I bought a UV sanitizer in Korea, and here’s a picture of the box.
They’ve effectively advertised that germs are from the Devil. Interesting, isn’t it?

When’s the last time you’ve seen a product in North America advertised in a spiritual manner?

We’re talking about worldviews here and during my time in Korea I noticed that spirituality was a lot more on the forefront of people’s mind than it is here in North America.

Now what does a UV sanitizer, with a picture of the devil on it, have to do with groups?
…everything.

When’s the last time you’ve read Ephesians 6?

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
(Ephesians 6:12 NIV)

The fact is, the biggest obstacle to successful group life isn’t schedules, meeting places, and curriculum…it’s Satan.

In C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, he mentions that one of Satan’s strategies is to try to make it look like he actually doesn’t exist. Now we can go to either extreme here (either attribute every bad circumstance to Satan, or ignore him completely), but that’s not what I’m talking about.

What I am talking about is awareness.

Are you aware that a spiritual realm exists and that you have weapons in that spiritual realm? (see Ephesians 6:10-20)

When’s the last time you’ve prayed for those in your group? Now I’m not just talking about brief 5 second prayers, or praying within your allotted group time. I’m talking about setting aside specific times to really pray for your individual group members.

Why not schedule a time this week to do that? You may not see immediate physical results, but there will be immediate spiritual results.