What you call your cell groups says a lot about what you are trying to accomplish through cell life. My church family’s cell groups are called HEART groups (H- Home, E- Encouragement, A- Accountability, R- Relationship, T- Teaching). In this post, I want to concentrate on accountability.
“Accountability is a preventive measure displayed by sturdy people who want to lead lives of growing godliness, and who know they can’t do it alone. It includes opening one’s life to a few carefully selected, trusted, loyal confidants who speak the truth– who have been given the right to examine, to question, to appraise, and to give counsel” (Chuck Swindoll).
“Accountability is being regularly answerable to qualified people for each of the key areas of our lives” (Patrick Morley).
“Accountability means getting off each other’s back and on each other’s team” (Doug Haag).
There are twenty-two questions that the members of John Wesley’s Holy Club asked themselves each day in their private devotions over 200 years ago. Here they are:
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confindentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?
5. Can I be trusted?
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
7. Did the Bible live in me today?
8. Do I give it time to speak to me every day?
9. Am I enjoying prayer?
10. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?
11. Do I pray about the money I spend?
12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
13. Do I disobey God in anything?
14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
15. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
17. How do I spend my spare time?
18. Am I proud?
19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what I am I doing about it?
21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
22. Is Christ real to me?
In my estimation, these twenty-two questions are wonderful for personal, daily introspection. For a cell group or an accountability group, answering these twenty-two questions would be exhausting experience on a weekly basis. I am not suggesting that at all. However, you may consider choosing a handful or so and integrate them into your cell and/or accountability group.
A closing thought: Thoughtful and honest personal introspection opens the door to excellent accountability with our trustest friends.
Comments?
Rob Campbell