Jesus Stretches Us
Our readings for yesterday, and the sermon, included the story from Matthew 15 about the Canaanite woman who approached Jesus for healing for her daughter. As usual, I listen to every message in an Alpha context.
It's funny to look at Jesus' disciples and perhaps see ourselves in them. I'm speaking here specifically about our sometime lack of faith, or at least, our forgetfulness of his faithfulness. The interesting thing is that the disciples' first reaction when this woman approached Jesus was, "Send her away..." This was just shortly after Jesus' miraculous feeding of the five thousand in the previous chapter, where their initial idea was the same, "Send them away..." Between these two incidents Jesus had come to them in the middle of the sea walking on the water and inviting Peter to do the same. When Peter's faith faltered, Jesus reached out his hand to him and saved him, again, miraculously.
You'd think that by now the disciples would have gotten it, but apparently not. You'd think that they would know that, whatever the situation, Jesus would have an answer for it; that he was able to overcome any challenge in some amazing way, but apparently, not so.
In his message yesterday (Aug 17, should be up here in a day or two), Pastor Roy made the point that Jesus was trying to draw them out, disciple them, increase their faith. In other words, if I got it correctly, Jesus was giving people learning opportunities; stretching them in a sense, so that they would come to the point to which he was intending to bring them, and for them to get there themselves, rather than having all the answers just handed to them. It is in this light that I think we can read his statement to the disciples, "You give them something to eat," his invitation to Peter, "Come," as he walked on the water, and his conversation with the Canaanite woman, in which he drew her out to come up with an effective answer, an answer of faith.
It is the same in the Alpha small groups when properly done. The small group leader is not there to give all the answers to every question. In fact, it is best if he or she gives answers to none at all, but tries to draw the guests out, so that by group discussion, they come to see the answers for themselves. I believe that even if it comes to the leader giving an opinion in some area, it should be primarily as a discussion-starter, followed by the question, "What do people think?" In fact, the most common phrase coming from the mouth of an Alpha small-group leader is just that; "What do people think?"
What do people think?
Blessings,
John
It's funny to look at Jesus' disciples and perhaps see ourselves in them. I'm speaking here specifically about our sometime lack of faith, or at least, our forgetfulness of his faithfulness. The interesting thing is that the disciples' first reaction when this woman approached Jesus was, "Send her away..." This was just shortly after Jesus' miraculous feeding of the five thousand in the previous chapter, where their initial idea was the same, "Send them away..." Between these two incidents Jesus had come to them in the middle of the sea walking on the water and inviting Peter to do the same. When Peter's faith faltered, Jesus reached out his hand to him and saved him, again, miraculously.
You'd think that by now the disciples would have gotten it, but apparently not. You'd think that they would know that, whatever the situation, Jesus would have an answer for it; that he was able to overcome any challenge in some amazing way, but apparently, not so.
In his message yesterday (Aug 17, should be up here in a day or two), Pastor Roy made the point that Jesus was trying to draw them out, disciple them, increase their faith. In other words, if I got it correctly, Jesus was giving people learning opportunities; stretching them in a sense, so that they would come to the point to which he was intending to bring them, and for them to get there themselves, rather than having all the answers just handed to them. It is in this light that I think we can read his statement to the disciples, "You give them something to eat," his invitation to Peter, "Come," as he walked on the water, and his conversation with the Canaanite woman, in which he drew her out to come up with an effective answer, an answer of faith.
It is the same in the Alpha small groups when properly done. The small group leader is not there to give all the answers to every question. In fact, it is best if he or she gives answers to none at all, but tries to draw the guests out, so that by group discussion, they come to see the answers for themselves. I believe that even if it comes to the leader giving an opinion in some area, it should be primarily as a discussion-starter, followed by the question, "What do people think?" In fact, the most common phrase coming from the mouth of an Alpha small-group leader is just that; "What do people think?"
What do people think?
Blessings,
John
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