Ask, Seek and Knock and You Will Begin to See Answers.

Matthew 7:7: Ask, and it will be given to you;seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8:For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

I shared a couple of months ago my desire to build a community of believers who have stronger relationships with each other. Before camp meeting started this year , I began praying about this need Christ had placed on my heart. I began thinking about the small group Bible study that several of us at the church were involved in. We had around 15-20 people coming. It was absolutely life changing for those who came as we were able to see our faith in action and many prayers were answered and several of us put our faith into action. Many were able to see the abundant life Jesus has for us and we saw fruit being produced as we encouraged each other to walk daily with Jesus. That is what I was asking Jesus for, how to get that started again. After one of the evening services, I went to the book store at camp with some other friends. I placed my hand on a table while they looked around at other things. As I turned my head around to look at the table their was a book about starting small groups and advice on how to get started. So I asked in prayer and received the first step the book. The next step was to seek for assistance and share my vision with someone else. So I talked to Pastor Cliff about it. He told me that he was thinking about small groups, and was praying about it himself, so we have been meeting a few times recently to share ideas concerning it. In the meantime other believers in the church have been coming to me sharing ideas on how they would like to reach out to groups in the church who they feel need reached out to. Some have shared ministry ideas but our not sure how to fulfill the needs, so I am beginning to write down all these thoughts and ideas that they are telling me. It is kind of neat, because through much prayer and study and listening and support from others ,it is becoming clearer each day, that something is developing. In my past, almost all I got involved in, I tried to do it on my own, without much success, then I would become angry and walk away from it. Christ is showing me now that if I am going to allow Him to be the head of His church, I must rely on many members of His body for this plan to be successful. So I am seeking and finding answers to questions on how to develop a small group ministry and who needs the benefit of belonging in a group where relationship can happen.Pastor shared with me today that he talked to someone from the Greenville Alliance Church who he visited with last week who worked with small groups and he may be able to help us get started with advice on training and assistance in other areas. So that is the third step Knock, and it will be opened unto you.

I am reminded of the example of Joshua and Caleb who were the only two original adults who were permitted to enter the promised land. That was because they concentrated on the large fruit in the land and trusted God that He would take away all the obstacles that separated them from what was promised and what was good. I trust also that this will come about and we will see the promise of fruit being produced in due season if we don't give up. Building stronger relationships with each other will strengthen the bond of peace that Jesus wants for us. I will keep trusting Him to lead and guide those He wants to be involved in leading these groups and he will send those sheep He wants to lead to greener pastures and to quieter waters where they will find rest and they will also find life and that abundantly.