Last week, we talked about three foundational principles to incorporate into your D-Group. This week I want to suggest three things that will help to move your D-Group meetings from good to great. Consider these three insights.
Begin with The Basics
As you lead your D-Group, begin by focusing on the basics of the faith. Concepts like assurance of salvation, a believer’s identity in Christ, being filled by the Holy Spirit and so on. I have found through the years of meeting with hundreds of men, that many believers are biblically illiterate when it comes to even the most basic foundational truths of the faith. Replicate Ministries has developed many
resources to help you.
During your weekly meeting, be intentional to carve out some time (I do it after we share
HEAR Journals) to teach or highlight a basic concept from scripture.
Listen and Ask Questions
During your meetings, actively listen to the members of the group. Listen intently to what they are saying as well as what they are not saying. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern their attitudes, their perceptions, and their blind spots. If you’re like most of us, this will take time to develop the art of listening but it’s worth it. In time, you will get better at it.
Also, ask deep questions. A “deep question” is a question that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” but will require some thought. You want to ask questions that are thought provoking and require reflection. Don’t be afraid of silence or putting group members on the spot, provided in the awkward moments they are really thinking about spiritual things. After all, we are meeting together for that expressed purpose; to grow Spiritually.
That being said, don’t miss opportunities to encourage and affirm members of your D-Group that show spiritual progress. Paul affirmed and encouraged the believers in Thessalonica when he said to them,
We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing. (2 Thessalonians 1:3, CSB)
Action Steps
After prayer, remind your group of their assignments for the week. Which chapters of the Bible to read and write HEAR journals on, what scripture to memorize, and any additional reading you might be doing with your D-Group. Also, I’ve found it helpful to challenge my D-Group members to do “action steps.”
Action steps are specific activities that I want us as a D-Group to do individually or collectively during the next week. It may be praying a passage of scripture over each member of the group, sharing Christ with someone, or listening to a podcast on discipleship or spiritual growth. Action steps provide tangible ways we can put the truth of Scripture into practice. Remember what James says,
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22, CSB)
If you’ll incorporate these three things into your D-Group meetings, you will create an environment that will foster and encourage accelerated spiritual growth.
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