Community Groups at ULBC exist to foster sanctifying relationships in the church through biblical fellowship, mutual prayer, and accountability
While Christians are saved individually, they are saved into a faith community.
Several biblical metaphors of the church explain this – we are a body with many parts (Rom 12:4-5; Eph 4:15-16) and a building of many stones (Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:4-5). When someone has God as his father, he gains a whole new family of brothers and sisters. Through community groups, we fellowship with this new family.
Christians are expected to grow in holiness.
In 1 Peter 1:16, God calls us to “be holy for I am holy.” James says to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (Jas 1:22). Yet, Christians are often self-deceived and unable to become holy on their own. Because of the ongoing war between the Spirit and the flesh (Rom 6), we can forget that we have been forgiven. Therefore, we need relationships in the church to remind us of this precious and empowering truth (2 Pet 1). Through community groups, we help one another apply the sermon and spur one another on to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24).
Christians are given gifts to build up the body.
When these gifts are used to serve one another (1 Pet 4:10), the church builds itself up in love (Eph 4:16) and becomes zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Therefore, community groups serve as a context where we can serve one another with our gifts and older men and women of the faith can invest in younger Christians (Titus 2).