| Colin
Dye, Senior Minister of Kensington Temple outlines 10 reasons
why every Christian should be part of a cell.
1) To fulfil the vision of Christ
for the Church...........................................
Jesus has given us the Great Commission. We are to go and
make disciples ofall nations, mature them in the faith and
mobilise them to win the world for Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20)
This can only be achieved when all believers become disciples
themselves. The small group setting of cells is the only practical
means to see this disciple making happen
2) To reach out to the lost
The real work of evangelism belongs to every believer. The
only proven method to evangelise is the one-to-one communication
of the gospel by all believers. We are called and commanded
by God to share the good news with our friends, neighbours
and relatives. Most people commit to Christ. because of the
witness of somebody they know. Cells have the capacity to
penetrate every part of. the city — schools, offices,
businesses, universities and homes. A cell church is not limited
by buildings, and so the whole city can be impacted by the
gospel.
3) To nurture new believers
New believers must be made firm in their faith, so that they
will not slide back into unbelief, but become disciples of
Christ. This consolidation can only be achieved through cells.
In cells new believers receive the level of care and nurture
they need. They will be surrounded by people who are committed
to pray for them and to help in a practical way. Without cells
the fruit of evangelism is easily lost.
4) To become a disciple
Every believer is called to become a true disciple of Jesus
Christ. Jesus puts it this way: "If anyone desires to
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24)
The cost is everything, but you don’t
have to go through this alone. You are discipled in cells
by people who are being discipled themselves. There can be
no loose cannons. Watch out for anyone who is trying to ‘disciple’
you without being accountable to the church. Cell leaders
are accountable to their leaders. They are also subject to
the training and discipline of the church, as well as having
the resources of advice, wisdom and counsel of their leaders.
5) The call to make disciples
The Great Commission is more than a call to evangelise and
get people to make a decision for Christ. New believers must
be consolidated and formed into disciples of Christ. This
implies close personal contact that is only possible in cells.
A discipler must spend time with others, be their friend and
teach them by word and by example. The cell group is an ideal
basis for the discipling relationship.
6) The call to be the church
The church is more than a building and more than church meetings.
Sundayservices are only a small part of church life. We don’t
merely go to church, but we are the church. Church is our
daily relationship with Jesus and other believers.
We have to be a church in the world, a church
without walls. We are the body of Christ every day, not just
on Sundays. Midweek cell meetings help us to be the body of
Christ 24 hours a day and seven days a week
7) To fulfil ‘one another’
commands
There are over 45 passages in the New Testament that speak
specifically about the responsibility we have for each other.
We are called to love one another, care for, teach and encourage
one another, exhort, admonish and restore one another. The
only practical context to achieve this is the cells. Large
Sunday gatherings are impersonal and the individual can be
lost in a crowd. In a cell everyone counts and is important.
Cells enable us to break a big task of winning the world for
Christ into smaller, manageable and realisable units
8) To find and fulfil your ministry
Every believer is called to life in the Spirit, and God has
given him special abilities. We are to use our gifting to
serve Christ and to build and strengthen each other. Most
Christians never get to discover their ministry.
There are so many gifts and ministries that
the Spirit has given to us. We must discover them and learn
to develop them so that we can use them for the benefit of
others. The cell group is an ideal place for this. You can
be trained how to exercise the gifts of the Spirit and be
released into your ministry.
9) To target your efforts
Cell groups help to focus our efforts and we become effective
in reaching our goals. We are working together; we can’t
be ‘going it alone’. To be a Christian means to
be part of the body of Christ. You benefit from the strength,
wisdom, encouragement and the support of the group.
Furthermore, cells enable us to break a big
task of winning the world for Christ into smaller, manageable
and realisable units.
10) To become fruitful
We have been called to be fruitful. Every covenant God made
with man comes with a promise for fruitfulness. The cells
are the place of blessing. It is where you experience multiplication
and where you begin to enter into the joy of fruitfulness.
As you fulfil God’s call upon your life the blessing
begins to flow. God says that He will bless you and cause
you to prosper in life. That is the thrill of walking in agreement
with God.
Taken from Article "Why Cells?"
By Colin Dye
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