You Thought Your Small Group Was Crazy

When Paul wrote his first letter to the church at Corinth, he had to address some pretty messy and sticky situations. Think about it-- incestuous affairs, lawsuits, divorce and separation, idol worship, big egos, doctrinal fighting, sexual promiscuity, people getting drunk while celebrating communion, etc.

And you thought your group was crazy. The reality is that community and discipleship are messy. It's always been that way. In fact, Paul wrote the majority of his letters to churches that were experiencing messy situations, and he was willing to step into the mess and embrace what God was doing in the midst of it. He realized that mess could be the catalyst for, the byproduct of, and the environment for transformation.

We could learn from the way that Paul frames his response. He begins his letter to these crazy people by saying, "I cannot stop thanking God for all the generous gifts he has given you" and he ends the letter with, "My love to all of you in Christ Jesus."