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by Pastor Tom Schaefer of Evangel World Prayer Center

• To fulfill the vision of Christ for the Church

  Jesus has given us the Great Commission.  We are to go and make disciples of all nations, mature them in the faith and mobilize 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 Champions is a practical means to see this disciple making happen.

• To reach out to the lost

  The real work of evangelism belongs to every believer.  The only proven method to evangelize 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, neighbors and relatives.  Most people commit to Christ because of the witness of somebody they know.  Small groups have the capacity to penetrate every part of the city – schools, offices, businesses, universities and homes.  Champions are not limited by buildings, and so the whole city can be impacted by the gospel. 

• 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 small groups.  In Champions new believers receive the level of care and nurture they need.  They will be surrounded by men who are committed to pray for them and to help in a practical way.  Without small groups the fruit of evangelism is easily lost. 

• 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 Champions by men 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.  Champion leaders are accountable to their leader, and the Senior Pastor. 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. 

• The call to make disciples

  The Great Commission is more than a call to evangelize 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 small groups.  A disciple must spend time with others, be their friend and teach them by word and by example.  The Champions group is an ideal basis for the discipling relationship. 

• The call to be the church

  The church is more than a building and more than church meetings.  Sunday services 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.  Champion groups through out the week help us to be the body of Christ 24 hours a day and seven days a week. 

• To fulfill one another’s 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 in small groups. Sunday gatherings are impersonal and the individual can be lost in a crowd.  In a Champions group every man counts and is important. Small groups enable us to break a big task of winning the world for Christ into smaller, manageable and realizable units.  

• To find and fulfill 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 them to us.  We must discover them and learn to develop them as the Spirit has given to us.  We must discover them so that we can use them for the benefit of others.  The Champions 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. 

• To target your efforts

  Champion 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, small groups enable us to break a big task of winning the world for Christ into smaller, manageable and realizable units.  

• To become fruitful

  We have been called to be fruitful.  Every covenant that God made with man comes with a promise for fruitfulness.  The Champions group is a place of blessing.  It is where you experience multiplication and where you begin to enter into the joy of fruitfulness.  As you fulfill 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. 

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