Life Groups

Life Groups are essential to the mission of TGP West. We believe that the gospel creates community, a group of people who are bound together by the gospel and who commit to “do life” together.  We see LifeGroups as the best way we can, as a church, live out the Gospel in Community and fulfill the “One Another” commands in the New Testament.   

There are Four Major Components of LifeGroups at TGP West:

 I. Fellowship: the everyday presence of believers with other believers.  This is most often physical presence, but it can be presence through texts, phone calls, and can even be just the knowledge that someone could be there with one phone call or text if need be. 

    - Romans 12:10, 16 says, “Love one another with a brotherly affection” and “Live in harmony with one another.” 

    - 1 Peter 4:9 says, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

     - Hebrews 3:13 says to “exhort (encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” 

     - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in Life Together, says “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer…if there is so much blessing and joy even in a single encounter of brother with brother, how inexhaustible are the riches that open up for those who by God’s will are privileged to live in the daily fellowship of life with other Christians!”

     - This kind of fellowship is based solely on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

     - True fellowship occurs as you spend time together, check on each other, and encourage and exhort each other daily.

II. Discipleship: Helping each other become more and more like Christ. In LifeGroups, this includes praying with and for one another, studying the Word together, and accountability.

     -  Prayer together and individually on behalf of each other. (James 5:16) 

     -  Studying the Word – sermon application on Wednesday nights (Romans 5:14, Colossians 3:16)

     -  Accountability is what separates LifeGroups from being just a Bible study or just another group of friends that gets together pretty often.  (James 5:16)

      -  Spur one another on to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24-25)

 III. Pastoral Care: Pastoral care happens best in community. Pastoral care isn’t just about the catastrophic events. It’s walking with each other through the everyday, ordinary events in life that stress us out, that cause us anxiety and worry, that we don’t know how to handle in a Christ-like way.   

     - Galatians 6:2, “Carry one another’s burdens.” 

 IV. Evangelism and Mission: Evangelism can be a group project. Each member of your LifeGroup should have someone in their sphere of life – a coworker, neighbor, gym member, etc. – that they are pursuing with Gospel intentionality.  LifeGroups as a whole should be praying for the salvation of each of those people and looking for ways to interact with them in the context of community, whether that be through watching football games together, barbecues, going bowling as a group, or any other get-together.     

          - Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and makes disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

     - Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

     - 2 Cor. 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”

 

 

 

 

 

*All verses quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

* Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. New York: Harper & Row, 1954. 19-20.