And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25
It’s seven in the morning. The tattoo of the dragon coiled around his well-toned forearm seems almost incongruent with the bespectacled young man beaming a smile and leading a song of praise on the guitar. As you look across the group, the nine other men all sport the same look. Gruff, well-toned, some tattooed, all fully engrossed in singing, some with tears streaming down their faces. This is a typical scene at any halfway house here in Singapore. As a counsellor who specialized in drug rehabilitation, I learnt that two of the most significant factors that prevent a substance abuser from relapsing is being in a halfway house after release and receiving spiritual support. Many substance abusers who were determined to change in prison, find it difficult to live a new life after release. Their group of friends is all they know. There is no new life to replace the old life they decided to leave behind. They do not have a community to encourage them.
We face the same challenges spiritually in our journey of faith. Choosing to live a new life alone after being “born again” is almost impossible. “Wesley believed every Christian needed a small, intimate place to share the concerns of his life and to find commonality of experience and intensity of support.”70 Yet, today, the term cell-based church has become somewhat of a misnomer. There are many churches with cell groups but with less than half of the congregation actively involved in cell groups. “The consequence,” Wesley opined, “is that nine of the ten once-awakened are now faster asleep than ever.”71
又要彼此相顾，激发爱心，勉励行善。 你们不可停止聚会，好像那些停止惯了的人，倒要彼此劝勉，既知道那日子临近，就更当如此。《希伯来书》10：24-25
早上七点。年轻人前臂盘绕龙的纹身看起来与戴着眼镜的脸上洋溢的微笑，以及吉它奏出的赞美之音似乎很不协调。当你观察整个团队时，其他九个人都拥有相同的外观。粗鲁的、体面的、有纹身的，都全神贯注地唱着歌，有的流着眼泪唱。这是新加坡任何中途之家的典型场景。作为一名专门从事戒毒康复的辅导管，我了解到阻止吸毒者复发的两个最重要的因素是在释放后和接受属灵支持后住在中途之家。许多在监狱中决心痛改前非的吸毒者，在释放后很难过上新的生活，因为他们所有的朋友都是他们所认识的。没有新的生活来取代他们决定舍弃的旧生活。他们没有社体来鼓励他们。
在我们的信仰旅程中，我们的属灵光景面临同样的挑战。在“重生”后选择独自过新生活几乎是不可能的。 “约翰.卫斯理认为每个基督徒都需要一个小小的亲密团契的地方来分享他生活中的关注，并找到共同的经验和密切的支持。”然而，今天，以小组为根基的教会这个词已经很少提起。许多教会有细胞小组，但少于一半的教友积极参与细胞小组。 “结果，”约翰.卫斯理认为，“现在十个曾经醒过来的人中有九个人更快地睡着。”
反思
你有积极参加细胞小组吗？你的小组怎样鼓励你过圣洁的新生活？
Reflection
Are you actively participating in a cell-group? How has the cell group been encouraging you to live a new life of holiness?