I have been part of a Christian accountability group for more than a dozen years. We meet once a week and talk about our lives, our faith and help to hold each other accountable to living as God calls us to live. What we have in common is our strong faith in God, and our trust in the Word and the Spirit of God.
We come from different backgrounds. We all have different professions and enjoy varied talents and hobbies. Some of us are married and some are not. In many ways, despite our shared love of the Lord, we are a very diverse group. A benefit of this is that we often find our differences bring fresh outlooks and perspectives to each other’s situations and challenges.
We also have been blessed to grow in a deep trust of each other which allows us to hear each other’s prayerful guidance. The defensiveness which can often be a natural inclination in an honest conversation goes away, replaced by receptiveness to other points of view.
This group can also be a place of affirmation in those times when we are too self-critical or struggling with a serious problem.
This accountability group has become family to me. I recall from Scripture: Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” [Mt 12:48-50]
At Faith, we worship together on Sunday mornings as part of the family of God, but it is often in our smaller groups such as Bible study, choir or a group like my accountability group, where we are able to form our deepest bonds with each other. If you are looking for ways to grow stronger in your discipleship walk, please let’s talk about what that might look like for you.
Blessings,
Pastor Peggy