100221 CFBs Effecting Culture
Tim Franklin
Introduction:
· What is culture? It is the ways of thinking, living, and behaving that define a people and underlie its achievements. It is a nation's collective mind, its sense of right and wrong, the way it perceives reality, and its definition of self. Culture is the morals and habits a mother strives to instill in her children. It is the obligations we acknowledge toward our neighbors, our community, and our government. It is the worker's dedication to craftsmanship and the owner's acceptance of the responsibilities of stewardship. It is the standards we set and enforce for ourselves and for others: our definitions of duty, honor, and character. It is our collective conscience. Robert P. Dugan, Jr., Winning the New Civil War, p. 169.
· CFBs
o What is a CFB?
§ First of all it stands for Connecting hearts, Forming friendships, Building lives.
§ It is a small group that meets together for a common purpose and one of those is fellowship/friendship.
o The one key thing in each of the tag lines is a joining, linking, or fastening together.
· CFBs were created with the purpose of helping people to connect at Freedom and also connect to the body of Christ. Peter called us living stones join to the chief corner stone Jesus Christ.
o People connect, join, link and fasten themselves together around a number of different things. Most connections happen around common interests, desires, needs.
o The need could be friendship, or parenting skill. The interest could be the book of Acts, cooking, or spiritual gifts. The desire could be to be a better husband, wife, playing guitar, or lose weight.
· CFBs have the power to help change the culture of your life, family, community, and our church.
o Freedom needs this connectivity, joining, and fastening together.
o CFBs are one way we can bring this to our equipping center.
· Let’s look at how Paul changed a city with a small group. Acts 19:1-20:6
1. Paul Found Some Disciples Acts 19:1-7
A. Small groups form around a common interests, desires, and needs. 19:1 Paul found some disciples. The apostle Paul found some people who had something in common with him. They were seekers of God with repentant hearts that longed to be closer to God.
i. They had something in common.
a. These disciples were worshippers. They had been baptized into John’s baptism—John the Baptist.
b. They were serious followers of God as John’s baptism called men to repent of their sins and give their lives to Him. You had to be serious to follow John. Ie. If you were playing church he called you a nest of snakes. If you refused to change in light of the Truth, heavens axe was at your root.
ii. Paul could relate them-he too was serious about his walk with God.
B. Paul understood that people grow best in an environment with one another. All the early church knew was the synagogue and their homes. This was the way of God and He broke it down three ways. The temple was the main gathering point of the nation to worship and celebrate God and when you were not there you had a house of instruction in your city (synagogue) and the next level was the house of instruction in the home. The home became the CFB where people connected, joined and fastened themselves together with love around a common bond.
i. Acts 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, NKJV
ii. Acts 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. NKJV
C. Paul longed to share with them what he had discovered in Christ Jesus. He saw they had something missing.
i. They had John’s baptism of repentance but no salvation! A major part of the message was missing.
ii. They did not know Jesus nor the power of the Holy Spirit.
iii. Paul had a key to their success and their understanding and in the context of a small group he began to fill that need and their desire.
2. Paul Imparted to those Disciples Acts 19:6-10
A. Paul longed to impart to them and they longed to receive.
i. Romans 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established — NKJV
a. So that you would be established.
b. Establish-grk. Sterizomai. To strengthen, to cause to be steadfast. The strengthening is by God, the Lord, the truth, or others. It may be accomplished, besought, or commanded. Its aim is impregnability of faith in spite of afflictions. (from Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, abridged edition, Copyright © 1985 by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)
c. CFBs provide and atmosphere where this very thing can take place. In the marriage groups you get positioned to be imparted to so that your marriage is strengthened. In the Sunday review groups you get positioned to review the messages and dialogue for greater application. In the study groups you focus to go deeper with God. In fellowship groups you connect to share life together.
ii. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. NKJV
a. We give you our lives—so that we would be connected, joined, fastened together.
b. Jesus gave his life in a small group saying when you eat my flesh and drink my blood we are connected—do this in remembrance of me.
iii. The joy of facilitating a group is that you always grow more than everyone else because you of the extra time you give in preparation or the demand of the others pulling the wisdom of God out of you.
B. They longed to receive.
i. In the temple they came close to God and received forgiveness and celebrated in worship.
ii. In the Synagogue they heard the word broken down even more.
iii. In the house practically lived out the message in community—you can’t live out the message any more fully and quickly than with those who know you best. Ie. Our small groups at one time were called Impact Groups and our catch phrase was--“Change happens at a distance but impact happens up close.”
iv. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. NKJV
a. Hunger and thirst is a desire to receive something.
b. That which you hunger for you seek. Chances are if you are hungering for it, so are others.
c. And we need people who are will to say as Paul did, let me help meet that need or desire.
C. In a small group you can impact each other greatly.
i. Paul connected with these disciples. Vs.7 It was only 12 men.
ii. He imparted to them the truth of Jesus Christ the Son of God. They were baptized into Jesus.
iii. And Paul laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues and prophesied!
iv. All that happened in a small group. And for two years he preached to these until vs. 12 “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus both Jews and Greeks.” This happened at both the school of Tyrannus and in the houses.
3. Paul Built with those 12 Disciples Acts 19:20, 26
A. The 12 he started with impact the culture of Ephesus within two years. In 19:10 we see that at the end of the two years all who lived in Asia had heard the word of the Lord Jesus both Jews and Greeks. That tells me that with 12 Holy Spirit filled believers I should be able to at least let all of Viera’s 25k residents know the word of the Lord Jesus.
i. All Asia heard the word.
ii. Ephesus was so greatly impacted the economy was affected. Acts 19:26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. NKJV The made the silver trade in danger of become a poor way of making a living.
iii. Paul’s CFB impacted 12 men and their families. It impacted a city. And within two years it impacted a the global region of Asia! Do not underestimate the your ability or the ability of a small group to make global impact.
B. 20:17 Paul calls for the Elders of the Ephesians’ church.
i. The fact that there are Elders/leaders tell us that a structure had been built to assist the expansion of the Kingdom in Ephesus and the surrounding regions. Ie. What happens when a bad marriage becomes great? What happens when that couple now restored and empowered by the Word and Spirit begin to minister to others out of their own passion for marriages? Word gets out and people come to be helped.
ii. 20:20 Note that Paul taught house to house. If Paul did that you can take it to the bank that the Elders and others modeled his way.
C. Connected by tears.
i. Acts 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. NKJV
a. Tears come from the heart. Paul sowed the message with tears.
b. This is the kind of love that will fasten a group together. It is the kind of passion we want to exhibit and grow into as we facilitate a group.
ii. Acts 20:37-38 Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, 38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship. NKJV
iii. The finished product of what started with 12 men in the beginning ends with a group of Elders overseeing the city church. The city impacted. The region changed. And men now weeping over the one who loved them as he leaves them for the last time. What a legacy—and it began in a CFB.
Conclusion:
· Invitation for people to receive Jesus.
· CFB have the power to change lives, cities, and nations. Who wants to be a agent of change? A history maker?
| 
