Cell group ministry is intimately linked with the
theology of the church. In
order to understand cell-based ministry I believe that it is essential
to understand what the church is and what it does.
Throughout this chapter, I will focus on the doctrine of
ecclesiology with specific reference to its relationship with cell-based
ministry.
Jesus told us that He would build His church (Mt.
16:18). Throughout the
centuries Christ has been fulfilling that promise.
In order to define Christ’s church, I will be drawing from
Scripture and from various historical definitions of the church.
My purpose is to better understand the role of cell ministry as
it relates to the church. The
bedrock teaching about the church comes from the inspired Word of God.
It is from this source that any other definition must be judged.
To understand the New Testament church one must first
examine the Hebrew background. There
are two significant Hebrew words which are helpful: qahal
and edah. The word edah is
regularly used to refer to the gathered congregation of Israel as a
whole (Coenen 1975:294-295). However,
it is the word qahal which
serves as the basis for the New Testament concept of the church. The word qahal refers
to the summoning of an assembly as well as the actual act of assembling.
Millard Erickson helps clarify this meaning when he says,
It is not so much a specification of the members of the
assembly as a designation of the occurrence of assembling. A religious significance sometimes attaches to the word
(e.g., Deu. 9:10; 10:4; 23:1-3). The
term can also denote a more general assembly of the
people. . . . Women
(Jer. 44:15) and even children (Ezra 10:1; Neh. 8:2) are included.
The term is also used of the gathering of troops, and in Ezekiel
it refers to nations other than Israel (1984:1031).
The key concept, then, is that of the assembly.
However, there is a distinct difference between the assembly that
is represented by edah and the
assembly represented by qahal. According
to Lothar Coenen, unlike the word edah,
which is the common term for the assembly of the ceremonial
community as a whole, the word qahal is the expression of the assembly which results from the
covenant (1975: 295). This
can be seen by how the Septuagint translates these two Hebrew words.
The word ecclesia,
which is the common word for church in the New Testament, is only used
to translate qahal and not edah.
It is this concept of the assembled, covenant people of God that qahal
represents in the Old Testament. And
it is this meaning which serves as the basis for the word ecclesia
in the New Testament. David
Watson provides additional background information on the implications of
the word ecclesia in the New
Testament by emphasizing that it was a “called out” community
(holiness), a “called for” community (God’s purpose), a “called
together” community (unity), and a “called to” community (future
inheritance) (1978: 67-74).
The assembled, covenant people in the New Testament,
which is represented by ecclesia, is
referred to in a variety of circumstances.
For example, Paul, John, and Luke use the term to refer to the
assembled believers in a specific city (1 Co. 1:2; Rev. 1-3; Ac. 5:11). The word is also commonly used to refer to all believers in a
given city (Ac. 8:1; 13:1). More
specifically as it touches this dissertation, the word is used to
designate churches which met in particular homes (Rom. 16:5; 1 Co.
16:19; Co. 4:15).
The Biblical text is rich with a variety of images that
help clarify the theology of the church and its relationship to cell
ministry. A few of these
images are worth noting.
The church is made up of people who have been chosen by
God (2 Co. 6:16). This New
Testament concept has deep Old Testament roots.
Israel, God’s chosen instrument, was often depicted as the
people of God (Erickson 1984:1033).
The People of God motif is especially relevant to the cell-based
church. Thomas Goslin
rightly declares, “When the early church founders spoke of churches, ecclesias,
they were referring to gathered communities of believers, not
buildings” (1984:2).
Elmer Towns affirms, “In the early church it is clear
that ‘church buildings’ as such did not exist until the second or
third century” (1983: 257-258). According
to Donald McGavran, archeologists find no hint of church buildings
before the year A.D. 150 (quoted in Goslin 1984: ii).
This is not to say that the early believers did not meet
in the temple (Ac. 2:46; 5:20, 25, 42) and in the portico of the temple
(Ac. 5:12). However, even
before persecution made frequent celebration events impossible, the
primitive church grew in its self-understanding of the people of God as
they met in home gatherings (Ac. 2:46; 5:42).
The church as the people of God stands in direct
contrast to the view of many that the church is primarily an
institution. Rather, the
Bible paints a different picture. It
is seen as a living, spiritual household of God’s people.
Howard Snyder punctuates this point by saying, “The power of
seeing the church as the community
of God’s people has been
challenging and undermining entrenched models of the church as a
religious institution dedicated to a kind of technical
spiritual work . . .” (1983:15).
The church is also described as the Body of Christ (1
Co. 12:27). Christ is seen
as head of His body (1 Co. 1:18; 2:9-10).
He has chosen the members of His body and every part is of equal
importance (1 Co. 12:12-26). Just
as in the human body there are many different parts with various
functions, so also in the body of Christ.
However, the differences do not affect the fact that there is a
fundamental unity (Morris 1958:173).
In fact, Ladd believes that the primary emphasis of the body of
Christ metaphor is the unity of all believers (1974:545).
In all three of the major passages (Eph. 4; Rom. 12; 1
Co. 12-14) in which Paul talks about the body of Christ, he defines each
member’s role by his or her corresponding gifts.
In fact, when Paul talks about the church as the body of Christ,
the implication is that the believers exercised their spiritual gifts.
They had the opportunity to interact among themselves.
Robert Banks reminds us, “Because God gave to each individual
within the community some contribution for its welfare, there is a
strong democratic tendency. Everyone participates authoritatively in its activities”
(1994:148).
How did everyone participate?
Along with the united celebration (Ac. 2:46a), we read that they
also broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts (2:46b). Paul taught
the people, not only publicly, but also from house to house (Ac. 20:20).
It is with this intimate atmosphere in mind that Paul could say,
“When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction
. . .” (1 Co. 14:26).
I believe that the most liberating atmosphere for the
exercise of spiritual gifts is within the community of a small group.
Carl George reminds us that, “Because of the intimate,
accountability-inviting context of an affinity-based group, participants
will readily accept the call of God that accompanies the discovery of
their gifts” (1993:136). Along
these same lines, Ralph Neighbour asserts, “Recognizing there cannot
be total participation by every member when the gatherings are only made
up of large, impersonal groups, the people of God moved from house to
house in small groups” (1990:41).
The body of Christ motif also demands that we not only
exercise our gifts, but that we also recognize other parts of the body,
and that we are sensitive to meet their needs.
It is this intimate sense of community in the body of Christ
which today’s cell movement has recaptured (Snyder 1975:143-148).
The church as God’s people is closely tied to the
understanding that the church is the family of God (Eph. 2:14-15). God is our Heavenly Father and we are God’s chosen people,
adopted into His family, the church.
Banks contends that Paul’s metaphor of the family, “. . .
must be regarded as the most significant metaphorical usage of all”
(1994:49). We should
primarily see each other as members of God’s family.
We have been adopted into His heavenly family, and therefore can
honestly call each other “brothers and sisters.”
The home cell group highlights this truth by the simple fact of
meeting in houses. J.
Goetzmann confirms this reality when he says,
What could be conveyed by the idea of the family of God
had, in fact, already come into being in the primitive Christian
community through the house churches.
The household as a community . . . formed the smallest
unit and basis of the congregations.
The house churches mentioned in the N.T. (Ac. 11:14; 16:15, 31,
34; 18:8; 1 Co. 1:16; Phl. 2; 1 Ti. 1:16; 4:19) no doubt came into being
through the use of the homes as meeting places.
The gospel was preached in them (Ac. 5:42; 20:20), and the Lord’s
supper was celebrated in them (Ac. 2:46) (1975:250).
There is nothing quite like the atmosphere of a home to
confirm the fact that we are indeed God’s family.
The decorations on the wall, the arrangement of furniture, and
the smell of food all add to the flavor of family living. As a result, the cell members normally warm up to each other
more quickly in the home than during a similar meeting in the church.
The church has traditionally been defined as one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic Church. While
not discounting the four traditional credal marks of the church, the
Reformers emphasized the importance of Biblical preaching and properly
administered sacraments. Through
the preaching of the Word, the Reformers hoped to bring the church back
to its purity (Van Engen 1981:91).
Evangelicals have largely embraced the marks set forth by the
reformation to identify the presence of the true church.
Donald McGavran and Arthur Glasser write,
Evangelicals also hold a high doctrine of the church.
They will, however, not limit the church to the Church of Rome.
For example, the Dordrecht Confession of Faith says the church
consists of those who have truly repented, and rightly believed; who are
rightly baptized, united with God in heaven, and incorporated into the
communion of the saints on earth (1983:186-187).
Like the Reformers, evangelicals point to the purity of
Christ’s church. Yet,
there has been growing concern that the Reformer’s definition of the
church gave little attention to the church’s missionary role.
This missionary theme has increasingly been recognized as a vital
mark of the church of Jesus Christ.
Charles Van Engen writes, “. . . when a local
congregation understands that it is, by its nature, a constellation of
mission activities, and it intentionally lives its life as a missionary
body, then it begins to emerge toward becoming the authentic Church of
Jesus Christ” (1993:70). Jurgen
Moltman adds, “. . . Mission does not come from the church;
it is from mission and in the light of mission that the church has to be
understood” (1993:10).
Can the cell group by itself be considered the church of
Jesus Christ? Proponents of
the cell model would propose that the true church takes place in the
cell (Beckham 1995:28). It
is true that in some cell groups the Word of God is preached and the
sacraments are administered. However,
it seems that in most cell groups this is not the case.
For example, none of my cell-based case churches in Latin America
allowed the cell leaders to administer the Lord’s supper within the
cell group and only one of them allowed the cell leaders to baptize cell
members.
It is also important to remember that most cell group
leaders are not called nor equipped to be full-time pastors and
teachers. They are not
expected to take ultimate responsibility for those under their charge.
Rather, they function more as “under shepherds.”
As a facilitator, the cell leader focuses more on guiding the
communication process, praying for cell members, visitation, and
reaching the lost for Christ.
Therefore, it is probably best to view the cell group
ministry as an arm of the true church, an instrument in the hands of God
to enable members to experience the fullness of Christ’s church.
It is not a matter of choosing between the celebration time in
the church or the cell in the home.
Rather, it should be a both/and proposition for every believer.
Cell-based ministry allows the believer to experience
Christ’s church in a more dynamic way.
In the cell church, it is not sufficient only to attend the
Sunday morning worship service. Cell
and celebration attendance is expected of every member.
George Hunter echoes this thought,
Many people are involved in the congregation, and are
thus involved in its proclamational, sacramental, and liturgical life,
but not in the cell; they therefore never experience half of what “church”
has to offer. Only in the
church’s redemptive cells do we really know each other, and support
each other, and pull for each other, and draw strength from each other,
and weep with each other, and rejoice with each other, and hold each
other accountable, and identify each others gifts, and experience what
it means to “members of one another” (1996:48).
Understanding the church of Jesus Christ requires not
only reflection on its nature but also its functions. In this section I will analyze the latter, giving special
attention to how cell ministry enhances what the church is called to do.
An analysis of Matthew 28:18-20 demonstrates that of the
four principle verbs listed in Matthew 28:19-20, only the verb “to
make disciples” is used as a direct command (Bosch 1983:228-233). Since the Lord left His church with this one command, a
correct understanding of it is essential for the church to function
properly.
What does it mean to make disciples? Some have tended to
emphasize the spiritual perfection of existing Christians (Hull
1988:135-140), while still others interpret Christ’s command in terms
of evangelism (McGavran 1980:123).
In reality, the church is called to do both simultaneously.
One should not be emphasized at the expense of the other.
When the disciples received Christ’s last command,
there were only a handful of believers.
Therefore it is necessary to interpret the command of Christ to
disciple the nations as a call to evangelism.
We know that a major part of the evangelism in the early church
took place through the house church.
Hadaway, S. Wright, and DuBose write,
Another significant matter about evangelism in the New
Testament is that much of it--if not most of the more enduring
type--took place in the house churches.
This was true not simply because the larger homes were able to
accommodate the function. It
was also true because proclamation took place as a result of the total
witness of the interrelated functions of church life in the homes
(1987:66).
It appears that the effectiveness of this evangelism
was due to the lifestyle of those who met in these homes as well as
their aggressive outreach.
Lifestyle Evangelism
Jesus declares in John 17:23, “I in them and you in
me. May they be brought to
complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved
them even as you have loved me.”
According to Jesus, the church will win the world by
demonstrating its unity and love for one another.
As the world beholds this type of practical love and unity in
action, Christ tells us that they will be won to Himself.
Several veterans of small group ministry team up to write,
And that is the purpose of all this--of caring for one
another, . . . so that the world will know that Jesus Christ
is Lord. That’s why the
church exists in the first place. The
ultimate goal of the small group is to expose people who don’t know
Jesus Christ to His love. We
have small groups so the world can see Christ fleshed out.
It is our way of taking Christ to the world (Meir, Getz, Meir,
Doran 1992:180).
This “lifestyle” evangelism in the small group often
takes place through friendship. Frequently
a non-Christian is hesitant to immediately enter the doors of a church.
It is much easier to first participate in a cell group in the
warmth of a home. Dale
Galloway writes, “Many people who will not attend a church because it
is too threatening, will come to a home meeting” (1986:144).
Later, these same non-Christians will enter the church by the
side of a friend that they have met in the cell group.
Richard Peace writes,
. . . in a successful small group, love,
acceptance and fellowship flow in unusual measure.
This is the ideal situation in which to hear about the kingdom of
God. In this context the
“facts of the gospel” come through not as cold proposition but as
living truths visible in the lives of others.
In such an atmosphere a person is irresistibly drawn to Christ by
his gracious presence (1996:36).
Pro-Active Evangelism
Although non-Christians will be attracted by the
lifestyle of cell group members, the cell group outreach must also be
intentionally planned. The
Scriptures teach that the world is lost and on the edge of a Christless
eternity (Jn. 3:36; 2 Th. 1:7-9; 1:16; Jude 23).
In the parable of the wedding banquet the king told his servants
to “Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find”
(Mt. 22:9). Paul felt compelled to preach the gospel (1 Co. 9:16) because
of the love of Christ which controlled him (2 Co. 5:14). Another inner compulsion to persuade people was the fact that
every person would stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Co.
5:11). It was this same
urgency that stirred Paul to say in Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they
call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in
the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without
someone preaching to them?” Some
have labeled this type of concern “urgent evangelization.”
For most cell churches, this aggressive or “urgent
evangelism” is graphically seen in the rapid multiplication of cell
groups. The pastoral
leadership encourages the cell leaders to reach the unconverted through
rapid cell multiplication. In
many of the most rapidly growing cell churches around the world, the
time that it takes for the individual cells to multiply is six months
(Neighbour 1992:32-35).
Aggressive, pro-active evangelism, must be a vital part
of cell group ministry if the church is going to fulfill the great
commission today. Many
churches are finding this true as they reach out to their non-Christian
neighbors through a cell group ministry.
Christ’s command to disciple the nations also involves
the “perfection of the saints.”
Christ punctuates this fact by adding the words, “. . .
and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Mt.
28:20). God gave gifted
leaders to the church so that, “. . . the body of Christ may
be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge
of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of
the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12-13).
It is through the church that discipleship takes place.
Yet, much of the writing about discipleship ministry comes from Para church
organizations. George
Peters comments,
One on one discipleship is not the New Testament
norm. . . . Pentecost
introduced a new method of making disciples.
The Church of Jesus Christ . . . was born on the day of
Pentecost. From then on the
“making of disciples” was different.
The maturing and equipping of Christians happens in the body of
Christ and in the temple of God as manifested in local congregations
(1980:13,14).
As an instrument of the church, cell group ministry
can play an important role in the discipleship process through the care
of converts, aiding the sanctification process, and providing fellowship
for the believers.
The Care of Converts
Cell ministry is an important tool for individual
caring. It is not uncommon
for churches to name their small groups, “Kinship Groups,” “Tender
Loving Care Groups,” “Shepherd Groups,” or “Care Groups”
(Logan 1989:125). These
names reflect the indispensable calling to care for one another.
When new people are linked with members who care, they are much
more likely to continue the discipleship process.
It is because of lack of care that new believers in so many
churches “fall by the way side.”
Cell churches around the world care for their new
converts through the cell ministry.
Oftentimes this care is accomplished first, through directing the
new converts to a cell group in accordance with their location, age,
and/or civil status; second, contacting the new convert immediately
through a visit from a member of the cell group; and third, assigning
the new convert to someone in the group who will help him become
established in his or her Christian walk (Neighbour 1992:26).
The Sanctification Process
Paul tells us that God in His sovereignty has called us
“. . . to be
conformed to the likeness of his Son, . .” (Rom. 8:29).
Becoming like Jesus Christ requires a lifetime.
This maturation is most accurately depicted in the Biblical
doctrine of sanctification. The
Bible tells us that sanctification is both an instantaneous action as
well as a progressive experience (1 Co. 1:30; He. 10:14).
While the church does not sanctify anyone, it does facilitate
sanctification through the preaching of the Word, the partaking of the
sacraments, and other church ministries.
The small group is particularly helpful in the
sanctification process. Through
worship, exhortation, ministering to one another, and vision casting a
believer is helped in his spiritual growth. The
Bible tells us that we should encourage one another daily so that we are
not hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (He. 3:13).
Snyder points out,
The priority of sanctification is another reason why
the church needs close-knit small groups or covenant cells to under gird
its life. Such groups are
just as important as the other aids toward spirituality and edification
which the church provides (1983:89). Aubrey Malphurs adds,
There is one major, all-encompassing purpose for small
groups. That purpose is the
transformation of a person’s life or life change through community.
It is often in the small group that sins are exposed, confession
is made, love is experienced, community is felt, and thus, spiritual
growth and sanctification takes place (1992:213).
The Fellowship of Believers
Particularly helpful in the growth and edification of
the believer is Christian fellowship.
The apostle John declares, “But if we walk in the light, as he
is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7).
John uses the word koinonia
which literally means, “having all things in common.”
Jesus is the common ground for Christian fellowship, and He is
the one who binds Christians together.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer comments,
. . . the Christian needs another
Christian. . . . He
needs him again and again when he becomes discouraged, for by himself he
cannot help himself without belying the truth.
He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine
word of salvation. He needs
his brother solely because of Jesus Christ.
The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word
of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure
(1954:23).
Like sanctification, the need for Christian fellowship
can probably best be met in the context of a small group. The cell group takes the believer from the large, impersonal
church gathering, and lovingly compels him to communicate and interact
with other believers on a deeper, more personal level (Hamlin
1990:52-59). It is this
fundamental need for fellowship, warmth, and understanding that makes
the small group ministry so attractive (Peace 1996:36).
The Use of the Laity in
Ministry
I have been describing the perfecting state of the
discipleship process which involves personal care, sanctification, and
fellowship. We have seen
how these three aspects of the Christian life are uniquely fulfilled in
the context of the cell group. However,
the church’s discipleship role is not complete until the believer is
actively involved in ministry. The
role of the church, according to Ephesians 4:11,12, is to raise up the
laity to do the work of the ministry.
Revelation 1:6 declares that Christ has called the church to be a
kingdom of priests.
As children of the Reformation, most Christians would
agree that every believer is a minister.
However, from a practical perspective the church has allowed only
certain specially chosen people to do the work of the ministry.
As David Sheppard points out, “We’ve settled for the
priesthood of all educated believers” (1974:123).
Only very “gifted” and “highly educated” people are
allowed to use their gifts in the typical teaching and preaching
ministry on Sunday morning. The
rest of the saints sit and listen.
Hadaway writes, “The clergy-dominated Christianity of the
Western world has widened the gap between clergy and laity in the body
of Christ. This division of
labor, authority, and prestige is common when a professional clergy
exists” (Hadaway 1987:203).
One of the solutions to this division is the cell church
model. Ministry is taken
out of the hands of a “chosen few” and placed in the hands of the
laity. No one is allowed to
sit passively. Everyone
must be involved. Due to
the rapid multiplication of cell groups, there is a constant need for
new leaders, interns, hostesses, song leaders, and evangelistic teams.
The responsibility is shared among many people (Hadaway
1987:171).
The functions of the church of Jesus Christ are
numerous. We have analyzed
one of those functions called discipleship and tried to relate it to
cell group ministry. In
addition to the edification of believers and the evangelization of the
lost, Jesus calls the church to practical social outreach.
Perhaps the subject of social concern can be best summed
up by the words of John the apostle, “If anyone has material
possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can
the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love in words or
tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 Jn. 3:17-18).
Francis Shaeffer addresses the church by using the same biting
language,
Let me say it very strongly again: there is no use
talking about love if it does not relate to the stuff of life in the
area of material possession and needs.
If it does not mean a sharing of our material things for our
brothers in Christ close at home and abroad, it means little or nothing
(1985:73).
This subject of social concern is not only about feeding
the hungry. It includes the
condemning of unrighteousness as well as meeting physical needs. At times it involves simply alleviating the hurt, while at
other times it requires changing the circumstances that have caused the
problem. Jesus, the head of
the church, is our example. He
healed the sick and hurting (Mt. 9:35-38) and fed the hungry (Mt.
15:29-39). At the same time, he boldly condemned hypocrisy and
oppression (Mt. 21:12-16; 23:13-36).
Gustavo Gutiérrez reminds us that, “During all his public
life, Jesus confronted the groups in power over the Jewish people”
(1988:132). He expected believers to follow His example (Lk. 10:25-37).
This same emphasis on social outreach is found in the
epistles. James reminds the
believers to look after the orphans and widows (1:27), clothe and feed
the hungry (2:15-17), as well as condemn the unjust social structures
which cause poverty (5:1-6). Paul
writes to the church in Galatia, “Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the
family of believers” (6:10).
The church of the New Testament is an excellent example
of practical outreach to “those who belong to the family of believers.”
They demonstrated their practical social concern by helping each
other in time of need. Many
passages in the Bible set forth this truth (Ac. 2:43-47; 4:32-37;
5:1-11; 6:1-7). For
example, in Acts 11:29 the Gentile church in Antioch sent money to help
the Jewish congregation in Jerusalem.
The Macedonian congregations were commended for their rich
generosity in times of severe trial (2 Co. 8:2).
Jesus even helps the church carry on His social work by
providing the necessary gifting. Stephen
Mott comments, “Christ has given to his body, the church, gifts for
carrying out the work of his reign.
These spiritual gifts include a social ministry: giving to the
poor (2 Co. 8:7), service, sharing, giving aid and acts of mercy (Rom.
12:7-8)” (1982:134).
This quote by Mott sheds light on the social task of the
church. For what separates
the social ministry of the church from the work of other secular
institutions? The answer
seems to lie in the area of empowering.
The church is empowered by Christ through the gifting of each
member. This giftedness can
be harnessed on a centralized level (e.g., church offering for a
particular need, church action against abortion), but to meet more
specific social needs, the level of cell outreach appears to be more
effective. It is upon this
subject that we will now focus.
As was just mentioned, the church can and should carry
on a program of social concern. Many
churches take an offering once a month after the communion service.
This offering is called a “benevolent offering.”
Such money is placed into a special emergency fund for the
purpose of providing help to hurting members of the congregation.
However, oftentimes such help is limited.
First, it is normally not sufficient that a church member simply
has a need. Rather, such
needs must be “judged worthy” by
those in authority. Second,
many hurting people will never make their needs known to a board of
elders, head pastor, or church board.
The process is often too formal and wooden.
Third, it is not always possible for a pastor or elder board to
understand the person’s need from an insider’s perspective.
The request is often judged on a more superficial basis.
Yet, the same cannot be said about a cell group.
“Knowing each other” and “sharing needs” are essential
aspects of the cell group. John
Mallison asserts, “Small groups can play an important role in helping
each other hear and respond in practical ways to the cry of our
suffering brothers and sisters in our alienated, hurting world”
(1989:11).Ron Nicholas gives a personal example,
When my car failed to start once in ten-below-zero
winter weather, Steve and Cathy (a couple in our Koinonia group at
church) loaned me their brand new car so that I could drive to work. When my wife, Jill, returned from the hospital with our new
twin girls, we enjoyed several meals brought in by members of the same
small group. We cried
together when one member told of a car accident and problems at work. We all feel the pain when a couple’s child is in the
hospital (quoted in Johnson 1985:25).
In David Yonggi Cho’s cell church in Korea, it is not
uncommon for the cell group to take an offering or to find some other
practical way to meet a difficulty.
Simply put, the leaders and members are encouraged to “find a
need and meet it” (1981:59). Members
intentionally seek to discover ways to show acts of kindness to the
non-Christians around them. In
addition, to “doing good” to those around them, the members are
instructed to invite to the cell groups those who seem particularly
needy (e.g., in the midst of a divorce, problems with alcohol).
Oftentimes, it is the “needy people” who find the cell group
the most helpful. They are
the ones that are the most receptive, and it is these people that often
find the answer to their dilemma in the midst of a warm, loving group of
God’s people (Hurtson 1995:104).
The Living Word Community Church in Philadelphia is
another example of practical love in action.
The church reorganized its entire structure in 1970 around the
concept of home cell groups. As
a result, the church began to grow both in numerical expansion and
community living. The cell
groups maintained their spiritual dynamic while meeting the social needs
of the members. Ron Sider
writes, "Members of home meetings have dug into savings and
stocks to provide interest-free loans for two families who purchased
house trailers for homes. When
members went to sign the papers for an interest-free mortgage for
another family’s house, secular folk present for the transfer were
totally perplexed!" (1984:185)
It must be admitted that many cell groups do not
function at this level. Not
all cell members are close enough to provide this type of personal care.
Although I have given several examples of how social concern can
be practiced in the cell group, the cell movement needs to be critiqued
at this point. I would
agree with Sider’s commentary, “Though the numerous small groups
flourishing in the churches today are useful and valuable, they seldom
go far enough” (1984:188). At the same time, there is reason for hope.
The potential for social outreach through cell ministry is
unlimited. As cell leaders
and members are instructed to reach out in practical ways, needs will be
met and Christ will be glorified through His church.
A third function of the church is to testify to the
kingdom of God. The first
recorded words of Christ in Mark’s gospel are, “The time has come,
The kingdom of God is near. Repent
and believe the good news” (Mk 1:15).
Matthew reiterates this important message in 24:14, “And this
gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony
to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Perhaps, the concept of the gospel of the Kingdom brings together
the truths about discipleship and social action in the clearest, most
effective manner.
Yet, it must be remembered that the church is not the
Kingdom. The Kingdom is far
greater than the church since it was the preaching of Christ’s Kingdom
message that created the church (Ladd 1974:111-119).
Rather, the church is an instrument of the Kingdom.
It is called to testify of the Kingdom of God through the gospel
message.
Kingdom Concepts
Many believe that the central, unifying theme of the
Bible is the kingdom of God (Hasel 1982:52).
In both the Old and New Testaments this theme appears again and
again (e.g., Dan. 2:21; 4:24-25; Mt. 13).
George Ladd, an expert on this subject, defines the kingdom in
terms of the “rule of God.” He
states, “. . . the emphasis is not upon the state of affairs
or the final order of things but upon the fact that God will rule.
The state of affairs to be finally introduced is but the
inevitable result of the final vindication of the divine rule”
(1972:46). For example, the
psalmist says, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your
dominion endures through all generations” (Ps. 145:13).
Ladd believes that when Jesus says that the reign of God
is near, it is used in the sense of “reaching out” without the full
experience of all that the Kingdom is to involve.
In other words, the Kingdom has come in the person of Jesus
Christ, but will be fully experienced in the future (1959:127).
René Padilla talks about Christ being the “autobasileia”,
the kingdom in person (1986:86). Matthew
12:28 brings this out very clearly when Jesus says to the unbelieving
Pharisees, “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the
kingdom of God has come upon you.”
As instruments of Christ’s church, cell groups must
testify to the Kingdom of God. Each
cell group is a community of the living King who is actively reigning
here and now. For this
reason, the cells should expect the intervention of God’s reign in
each meeting. Every time a
person is set free from sin, healed of sickness, or delivered from
Satan, it is a manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth.
Wilbert Shenk writes,
The context for mission is the cosmic struggle between
the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world.
Christ is displacing Satan’s rule by His own. This struggle is being carried on within
history. . . . To
announce the gospel of the kingdom is to side against the kingdom of
this world (1983:213).
It is the “gospel of the Kingdom” that cell ministry must proclaim to the far corners of the
city and ultimately to the ends of the earth.
Padilla’s exhortation is relevant to cell ministry, “Impelled
by it [the kingdom message], Christians are able to act in response to
human need--not in order to bring in the kingdom but because the kingdom
has already come in Jesus of Nazareth and is yet to come in all its
fullness” (1986:91).
The already/not yet reality of the kingdom message must
guide the cell ministry away from a theology that promotes violence in
order to establish God’s kingdom.
Ultimate judgment belongs to God alone.
However, this distinction is not always clear in Liberation
Theology. The emphasis of
this theology is on practice rather than theory (Costas 1976:73).
It promotes the establishment of God’s rule among the poor,
disfranchised, and downtrodden of Latin America (Costas 1982:128). Through the organization of thousands of small groups called
“base communities” this theology has practically reached out to the
poor and has been concerned for justice (Dyrness 1990:99-102). However to promote social justice, a Marxist analysis has
been adopted which is not opposed to the use of violence. In fact, at times it is believed to be necessary to promote
their gospel (Escobar 1987:118-119).
In contrast, Christ’s kingdom message does not espouse
violence as a means to establish God’s reign (Yoder 1972:123-134).
However, it does promote spiritual and physical liberation in the
life of every person. It includes good news for the poor, freedom for the
prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and release of the oppressed
(Lk. 4:18).
Finally, the message of the God’s kingdom provides
great hope for cell ministry. As
God’s present reign is manifested in the cell through glorious moments
of fellowship and spiritual refreshment, the group should be reminded of
a much grander and majestic future reign.
It is the hope of Christ’s future kingdom that should compel
cell ministry to continue reaching out to a lost and hurting world.
This chapter has sought to define the nature and
activity of Christ’s church. It
has attempted to reflect on cell-based ministry as a powerful instrument
of Christ’s church. In
order for a believer to fully experience the church of Jesus Christ,
cell ministry is vital.
Cell ministry brings God’s people together in a way
that no other ministry can. It
allows the people of God to exercise their gifts, minister to one
another, participate in the body of Christ and truly be the living
organism that Christ has intended for His Church.
Cell ministry also empowers the Church to fulfill the Great
Commission.
Social outreach is another function of Christ’s
church. This chapter has
highlighted how small group ministry can meet deep human needs.
The local church at a congregational level often does not know
the intimate needs of its members’.
Small groups uniquely meet this need by providing close, intimate
sharing.
Finally, the church of Jesus Christ is called to
proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom.
Healing, miracles, power encounters, and outreach to the poor are
present day signs that God reigns.
The Kingdom of God paradigm reminds us that God’s ultimate rule
will be perfect and just. It
is Christ’s rule that must guide every aspect of cell ministry.
