RED Cells

What are Image Church RED Cells? They’re small groups – 2 to 4 people in size – consisting of the same sex, meeting regularly, for an agreed upon period of time. They serve a very deliberate and intentional purpose: the training of disciples – followers of Jesus.

What is the role of red cells in the human body?
Red blood cells constantly travel through our bodies delivering oxygen (life) and removing carbon dioxide (waste). If they did not do this, our bodies would slowly die.

Image Church RED Cells bring life (biblical truth – Jesus) and remove waste (errors in thinking & living). RED stands for Recruit, Equip and Deploy. Image Church RED Cells are reproductive in nature. It’s difficult, messy work that costs a great deal of time and effort but is of immense value, both individually and corporately.

It’s exactly what Jesus did with a few key people; it’s how the church began. All we want to do is emulate Jesus’ simple and direct method in our culture and context. A RED Cell is where a disciple grows in spiritual maturity. What do we mean by a disciple of Jesus? A disciple of Jesus follows = obeys the teachings of Jesus – which results in their transformation. Finally, a disciple of Jesus is fully committed to the mission of Jesus.

We are not alone in this activity. Churches are doing just this sort of thing all across the globe. They may brand it differently — discipleship groups, fight clubs, life groups. Whatever a tribe calls it, the underlying general principals are always the same. “Come and See, Come and Follow me, Come and be with Me, Remain in Me”. That’s all Jesus – how he made his disciples – why would we do it any other way?

Jesus has given His church a clear and proven model for reproducing disciples. The problem seems to be that much of the institutional church has abandoned His strategy and method. Perhaps now more than ever His church needs to follow His example.

The ranks of professing Christians in America are in decline as is church attendance. This is an acknowledged fact from both secular and religious media sources. The remedy? Place ministry back in the hands of believers who are willing to conduct it like Jesus did.

Join us in the most fundamentally important work in which any follower of Jesus can engage: Christ-centered Discipleship! Find an Image Church RED cell, and get busy doing what Jesus built you to do – spiritually reproduce. This is how Image Church will reach the nations, fulfilling the great commission as we go.

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Because

So, let me ask you a straightforward question. If you could have God’s help, would you want it?

Of course, this presupposes that you believe in God and that He is interested and involved in our lives. (He is!) To be even more precise, I mean the God of the Bible, namely — Jesus. Jesus is the grand subject of the scriptures. All of the Old Testament points to His eminent appearance, and the whole of the New Testament declares His arrival. Jesus is the centerpiece of all the scriptures. He is God come to earth in a bag of skin and bones.

So then, back to the question at hand… Do you want God’s help? — or worded another way, do you want His hand on your life? Lets go take a quick look at a man named Ezra. Ezra was an Old Testament priest responsible for helping a portion of his fellow Israelites return home from exile. Something truly wonderful is revealed to us in the text that bears his name.

Ezra 7:9-10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) – He (Ezra) began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. The gracious hand of his God was on him, 10 because Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey [it], and teach [its] statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Ok — did you read that? What did you see? — Let me tell you what I see. God’s hand was on Ezra. Why? Because Ezra had determined in his heart to study and obey God’s word, but that’s not all. Ezra would also teach its statutes and ordinances (laws and rules) to his fellow Israelites. Ready for some good news? – The same opportunity and privilege is ours as well!

We each can determine in our own hearts to study and obey God’s Word and to teach or pass what we are seeing and learning along to others. God is no different today. If this was true for Ezra, it’s true for us right now.

To the skeptic — one might argue, and rightly so — one verse a theology does not make — this is true. Plenty more of the scripture would support my contention. But this very clear concise snap-shot from the life of Ezra remains compelling — at least to me… Perhaps others also?

A Bold Choice