Commitments to my workout group
commitment to meet
Workout are gathering together to invest in the Kingdom of God through discipleship. To the best of our ability, as God helps us, we want to invest in one another through prayer and genuine fellowship. For this to happen, we are asking for a six month commitment to meet once a week with workout partners. Each week we’ll meet for about 1 ½ hours.
commitment to the process
Each group will decide on a book of the Bible to read. During the week prior to the meeting, each person will spend some time reading through an agreed upon chunk of Bible text. Using the Lectio divina process, everyone will write down in a journal what he or she believes God is revealing in His Word by His Spirit. The expectation is that everyone will have something to offer to the group each week from their journals. The result will be personal growth and group edification.
commitment to confidentiality
Others centeredness is the focus. Information and discussion shared in the group time stays in the group. That means we don’t fill in our spouses or co-workers or anyone outside the group about anything said. Trust is our most valued commodity. Trust violated carries consequences beyond estimation.
commitment to prayer
Group members will commit to pray for each other. And we’ll update one another with answers and progress. Journaling these answers is vital since every six weeks groups will combine and give testimony to God’s faithfulness to answer our prayers. The payoff will be stronger and more real faith for everyone. We’ll pray for one another often/daily.
As we pray in our groups, we’ll want to make sure that our prayers are not used to disguise an agenda to lecture or give advice.
commitment to transparency
It’s good to mention again that others centeredness is the focus. Transparency is not only for one’s self, but to show the others in the group that we all have similar struggles and similar resources to overcome or endure our struggles. We’re all tempted in like manner. This is a time of confession; that is, saying the same thing about our issues and sins that God says about them. That’s how we stay in harmony with God.
The principle to keep in the front of our minds is being quick to listen slow to speak. We listen to what God is doing in each others’ lives, and, when necessary, we remind each other what God has done or said before.
commitment to discipleship
We want to work our workout plan so that we can know Jesus in a more intimate way. We want to be like Him and do the things He did; live the life He lived. We’ll always look to God for answers relying less on our own experiences and more on faith that God will do something beyond comprehension. That’s why advice giving needs to be at a minimum and seeking God’s will through God’s Word coupled with direction of the Holy Spirit at a maximum.
