CIRCLES

"Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons." Mark 3:13-15

When Jesus chose the men whom he would designate as apostles, he was starting the first circle of the movement that would be known as Christianity. As a Jewish Rabbi in the first century, Jesus was doing what any rabbi worth his prayer shawl would do...choose his disciples. The passage above descirbes the 3 key goals that Jesus had for the members of his first circle:

1. That they might be with him.
2. That he might send them out to preach.
3. To have authority to drive out demons.

As I think about the different small groups that have been made available to the church over the years, there seems to be quite a gap between what Jesus' first circle was meant to do and the goals of these different small groups. For the sake of simplicity and expediency, let me identify the different goals of the groups that I have encountered and even promoted in the churches that I have been a part of. The purposes of these groups have been:

◆ Bible study
◆ Fellowship
◆ Healing
◆ Leadership Training (a la Maxwell et al.)

It seems to me that most, if not all, of the groups that I have been a part of or helped start have been groups whose focus have been the benefit of the group's members. As I reflect on those experiences, I notice that knowing Jesus and doing what he wanted seemed to be secondary to benefitting the members somehow. Bible Study groups focused on learning the Bible. Fellowship groups focused on knowing and supporting each other. Healing groups focused on experiencing emotional or physical healing. Leadership Training groups focused on developing leadership skills based on some leadership guru's books or gearted towards making the trainee another cog in the church machinery.

Jesus' first circle had a significantly different focus. Specically, members of his first circle focused on Jesus himself. In Jesus' day, a rabbi's disciples were known as his talmidim. Their main job was to "shadow" the rabbi 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They were to live with him; travel with him; eat with him; sleep in the same places; listen intently to him; and mirror his way of life.

Another feature of Jesus' first circle was that they had a bias for action. They went where Jesus went. They did what Jesus asked them to do. They helped with the distribution of bread and fish when Jesus fed the multitude. Jesus' disciples DID things with him.

And last but not least, Jesus' first circle was tied into Jesus' mission. Everything they did supported and advanced Jesus' cause; his proclamation and demonstration of the Kingdom of God. The first circle was sent out to heal, deliver and preach. In fact, that first circle expanded from 12 to 72 (Luke 10) to do exactly what they had already been doing with Jesus.

The importance of the first circle in any movement cannot be stressed enough. The first circle sets the tone for what follows. It contains the DNA of the rest of the movement. What is true in the first circle will be true in the rest of the movement.

How does this work for SOULNET?

It's drawing near the time to start our first circle. I want to prayerfully select the people who will be the members of the first circle of SOULNET. The more I meditate on the first disciples, I notice that there is really only one key functional requirement...to be teachable enough to be shaped by Jesus. This means a willingness to submit their lives to follow the Rabbi. I am growing more and more convinced that the key requirement for the first circle members of our movement is a willingness to be shaped shaped by the Master and his mission: To live under the Lordship of Jesus in the power of the Spirit.

I envision spending a significant amount of time in worship, prayer, and listening to the Spirit of Jesus with the first circle. But I also see the need to be essentially biased towards action. Our time with Jesus must lead us to action...to doing...to following where Jesus would go and what Jesus would do in our city.

I see the first circle working together to proclaim and demonstrate the Kingdom of God to the marginalized in our city; the homeless, the desperate, the fatherless etc.