovingly ask them a third question. Ask

them:

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3. Do you believe in Heaven or Hell?

What's your response? "Hmmmmmmm."

Student: "What if they say, 'Absolutely not!'?"

"Hmmmmmmm."

Student: What if they say, "God would never send people to a place like Hell."

"Hmmmmmm."

Just let them share with you. What are we doing? We're taking their temperature.

We're not debating. We're not arguing. We're allowing them to share their beliefs.

Then you ask them the fourth question:

4. If you were to die, where would you go?"

And again, you just sit back and listen.

Student: "What if they just told you they don't believe in Hell, do I still ask them this

question?"

Definitely. You'll be surprised that even those who say they don't believe in Heaven

or Hell, will still tell you that they will go to Heaven when they die!

Amazing hunh?

(Now, if they tell you that they would go to Hell, I would simply ask them, "Would

you rather go to Heaven?" If they say "Yes" you will go on to share with them the

verses that we are going to talk about in next week's class. If they say "No," do

nothing. Just look at them in astonishment.)

If, and when they say they would go to Heaven, and most people will, follow up

with part two to this question:

(pt. 2) "Why would God let you in?"

And let them answer.

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Most people will typically say that they are

-- basically a good person,

-- they go to church,

-- they were baptized as a child, etc.

And then what do we say?

"Hmmmmmm"

After you say "Hmmmm" ask one final question"

5. If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?

This is a crucial question. Jot it down.

Now, there are really only two possible answers to this question:

"Yes" or "No."

What do you think most people will say to that question?

Ninety nine percent of the people wills say, "Yes."

If the person says "Yes," then you have their permission to go on to the next phase

(which we'll look at in next week's class).

If they say, "No," what should you do?

Nothing.

Bill Fay says in his book (Share Jesus Without Fear) that he has been asking

people this question for over 16 years and has never heard a "No" that stuck. So

you just look at them.

Often they'll realize what they've just said, and realize that their "No" answer

sounds really stupid!

When they say "Yes" they have just given you permission to share with them.

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Has there been any fighting or arguing taking place? None.

Has the person been offended by anything you've said? Nope. In fact, they've

probably thought the conversation was a rather pleasant talk, (they've been doing

all the talking!) and they are probably blessed that you have been interested in

them and their opinions!

Using this approach will help you avoid all kinds of

-- arguments

-- disagreements

-- and entanglements with a person's intellect,

-- discussions about world religions

-- etc.

I just had the opportunity to ask these questions to a woman named Cindy two

days ago. She called the church and wanted to know about the drug and alcohol

ministry and when they met. I told her some of the details.

And then I asked her these questions,

1. Do you have any spiritual beliefs?

2. Who is Jesus Christ to you?

3. Do you believe in Heaven or Hell?

4. If you were to die, where would you go?

5. If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?

I listened to her answers, and then I took her into phase two (sharing the Word of

God, the gospel) with her and then had the privilege of praying with her to receive

Christ. Give this approach a try sometime. I pray that the Lord uses you mightily!

http://www.alwaysbeready.com/evangelism-help?id=112

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44 Spiritual Conversation Starter

Questions

One of the blogs I read (Gilbert‟s Coaching Tips) wrote Questions Leading into

Spiritual Conversations and complied the following List of 44 evangelism

conversation starter questions.

1. Where are you in your spiritual pilgrimage?

2. In your opinion, how does one become a Christian?

3. What single thing would you like to make absolutely certain you do (if at all

possible) during your lifetime?

4. How do you think a person can keep from becoming a workaholic?

5. What character can you imagine yourself to be? (any period of history)

6. What are you reading that is not an assignment or required by your work?

7. How do you know you‟ll go to heaven when you die?

8. How are your growing personally?

9. In a conversation with someone who has never heard about God, what

would you say about Him from your experience?

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10. In your opinion, how does one become a Christian?

11. How would you describe your father and his impact on your life?

12. Tell me about your mentor and his/her impact on your life.

13. What do you think would probably surprise most people about you? Why?

14. What is your greatest strength, and what are you doing to develop it?

15. Why do people do what they do? What are the assumptions you make

about people?

16. How do you handle pressure? When the pressure is really on, what do you

need from your friends?

17. Has anything ever happened to you that was dramatic, personal or

spectacular enough to cause you to be certain there is a God who is both

infinite and personally caring?

18. What do you consider to be two major turning points in your life?

19. What is something you consider to be a great personal success? Why was

it so significant?

20. What is the key to maintaining balance in your life?

21. What are 2 or 3 major truths upon which you have based your decision-

making?

22. Tell me about two of your life-long friends and why they have such an

impact on your life. What made you choose them?

23. Have you dealt with the questions? “How much money is enough, and what

do I do with the rest?”

24. How would you describe your mother and the impact she has had on your

life?

25. In your opinion, who was/is Jesus Christ?

26. If you could know God personally, would you be interested?

27. How would you define materialism, and how do you deal with it in your life?

28. What have you found to be the best way of absorbing disappointment,

rejection, distress and discouragement?

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29. When you get to heaven, what will be the first three questions you will ask

God?

30. If you were to inherit a million dollars today, and couldn‟t spend it on your

own enterprise or keep it for yourself, what would you do with it and why?

31. What do you find most attractive about Christianity/the person of Christ?

What do you find least attractive about Christianity/the person of Christ?

32. Do you consider yourself a seeker of the truth?

33. What is your spiritual background?

34. Have you ever read the Bible?

35. Have your views on religion changed since you started college? How?

36. Have you ever discussed what Biblical Christianity is?

37. Why do you think you feel the way you do toward Jesus Christ and his

message of love and forgiveness?

38. What is your philosophy of life based on?

39. Do you believe what you‟ve been brought up with?

40. Why do you think Christianity isn‟t relevant to your life?

41. If Christ was who He claimed to be, how would that affect your life?

42. What are you living for? What do you value most?

43. If your questions could be answered in a way that would satisfy you, would

you then believe in Christ?

44. The Kennedy questions: First ask–”If you died today, do you know for sure

you‟d go to heaven?” Then ask–”If you died and stood before God and He

asked you „Why should I let you into Heaven?‟ What would you say?”

The key here is simply to begin conversations and then to listen to the heart of the

one we are talking with. Sometimes it is hardest bringing up the gospel with our

friends. We just need to keep asking questions that will reveal who they are.

Thanks for sharing these.

http://www.evangelismcoach.org/2008/44-conversation-questions/

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20 Evangelism Questions To Start a

Conversation

I found this list of 20 personal evangelism conversation starter questions

from Campus Crusade:

1. People invest time and energy into developing their career, their bodies

and relationships, but often neglect the spiritual dimension of their lives.

How do you actively pursue spiritual growth?

2. Do you think much about spiritual things? (This usually leads to

conversation about what “spiritual” means–i.e. religion vs. relationship.)

3. How has this experience affected the way you look at God?

4. We‟ve never had a chance to talk about your religious background.

Where would you say you are in your spiritual pilgrimage?

5. I‟d like to tell you how I established a personal relationship with God.

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6. What is your concept of God? Do you view Him positively or negatively?

7. Have you ever come to a point in your life where you trusted Jesus

Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, or do you think that is something

you‟re still moving toward? May I share with you how I came to that point?

8. Do you find that faith and spiritual values play a role in your (work) (day)

(marriage) (perspective on life)?

9. If you could be sure there is a God, would you want to know Him? Or if

you could know God personally, would you want to?

10. Bring a friend to your church or a Christian event, then ask:

What did you think of it?

Did it make sense to you?

Have you made the wonderful discovery of knowing God personally?

You’d like to, wouldn’t you?

11. Do you go to church? Why or why not?

12. I‟d hate for you to come to my church and not understand what it‟s all

about. Would you want to get together and discuss our basic beliefs?

13. We‟ve been friends for quite some time now, and I‟ve never really

talked to you about the most important thing in my life. May I take a few

moments and do so?

14. Is church something that has had an influence in your life? Are you at a

point now that you want church to be a bigger part of your life? What

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prompted this? Would you want to hear our basic beliefs so you‟ll know if

that fits in with what you‟re looking for?

15. How do you think someone becomes a Christian?

16. Can I share the thing I‟ve found most important to me as a (dad),

(mom), (boss)?

17. What do you think about when you go to sleep at night?

18. Most people in America say they believe in God. What does believing in

God mean to you?

19. Before I came to know Christ personally, God was a vague concept that

I could not relate to or grasp. How would you describe your view of God?

Jesus? Is He a reality to you or more of a vague concept?

20. If you were to die tonight are you sure you‟d go to heaven? Has anyone

ever explained how you can know for sure?

http://www.evangelismcoach.org/2008/20-evangelism-questions-to-start-a-conversation/

5 Great Spiritual Conversation

Questions Here are some questions that could move your conversations with

nonbelievers to deeper levels of spiritual interaction:

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1. What are some joys you are experiencing in this season of your life?

Most people would love to share about the good things in their lives,

but they are afraid that others won‟t care. Just by asking and

listening, you open the door for great interaction. Also, if there are

clear signs that God is blessing their life, you could open the door for

conversation about the source of all good things.

2. What challenges and struggles are you facing?

People will share their pains and hurts with someone who truly cares

about them and takes the time to listen. As they share, you may find

that it becomes an opportunity to minister the grace of Jesus.

Sharing struggles can also create space for you to pray for or with

them.

3. What is your personal history when it comes to faith and God?

This question is not so much about what people believe as it is about

their personal histories.

A person might say, “I have no history when it comes to religion,” or

“I grew up going to Mass every week and my parents are quite

devout,” or “I have always been very spiritual and I still read my

horoscope daily and do a lot of meditation.”

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No matter what answer they give, you end up learning something

about their journey that may allow you to move the conversation to a

deeper level.

4. What do you believe about God?

With this question, we move into more personal convictions and

beliefs.

Again, no matter how they answer, remember that you are learning

and already going deeper than a typical conversation.

Some Christians feel pressured to correct “wrong thinking” or “errant

theology” in their conversations with nonbelievers. Try not to do this.

Just listen and learn where they are; then you‟ll gain a sense of

where they still need to go on their journey toward Jesus.

5. What is your perception of Christians?

Or put a different way, “What is your perception of Christianity or of

the Christian church?” It takes courage to ask this question, listen,

and not get defensive. But I have found that it can be an open door to

deeper conversations.

Taken from Harney, Kevin G. (2009-09-29). Organic Outreach for

Ordinary People: Sharing Good News Naturally (pp. 191-192).

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http://www.evangelismcoach.org/2011/5-great-spiritual-conversation-questions/

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SOME VERSES ON EVANGELISM

The Command

Mark 16:15

And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

2 Corinthians 5:18, 20

God has given us the ministry of reconciliation...we are ambassadors for Christ.

The Condition of the World

Matthew 9:37

Then He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are

few.

John 4:35

Do you not say, There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I

say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for

harvest!

Jesus, the Ambassador

1 Timothy 1:15

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

Luke 19:10

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

John 3:17

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world

through Him might be saved.

The Need for Ambassadors

Romans 10:13-14

For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call

on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of

whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Jesus' First words to His Disciples were about Evangelism

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Matthew 4:18-19

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter,

and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then

He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Jesus' Last words to His Disciples were about Evangelism

Acts 1:8-9

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall

be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of

the earth. Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was

taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

God has given us the Power to be His Ambassadors

Acts 1:8-9

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall

be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of

the earth. Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was

taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

The Content of our Message is not Complicated

The jailer asked Paul and Silas in

Acts 16:30-31

(v. 30) Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Their response was (16:31) Believe on

the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24

For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ

crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those

who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of

God.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also

you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold

fast that word which I preached to you-- unless you believed in vain. 3 For I

delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins

according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the

third day according to the Scriptures.

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John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever

believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The Content of our Gospel Message Should include a Call to Repentance

Luke 13:3, 5

Unless you repent you will all likewise perish .I tell you, no; but unless you repent

you will all likewise perish. Jesus

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is

longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come

to repentance. Peter

Matthew 3:1-2

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and

saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Matthew 4:17

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of

heaven is at hand.

Luke 15:7

I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who

repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Jesus

Acts 2:38-39

Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the

name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;

Acts 26:19-20

Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared

first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of

Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works

befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried

to kill me.

The Confidence we can have in God's Word

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Isaiah 55:10-11

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there,

but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the

sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall

prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Romans 1:15-16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation

for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

John 12: 23-33

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.

http://www.alwaysbeready.com/evangelism-help?id=111

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PENUTUP

Demikianlah telah kita pelajari bersama

bagaimana kelompok sel yang sehat, aspek-

aspek pertumbuhan gereja, dan Doa.

Kelompok sel yang besar jumlah anggotanya

akan merugikan gereja dan anggota sel itu

sendiri. Harus ada leader baru. Harus berani

keluar dari comfort zone.

Kelompok sel yang sehat akan mendukung

pertumbuhan gereja yang pesat.

Pertumbuhan gereja tidak terlepas dari karya Roh Kudus dan doa-doa orang

percaya.

Kiranya tahun ini menjadi “A year of growth” berdasarkan 2 Tim 2:15

“Usahakanlah supaya engkau layak di hadapan Allah sebagai seorang pekerja yang

tidak usah malu, yang berterus terang memberitakan perkataan kebenaran itu”

Dalam terjemahan bahasa Inggrisnya:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be

ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (KJV).

Do your best to win God's approval as a worker who doesn't need to be

ashamed and who teaches only the true message (CEV)

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not

ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth

(TEV)

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved

(tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly

analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching]

the Word of Truth (AMP)

Belajarlah untuk menunjukkan dirimu sendiri diakui oleh Tuhan sebagai pekerja

yang tidak perlu malu, menganalisis dengan benar dan memilah-milah dengan

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teliti/tepat/akurat Firman Kebenaran (menangani dengan benar dan mengajar

dengan terampil akan Firman Tuhan).

Untuk itu dalam pembahasan selanjutnya akan kita perdalam Bible Survey;

mengenal setiap kitab dalam Firman Tuhan dan pesan-pesan inti yang

disampaikan di dalamnya.

Bagi kemuliaan-Nya !!

BMF collections - 2015