Men’s Breakfast 5.23.08
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.Ephesians 4:11-14
Since December the men of All Saints have been gathering together in groups of 5-10 for weekly times of study, prayer and fellowship (see photo album). We have met in coffee shops, bars and each other’s homes in order to get to know one another on a deeper level and to delve into Ephesians 4 by asking the question, “what does it look like to be a mature Christian?” In a stroke of creative genius and originality, we have been calling these intimate gatherings “Small Groups.”
This past Friday morning we wrapped up our inaugural small group season
with a joint meeting at the American Legion Post near Town Lake.
Seventy of All Saints finest gathered before work to eat tacos, drink
coffee and listen to Tim summarize what we had studied in Ephesians 4.
(As an aside, our food and drink came from two fine Austin
institutions, Taco Deli and Lift Cafe. I highly recommend both to anyone looking for a good taco or cup of coffee).
For the last six months we have considered themes including
vocation, family, sex, sin, theology and unity. Tim tied all of these
strands together on Friday, telling us that a mature Christian is one
who understands his place in God’s creation and pursues His Kingdom
with focus and determination. The call to and the means for this
pursuit come straight from the lips of our Savior, who said “For even
the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life
as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). As Tim is fond of telling us, the
model for the Christian life is not “your life, poured out for me”, but
rather “my life, poured out for you.”
As our church continues to grow in size, I am encouraged by the ways we
are growing in maturity. Personally, I have been immensely blessed by
the wisdom, kindness and generosity of the men in our church, and I
know my experience is not unique. With another round of officer
training approaching I am confident that the Lord is at work amongst
us, raising up a people after His own heart who seek to serve rather
than be served. For that I am thankful.
Most of our small groups will be taking a break for the summer with
plans to resume in the Fall. If you would like to join a men’s small
group, please contact Tim Frickenschmidt.