I recently sat by a campfire and was reminded of the gravitational force a fire at night has on our eyes. Without thinking about it, our eyes are drawn to the fire. Periodically I would look up at the stars or make eye contact with one of the other people sitting around the fire, but by and large, my eyes were fixated on the fire. I’m not entirely sure why this phenomena happens, but it does. The fire demands our attention.
We see an example of the power of fire grabbing our attention in Exodus 3 when Moses encountered a burning bush. To be certain, this fire was unlike any campfire you or I have seen—the angel of the Lord was in the flame (Exodus 3:2) and the voice of God spoke to him from the burning, yet unconsumed, bush (Exodus 3:4). Through it all, Moses was fixated on the fire. Similarly, Christians should fix their eyes on Jesus—God in the flesh—just as the author of Hebrews commands. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Each Sunday when we gather for Connect Groups, we do so for three reasons: Connect Groups at Woolsey Baptist Church exist so that we might connect with God through his Word, connect with one another through meaningful relationships, and connect with the unchurched through intentional outreach.
We integrate this purpose statement with three specific strategies: look back, look up, and look ahead. We look back to the previous week and learn how God answered prayers, group members shared the good news with others, and ways the Lord was at work in our lives. At the end, we look ahead to the upcoming week and think concretely about how we can apply what we have learned in our personal lives and relationships.
We look up, however, by fixing our eyes on Jesus, namely through his Word. Just like people’s attention sitting around a campfire is turned to the glowing embers in the middle of the circle, so also God’s Word should captivate our minds as we gather with one another on Sundays!
If you are not a part of a Connect Group at Woolsey Baptist Church, I challenge you to find one and plug in. We exist to follow Jesus as we worship God, connect with others, serve the church and go make disciples. The most practical way we connect with others is through joining a small group on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. called Connect Groups. These groups then become a launching point for deeper friendships. In each of these relationships, keep in mind that it is God’s Word that unites our minds and hearts.