There Must Be Something More

34 | Cell Group

Seeing Steven again eased me.

And that was surprising, considering I haven't been at ease in the past few days. 

He called me and Samuel and asked to meet with us at a nearby restaurant just across the intersection from our street. When we got there, he waved and motioned for us to sit across from him on a four-seated table. Most of the tables were packed by families and friends. I pulled a seat and sat down just as Samuel did.

"How are you boys?" Steven asked.

"Pretty good," Samuel said, glancing at me awkwardly. Even though we knew Steven already, we were still new to the faith, and being around people who had the same faith as we did still felt uncomfortable. 

"How about you, Charlie?" 

I looked down my shoes, then nodded. "I'm doing good."

Steven smiled and looked up as the waitress handed us iced teas. He asked about our week. Samuel said a lot of people are being a skeptic about having him as the school president, but good thing the principal was his good friend and had no intentions of removing him from his position. His parents and family also persecute his faith from time to time, he admitted about fighting back at times, and then learning it's not God's will for us to fight back but to pray for those who persecute us.

"I read it in Matthew chapter five verse forty-four: But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Samuel said. "I was comforted with it, but I also am hurt. It's not easy."

"You'd have to be a robot for you not to feel anything," Steven said. But then his smile returned, nothing harsher than the sunlight high above the afternoon sky. "Keep praying for them to see the truth, Samuel. God hears your prayers and will answer it in time. Also, ask Him to tell you what to do about it."

Samuel nodded. And then Steven turned to me. Chills rolled down my back, and I wished I could get to my pickup and drive out of there. I didn't want anyone asking me how I am--especially a person from the church.

"How was your week, Charlie?" he asked.

"Okay," I said. I couldn't look him straight in the eye, so I gave a glance and turned to look at the cactus flower beside my chair.

"You sure?" he asked.

What's this guy's deal? I thought. Why does he care so much about my week? It's none of his business!

"Yeah," I said. My voice cracked.

"Hmm-hmm," Steven said, and he sipped his iced tea.

What was that? I thought. He didn't seem to believe me. 

"Meredith said this kind of meeting is called a cell group," Samuel said. "What does that mean?"

"Well, a cell group is generally intended to teach the Bible and personalize Christian fellowship," Steven said. He said it as if it was something he's been talking about for years and still isn't growing tired of it. "The term cell group is derived from biology: the cell  is the basic unit of life in a body. In a metaphorical sense, just as a body is made up of many cells that give it life, the church is made of cell groups that give it life."

"That makes so much sense," I blurted out. Steven looked at me and smiled. And then he got out some sort of booklet. It was the same one he used right after Samuel and I received Jesus into our lives: the Change 12 booklet.

"I've been wondering for quite some time now," I admitted, holding up a hand. "What's that book?"

"It's a personal winning and consolidation guide," he explained, "to help bring change to people's lives; connecting them to a small group like this one, make them disciples of Jesus Christ and giving them the opportunity to encounter God in a way that they have never experienced before."

"To help you grow in the Lord, we'll have five lessons. We'll meet once in every week and I'll ask about you guys, start the lesson, and then we could just hang out after. You know, we're a family now. You guys can tell me anything and I can help you out with anything," he said. He gave us a warm smile like Meredith's--incredibly nice and impossible to resist. I wondered if I'd have the same friendly smile once I grow more in the Lord.

When the waitress came back with our food, as we ate, Steven started the first lesson. 

"I know both of you are already saved and have accepted Jesus into your lives," he said, "but I'm going to tell you a little more of this salvation. First off, I'm going to start with the famous verse in the Bible: John chapter three verse sixteen." He fished out a Bible from his bag and started to flip through it, and then he stopped at a page and handed it to me.

"Read it aloud, please," he said.

I looked down the book and read, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Steven smiled. "This verse tells us about God's eternal plan and you are included in it."

Samuel and I exchanged glances.

"Yes, God has a wonderful plan for you," Steven continued with a chuckle, "He knows your hopes, dreams, and all the desires of your heart because He is the one who placed it there.

"In Ecclesiastes chapter three verse eleven, it says, 'He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.'

"God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. Meaning, that we are an eternal being, and that the things that can truly satisfy us are not temporal but things that have eternal value. By knowing God's eternal plan for us, we will have real satisfaction."

Samuel and I smiled, but neither looked at each other. We were too interested now.

Steven looked up at us. "There are four things that we need to know about God's eternal plan."

I straightened in my chair. 

"First thing: We have a destination. Everyone has their own view of what life is. But the truth is, life is a journey that one day we are all going to reach our final destination--eternity. The Bible is clear that we only have two destinations when our journey of life is over: we are either going to perish in hell or have eternal life in heaven." Steven cleared his throat and looked at us. "Which destination are you going?"

I took a deep breath. I knew where my destination was headed, but why was I still bothered?