Men’s Tuesday Night Group Guideline
Reformation Day (10/31/22)
Men in Christ,
The Samaritan woman story in John 4 informs and guides us as to how Jesus encounters us personally (4:7-26), which then leads to our witness publicly (4:27-30, 39). I see clues in this story that can help us grow as a group of men to become more and more like Christ, especially as new men visit us who are at different places in their faith (including not yet believing). To a large extent, we are already doing these things so this serves more as a reminder.
We trust Christ alone to change people’s hearts as they encounter Him through His words and presence (Spirit). That’s why we get together on Tuesday nights, to personally encounter Christ as we publicly discuss His Word. We usurp Jesus’ authority when we try to change people rather than letting Christ do that work in them.
We make time for others to openly share their lives only when they choose and only to the extent they choose. When others share, the best way we can encourage them is to just listen. We don’t try to dig deeper, give unsolicited advice, or attempt to fix them. We are providing a safe place for people to share but at the same time we are not doing group therapy. All personal sharing is not to be shared outside the group without the prior permission of the individual.
We don’t push our ideas or interpretations on others or preach at them. Instead, we share what we are individually hearing from God as we read and heed His Word. As we saw in the Samaritan woman story, our faith grows deeper as each of us hears and understands Jesus’ words for ourselves (John 4:42; Isaiah 6:9-10).
Blessings in Christ,
Greg