Introduction to Find Your Place
I am now about to finish the English version of my book Finn din plass. Here is the first part of the intruduction:
To be a Christian is to live a very exciting life! It is a life of constant change and development. When we have an encounter with Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, we find our true selves and reach a right understanding of who we really are. In meeting with Christ we discover how highly we are appreciated and what a wonderful plan God has made for us.
A Christian believer is never alone in this world. A Christian person is joined to other persons who love Jesus Christ and together they serve the great Saviour and Lord. The Church, the covenant community of God, consists of people who together have submitted themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. They are people who want to assist and support one another in keeping all his commandments. This can best take place in a cell-group or a house-church with warm and close relationships among the members. A cell-group or the house-church is the basic building block of the church at large and it normally consists of 6-12 believers sharing life and meeting together in homes. The cell-group or house-church is the basic Christian community.
There is a fourfold purpose of the cell-group that will help you to reach your full potential in Christ:
1. Evangelism. The cell-group makes it possible for believers to work together to bring new people to Christ and incorporate them in the covenant community. In the cell-group you will find friendship, fellowship, follow-up and nurturing for new believers. It is also a place where the non-believer is given the opportunity to see God�s work in the lives of the believers.
2. Edification. The cell-group provides an environment for spiritual growth and development. It is a place to build strong bonds of Christian fellowship and also a place of accountability. Here you will find a listening ear, a helping hand, wise counsel and prayer from people who care for you. Therefore all must come with the attitude of: �Lord, give me something to bless others.� When we share grace from God with one another and speak the word of the Lord into one another�s life, edification takes place and we are all strengthened.
3. Equipping for effective ministry. In the cell-group you will be equipped to do the work of ministry. You will receive help and be encouraged to discover, receive and function in spiritual gifts. There are unlimited opportunities for meaningful service in the cell-group and the covenant community. The cell-group will help you to become a minister of Christ.
4. Training of leaders. The cell-group is the training ground for all leaders in the covenant community. Here all the essential leadership qualities and requirements will be developed. Therefore it is the base for the selection, training and mobilisation of leaders. The cell-group is the launching place of leaders into ministry.
All these four purposes are included in the Great Commission:
And Jesus came and said to them, �All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.� (Matthew 28:18-20)