Sunday Sermon: Small Group As a Village On a Hill
“13”You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14”You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Reflecting on the Sermon on the Mount: A Direction for Our Small Group and Church
1. Call by Christ
The church is a community called to be the salt and light of the world. Jesus chose His disciples from among ordinary people. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were called while they were working as fishermen, not because of their achievements or abilities, but by Jesus' grace. Similarly, the church is made up of people who have been called by the grace of Christ. Small groups and the church are gatherings of these called ones, and each person must accept and encourage one another within God's grace.
2. Lordship of Christ
As important as Christ’s calling is the fact that He remains Lord over our lives. In the Beatitudes, we encounter Jesus' paradoxical truth that the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. These blessings are made possible because Jesus is our Lord. In our weaknesses and shortcomings, Christ’s lordship guides us, and through His grace and love, we find comfort and restoration. The church’s life is sustained through this lordship, and living in Christ is the foundation of a blessed life.
3. Reflecting Christ
We are called to reflect Christ as the salt and light of the world. Those who believe in Jesus grow to resemble Him, reflecting His life. Just as a city on a hill cannot be hidden, the church is a community that is visible to the world. Our lives must reveal Jesus' grace and love, and the restoration and salvation we have experienced in Christ must be proclaimed through our words and actions. Reflecting Christ means showing the world God’s amazing salvation and grace, not showcasing ourselves.
Small group fellowship is not merely about discipleship training, Bible study, or building social connections. In the Church of the Nazarene, small groups are defined as "Christian spiritual fellowship in which we share the life based on the scripture, pray for each other, participate in the mission of God." Through small groups, individual faith can grow, we can encounter the Lord, and we can move forward in living as salt and light in the world. We hope for each small group leader and member to grow spiritually, and we pray that this will contribute to the church’s maturity.
Prayer: Lord, we praise You as the head of Your body, the church. As our small groups begin anew, we entrust our weaknesses to You and believe that Your abundant grace will work within them. We commit to faithfully serving in small groups and praying for one another. Please use these small groups and guide the leaders. May the Holy Spirit be our teacher, so that the miraculous works done on the hilltop will be revealed to the world through our lives. Amen.
(Note: This summary was created based on an AI draft.)