THURSDAY THOUGHTS: Vol 2 | Is 8

Pastor Steve shares these links to stimulate some Thursday Thoughts…

This week we start with two posts about Small Groups:

The Danger of Small Group Systems: J. A. Medders writes: “You can have a vibrant Christianity without a Home Group. I’m not saying small groups are unimportant. I’m saying we need to be careful in how we view, speak, and teach on small groups. You’ll hear people speak of their small group systems as the nitrous booster that sped up the health and growth of their church. “What’s y’all’s small group structure? You doing missional communities? Do you think Charles Spurgeon had a vibrant and flourishing walk with Jesus? Yes, of course. And yet, somehow Spurgeon could live a Christ-exalting life without a Missional Community. He had community. He had fellowship. This is what we are after. It may happen in a group structure but for others, it may not and we’ve got to be okay with that.” You can read the rest HERE.

The Dark Side of Small Group: Greg Morse at Desiring God writes a satire – you’ll need to read this carefully. He writes: “They actually operate by an unspoken pact not to pursue the Enemy (in real time and space) nor to take up arms in any actual battle. This invisible pact reveals itself whenever they use one of our favorite words: legalist.” You can read the rest HERE.

Choose Your Apocalypse Now: The terrorist attack in Manchester is the context for this post by Stephen McAlpine. It is lengthy and includes some uncomfortable and graphic (Parental Advisory) clarity on the Ariana Grande fandom that found itself victim. Stephen writes: “What we face in the West is a choice between two kinds of apocalypse; an ugly terrifying one and one, that though beautiful, is merely a facade, a chimera that cannot hold up the weight of our hopes and dreams, and will ultimately disappoint. Who can fail to be outraged by the sheer evil act? In a blinding instant the ugly apocalypse met the beautiful apocalypse in a dreadful clash of world-views, values and practices. An implacably dangerous man collided with ironically dangerous women and the result has filled our heads with horror.” You should read the rest HERE.