22. Small groups cultivate an environment in which the Lord is present with us! Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” When the Twin Towers came down in the awful terrorist attack on the US in 2001, my wife and I met a couple of days later with our small group of young single adults. With the emotions of this horrible tragedy still raw in our minds and hearts, we gathered together that evening to worship and pray to the One who could make sense of it all. We spent the evening simply worshiping God, praying for the victims and their families and for our nation. The sense of God’s presence among us was overwhelming.

23. Small groups often give us the opportunity to watch God draw the unsaved to Himself.  Many years ago, when my wife and I were missionaries in Austria, a young lady began attending a small group in our home as a guest of one of our small group members. For the first few weeks Sabrina simply sat on the couch with her head down and her hands in her lap. She didn’t say a word and wouldn’t establish eye-contact with anyone. Frankly, I was surprised she continued to come, but we extended her love and included her in any way we could. Then, slowly, over a period of many weeks, Sabrina began to open up. She had a Bible with her, would read with us and began to enter into conversations. She often asked tough, probing questions. Finally, one week she came with a big smile on her face and announced that she had surrendered her life to Christ! Over the next months and years, it was our privilege to watch Sabrina grow in her relationship with Christ and with others.

24. Small groups offer deep, meaningful fellowship and good, clean fun! When my wife and I lived in Alaska, we led a small group of young single adults. One of our traditions was to take a midnight hike thru Conner’s Bog every New Year’s Eve. Such a trek through the frozen trails of this bog were fun and a bit crazy! The moonlight reflecting off the snow usually sufficed so that we didn’t need flashlights or headlamps. Sometimes we’d encounter a moose! But we had a blast together simply spending time with each other and enjoying God’s beautiful creation.

25. Small groups provide an opportunity for its members to serve one other! Acts 2:44-45, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” Each week our small group members take turns serving one another by bringing hors d’oeuvres and sharing with each other in other creative and hospitable ways. These small, hospitable acts of kindness allow us to demonstrate Christ’s love by serving one another. There’s also something about eating together that brings a group together in sweet fellowship!

26. Finally, small groups help us identify and equip new and more leaders in the church. Nothing stretches a follower of Jesus like being asked to lead others into deeper relationship with Christ! Leading small groups can be a tremendous joy, but also can provide significant challenges. As we identify and train new leaders, they experience their relationship with Christ and others in new, exciting and sometimes stretching ways. And as a result, everybody wins–the small group leader, his/her small group members, and the church as a whole!

©2012 Rob Fischer

17. Small groups provide us with the accountability that we desperately need! A few years ago, I was leading a men’s small group over the lunch hour. One of our guys (I’ll call him Kent) came in late and was noticeably troubled. We greeted Kent and I asked him what was wrong. He blurted out that he had just had a fight with his wife. I asked him if he had reconciled with her, to which he answered no. He explained what their argument was over and it was crystal clear to all of us that Kent was being extremely unreasonable and unloving toward his wife. Playfully, we told him to get back home and make things right with his wife and to let us know how things went. To Kent’s credit, he did! Kent was grateful for our tough love for him (and so was his wife!).

18. Small groups enable us to gather with other followers of Christ around God’s Word regularly! Acts 2:42, “they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching.” That’s the Word of God. Recently, the small group that I lead launched into a three week overview of Joseph’s life from Genesis. We read several chapters aloud each session and then discussed how God was working in Joseph’s life and how his story applies to us. All of us found Joseph’s story to be profoundly relevant and significant in our lives. This is just one example of how we spend time together in God’s Word and how powerfully His Word impacts us!

19. Small groups launch us into God-focused prayer with other followers of Christ! A number of years ago, Linda and I were leading a small group in Texas. A couple, Randy and Debbie, were members of our small group. They had been trying to have children for seven years, but to no avail. We had prayed for them often. However, on one evening in our small group, we read the passage in Luke 1 about how God gave Zacharias and Elizabeth a child (John the baptist) in their old age. As I was reading this passage, the Holy Spirit impressed on all of us, “I want to do this for Randy and Debbie too.” God’s leading and communication were so clear, that I confirmed with the rest of the group to see if that’s what they were hearing as well. And indeed, all had sensed the same message from God. So we stopped and prayed right then and there. A few weeks later, Debbie announced that she was pregnant and today they have two beautiful children!

20. Small groups provide us with first-hand experience at watching God work among us! The story I’m about to share is bazaar! I almost hesitate to share it, but I’ll tell it just like it happened. On another occasion, we were leading a small group in Post Falls, Idaho. The couple in whose home we met had a small “designer” dog that they loved. However, when we showed up for small group that night, Larry was holding their dog in his lap and the dog did not look well. Larry had been staining a fence earlier that day and the dog had unwittingly lapped up a considerable amount of stain and had gotten very sick. They rushed the dog to the vet and he did what he could for the dog, but sent the dog home indicating that he doubted that she would live.

There we were that night, looking at this pathetic little dog draped over Larry’s lap. The dog was listless and breathing short, rapid breaths. About ten minutes into our Bible study, Larry suddenly looked up and said to his wife, “Shirley, the dog is gone!” The dog was now completely limp. We stopped what we were doing and prayed. We prayed for the dog, but mostly for God’s comfort in Larry and Shirley’s life. The moment we said, “Amen,” the dog snapped its little head up, jumped off Larry’s lap and ran over to her water bowl and started drinking! We were all dumbfounded wondering what we had just witnessed!

Now, I’m not saying what you’re thinking! All we know is what we saw and experienced. But the real meaning in that incident for all of us that night was that God was present with us and He loves us and cares for us intimately–down to the smallest matters in our lives!

©2012 Rob Fischer

12. Small groups demonstrate that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts! Two Small groups raised over $10,000 to dig a well in Uganda and in the process impacted hundreds of people. Their efforts even made the evening news on television!

13. Small groups provide an ideal setting for fulfilling the “one-another” passages. “Be devoted to one another; honor one another; live in harmony with one another; love one another; accept one another.” (Romans 12:10, 16; 13:8; 15:7)

14. Small groups give us the opportunity to contribute to and build into others’ lives. My wife and I had the amazing privilege of filling in as surrogate parents for a number of young men and women when we lived in Alaska. I think especially of some young women who had deep father-wounds that were impairing their relationships with men. Our small group setting gave us the opportunity to demonstrate for them what  a marriage looks like when we’re following Jesus.

15. Small groups are simple! I started leading my first small group when I was 19—I had no idea what I was doing! But we met together, studied the Word, prayed, and cared for one another. (My wife, Linda was part of that small group! So I guess you could argue that this is yet another reason to join a small group!)

©2012 Rob Fischer

7. Small groups follow Jesus’ example with His twelve disciples! Jesus chose twelve men…that they might be with Him…(Mark 3:14)Jesus spent time with many others too, but he focused on the twelve. There is a limit to the number of people we can impact deeply with our lives. Small groups provide a great environment in which to influence and impact a few deeply.

8. Small groups are one of the most effective means of caring for others! (Small groups are our first line of defense at Southside Christian Church!) Late last fall, a family in our church lost a family member in a tragic farm accident. This family’s small group rallied around them providing love and meals. Additionally, their small group mustered over 50 volunteers to come to their farm to finish fencing in their land before winter set in.

9. Small groups offer spiritual partnership! Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” We all need that sharpening, that honing that takes place in deep relationships! Next to the Word of God, I’ve personally found spiritual partnership to be the single most powerful lever in my life for bringing about spiritual transformation.

10. Small groups provide us with ways to bear one another’s burdens. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” A great way we carry one another’s burdens is by praying for each other and this occurs hundreds of times weekly in our small groups!

©2012 Rob Fischer

In the Lord’s Prayer we are asking Him for strength to resist temptation. The New Living Translation renders it, “And don’t let us yield to temptation.” Another way to put it might be, “Lord, please lead me out of and away from the things that tempt me!” Jesus warned His disciples on the night He was betrayed, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) As we’ve seen elsewhere in this prayer, we are dependent on our heavenly Father and in this case, we’re dependent on His strength to resist temptation.

Where does temptation come from? The Scriptures point out at least three sources of temptation: the world system, our own fleshly desires and the devil (see 1 John 2:15-16; James 1:14; and John 13:2). The world and its ways are contrary to God. There’s nothing mysterious about this. The world calls good what God calls evil; and it calls evil what God calls good. Abortion or the killing of unborn children is one sober example of this horrible distortion.

One significant way in which we are led astray by the world is through others who aren’t following Jesus. Paul warns, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33) The world offers enticements that lure us away from God’s pure character toward lewd and baser things. The world cries out to us, “Come run with us.” “Everybody’s doing it!” “No one will know.” “It’s fun, try it!” “It doesn’t hurt anyone.”

Clearly, a second way we are led into temptation is through our own fleshly desires stimulated by greed, lust, envy, jealousy, and pride. The Bible refers to this as, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (1 John 2:16) James explains, “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15) Because our flesh is weak, it’s so important that we ‘feed’ our spirit with God’s Word, fellowship and prayer.

Finally, some temptations come from the evil one, the devil. Jesus was tempted by the evil one, yet He resisted his temptations and did not sin. Peter warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) The devil wants to trip us up. He wants to foil God’s plan to transform us and make us more like Christ. He lies to us in much the same way he lied to Adam and Eve in the garden.

Coming back to the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to help us resist temptation and to protect us from the evil one. This prayer presupposes that we will obediently avoid such situations that would place us in harm’s way. In other words, don’t go to places where you know you’ll be tempted. Don’t hang out with others who are constantly trying to lead you into temptation. And in some situations where temptation simply appears unannounced, we must flee! We must not flirt with temptation, but flee from it! We’re told to “Flee from sexual immorality!” (1 Corinthians 6:18) “Flee from idolatry!” (1 Corinthians 10:14) Flee from the lure of riches. (1 Timothy 6:11) And “Flee the evil desires of youth.” (2 Timothy 2:22)

“Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

©2011 Rob Fischer

As we read or pray this prayer, it would be easy for us to see our “daily bread” or the “forgiveness of our debts” as the focal things, but they aren’t. The focal thing in this prayer is God and our relationship with Him. When we express our need to Him for bread and for forgiveness, we interact with Him in a way that cultivates our relationship with Him and acknowledges who He is. God is not merely the “bread-Giver” or “Forgiver,” He is our Father. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)

I also recently heard someone claim that if one is “in Christ,” then that person is already forgiven all past, present and future sins and need no longer ask forgiveness. This statement is an attempt to reduce our relationship with God to mere dogma or theology. Think of this in terms of relationship instead. If a husband says, “I don’t need to tell my wife I love her, she already knows that,” he is depriving his wife and himself of the expression of and cultivation of their love relationship. The same is true for us if we say we don’t need to ask God forgiveness.

When we sin, we need to confess our sins, humble ourselves before God and ask His forgiveness. Sin rifts any relationship. Forgiveness repairs that rift. Theologically we know that God will forgive us before we ask Him, but experientially we need to ask Him. We need to express our sorrow over sin and resolve to love and follow Him. This is all necessary for a healthy relationship. (See 1 John 1:9.)

But there is a second part of this prayer of forgiveness. We’ve already asked for God’s kingdom to rule in our hearts and lives. One of the ways we live that out most fully is by forgiving others when they sin against us. We want to be like our Father, who is loving, long-suffering and forgiving. Can we really expect Him to forgive us if we refuse to forgive others? In fact, shortly after this prayer, Jesus commented, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

A friend who discipled me many years ago coached me to “keep short accounts” with God and with others. What he meant was to attend to our relationships in such a way that we would never be harboring ill-will toward someone or withholding forgiveness from someone. In this same spirit we pray to our heavenly Father, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

©2011 Rob Fischer

Asking God to provide for us is not an abdication of our responsibility to work hard for ours and others’ needs. Rather this request simply acknowledges that everything we have and enjoy is a gift from God. We look to Him as our loving, sovereign benefactor. The psalmist expressed to God: “You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth—wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength.” (Psalm 104:13-15 NLT)

Our request for God to “give us today our daily bread” also emphasizes a daily, habitual looking to Him for all our needs. In our culture, we often think of dependency as a negative thing. But dependency on God is always healthy, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) When a small child depends on its parents for everything that child needs, this represents a good and wholesome relationship. So it is in our relationship with our heavenly Father.

Finally, we recognize in asking, “Give us today our daily bread,” it would be foolish of us to rant and rave like a spoiled child demanding things from our Father that we do not need or should not have. God is not a genie who appears on command to fulfill our every wish! Yet He is not stingy either. Paul urged Timothy: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

The things beyond our needs that God has given us, we enjoy due to His kindness and gracious provision. He is so good! He wants us to continue to trust in Him and to learn to be like Him and give generously to others just as He has given generously to us. Thus we humbly pray, “Give us today our daily bread.”

©2011 Rob Fischer

“Our Father in heaven….” We begin by addressing God as “our Father.” He is the Father of us all from the viewpoint that He created us. We are His. (See Acts 17:24-31.) More specifically, God has called us into relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Through Christ we become His children; His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18). So we rightly and reverently address God as our Father. We look to Him for everything: love, protection, provision, and deep relationship.

We come to Him, not as an outsider begging for a hearing that we might make a one-time request. We come to Him as our loving Father, who delights in His children. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!?” (Matthew 7:11) Do you believe that? It’s vital that we do! To think less of God is to belittle Him and demean His character. So come to Him as His beloved child knowing that He longs to hear from you and spend time with you.

When I pray, “Our Father,” I also recognize that I am not alone as God’s child. Instead, I’m a part of God’s family. There are numerous implications of this truth. You or I are not an only child in God’s family! The relationships we have with others of God’s children are profoundly important in terms of our relationship with our Father. If we have a problem with one of God’s kids, we’ve got a problem with God! Those broken relationships cannot help but negatively impact our ability to pray and fellowship with our Father.

In the same context of Matthew’s account, Jesus had explained earlier the correlation between our relationship with the Father and with others of His kids. Jesus said that if we’re in the process of worshiping God and remember a broken relationship, we’re must speedily reconcile with that brother or sister first and then return to worshiping God (Matthew 5:23-24). And Peter warns husbands that failure to treat our wives in an understanding way will hinder our prayers to God (1 Peter 3:7).

That we pray, “Our Father,” also calls to mind the wonder and power of praying in concert with other followers of Christ. When God’s kids come together as a family to pray to their heavenly Father, some very powerful things happen! (See Acts 4:23-31.)

©2011 Rob Fischer

The text of the two prayers is nearly identical. The fact that they are not exactly the same demonstrates that these are two separate incidents, and that Jesus’ intention for this model has more to do with the spirit of prayer than with the repetition of static words.

The context of the prayer in Matthew’s Gospel shows that Jesus is trying to correct a hypocritical approach to prayer that was common among the religious leaders of the day. These hypocrites (Jesus calls them that!) would stand in public places and pray aloud for the benefit of being seen and heard by others. Jesus explains, “Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:5) Their prayers accomplished nothing further than perhaps impressing the simple-minded and swelling their own heads!

In contrast to the hypocrites, Jesus urges us, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)Our view of God impacts the way we pray. If we think that praying is simply a religious act with which we earn points with God and by which we can impress others, our view of God belittles and demeans him and twists our motives into something evil. But if we view prayer as a means for communion with our heavenly Father, who is awesome, loving and caring, we find great reward in him.

Jesus also explains that God is not interested in prayers full of endless babble or meaningless repetition. This was the practice among the pagans of the day and still is today. Jesus comments that these people think that God will answer because of their incessant pleading. But Jesus says, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8) Again, a false view of God leads to a distorted view of prayer.

Jesus then explained, “This, then, is how you should pray,” and he models what we call the “Lord’s Prayer.”

©2011 Rob Fischer

Occasionally, when I’ve cried out to God in desperation like that, I’ve sense His immediate, clear response. This was also such an occasion. I perceived God saying, “I don’t want your relationships to be fragile!” His response jarred me, because I’ve often thought of the health of relationships as fragile in terms of how volitile or easily they disintigrate. I had always assumed that frailty was simply the nature of our earthly relationships.  All that evening and into the next morning I mulled over the characteristics of fragile relationships and contrasted them with the characteristics of durable relationships. My brainstorming over these characteristic yielded the list below. I trust that God will use this contrast in your heart and life. May all your relationships become durable ones!

©2011 Rob Fischer