by Bill Brady

There is a personal journey and a group journey.

• On our personal journey we grow up into Christ personally.
• On our group journey we grow up into Christ corporately.
• There needs to be a balance between our personal journey and our group journey.

Father puts us into families. 

• He puts us into groups.
• Groups begin forming into benches of 12 as they start functioning governmentally.
• This process is a journey.

A group / bench has a destined journey.

• There is a beginning and a journey into group destiny reflecting a blueprint.
• Members of the group come and go according to their own personal destinies.
• Some groups have an end.
• Some groups have multiple endings and multiple new beginnings.

A group / bench has multiple activities meant to be balanced and flow by mandate.

• Find a joint mandate is a key skill in a group.
• Encounter
• Dialog.
• Testimonies.
• One anothering.
• Governmental actions.
• Asking and answering questions.

All of these activities need to be present.

• For the group / bench to function fully.
• For the bench members to grow up into Christ fully.

A bench will…

• Grow up together as a bench into Christ.
• Grow into multiple members functioning as meeting facilitators.
• Grow into members facilitating each other on each other’s personal journeys.

A bench will always have visitors visiting bench meetings.

• To allow for cross-pollination.
• To allow for a constant flow of new members.
• To replace current members who are mandated to move on.

A bench is only as strong as the personal journeys of its members.

• We are all meant to give away revelation that we receive soon after receiving it.
• We can only give away what we already have.
• Group revelation becomes personal revelation.
• This happens when group members add that revelation to their personal journeys.
• Without this crucial step group revelation is little different than sight-seeing.

I believe that we each are destined to be part of a fully functioning bench of 12.

• We are all on a journey into understanding of benches of 12.
• We are learning by doing.
• And being tutored by the 7 spirits of God.
• Expect more to be revealed.

It is better to invest fully into a few benches.

• Rather than to invest partially into many.
• So that all needed elements of bench functioning can grow up in the bench.
• There will be a journey from being on many groups / benches to being on few.
• With this will come a maturing of benches into full functioning.