Jesus modeled a different way of "doing" ministry when he choose twelve men to almost exclusively invest his life in.  His way of doing ministry centered around several principles, three of which were that; 1.  He did not expect his followers to do anything that he hadn't already modeled for them, 2.  He expected nothing short of complete obedience to the call to "follow" him, and 3.  He expected results, what he often referred to as "fruit," this fruit symbolized either transformational growth or numerical growth (new believers).  By living out these principles in his ministry Jesus modeled a lifestyle of servant leadership for the disciples and for us today.
          Cell groups are simply an attempt to recapture this relational way of doing ministry.  They are a medium for believers to invest time, energy, and ultimately love into the lives of others.  In cell groups the members are expected to be obedient followers by following His commands to love God, love your neighbors, to ‘GO’ to the lost, and to teach them (Matt. 22:37-40; Matt 28:18-20).
          To simplify these four tasks we use the acronym UIOF; meaning Upward, Inward, Outward, and Forward.  Each letter corresponds with one of the commands that cell members try to live out in their lives.  Upward represents the relationship that Christ has called us to have with God.  He expects us to worship the Father not just in a service on Sundays but through our lives, our obedience, and our relationships.
         Inward stands for the sacrificial love that Christ has called us to show to our neighbors.  As believers we are all a part of the body of Christ.  We are called to love each other outside of the walls of the church, by investing our lives, our money, our resources, and our spiritual gifts into the lives of other believers.
         Outward represents the direction are supposed to be moving, based on Christ's command in the Great Commission to "GO" to the lost.  In our fallen world too often lost people have no Christian friends, they have no desire to attend a church service and they are rarely found 'darkening the doorstep' of a church building.  As such, believers seeking to follow the command of Christ to reach the lost have no other option than to GO to the lost.  We cannot sit by and wait for lost people to "come" to us, we must go to them, taking the hope of Christ with us.  This act of going is modeled after Jesus' example of "eating and drinking with sinners"  (Mark 2:14-17).  In cell groups the Outward function is fulfilled when group members reach out to the lost through relationships, friendships, and ministry.
          Forward is a directional movement that represents the command Christ has given us to "teach" or disciple new believers.  When a new believer places his/her faith in Christ the expectation is that members of that cell groups will disciple the new believer towards growth and maturity in Christ.

If you are interested join us on April 20th and 21st for "Discovering Cell Groups Weekend" - RSVP Aaron Hill at 817-232-8210.