The “Holy Club” asked the questions most Christians avoid
Around the time William Law was preaching his sermon “A Serious Call…”, a group of young men at Oxford, England were gathering together to get serious about their walk with the Lord. They determined that if God was going to use them in a strong way, they needed to prioritize godly things.
Not everyone shared the same zeal as this group. Critics called them the “Holy Club”, mocking their religious passion. But the group pressed on undeterred. They met for Bible study. They encouraged one another and prayed for one another. And part of their weekly gathering was personal accountability.
Below are the questions they asked each other during their meetings:
- Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
- Do I secretly pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence?
- Can I be trusted?
- Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?
- Am I self-conscious, self-pitying or self-justifying?
- Did the Bible live in me today?
- Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?
- Am I enjoying prayer?
- When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
- Do I pray about the money I spend?
- Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
- Do I disobey God in anything?
- Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
- Am I defeated in any part of my life?
- Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
- How do I spend my spare time?
- Am I proud?
- Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
- Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
- Do I grumble or complain constantly?
- Is Christ real to me?
Honest accountability changes more than behavior
Additional examples of accountability character questions can be found in the appendix of this book. Just looking over this list may seem a bit intimidating. Most of us haven’t sat down and given an honest answer to questions like these in a long time; maybe never.
But let me ask you, what difference would it make in your life if you have someone asking you the hard questions? What do you think could happen if you really got serious about your walk with God to the point you were willing to talk openly and honestly with a few trusted people?
When we talk about personal accountability, we are talking about being honest with God, honest with ourselves and honest with a trusted few. I heard someone say, “Accountability is helping you keep your commitments to God”. I like that definition. It’s not about imposing your standards or religious practices on others. It’s not about being the moral police, ready to pounce and punish any infraction of the law. It’s not about oppressive legalism or sadistically pointing out the failures of others.
Accountability helps you stay on the right path
Personal accountability is really about helping a person remain faithful to the things God has put on their heart. In many ways, accountability is like guardrails. If you’ve ever driven up in the mountains of Colorado or New Mexico you know what it’s like to navigate snow covered switchbacks up a steep slope.
When there are no guardrails, I’m usually scared to death. I just envision sliding off the steep mountainside to my doom. But when there are guardrails along the edge, I can relax. If I start to veer too close to the edge, I know something will bounce me back onto the road. That is what personal accountability is like.
A life without accountability can easily slide off into moral failure, depression, discouragement or worse. Remember, we do have an enemy who is prowling around looking for someone to push off the edge (I Peter 5.8 ESV). But when you have a few faithful friends standing alongside you, you know that if you get too close to the edge, they are going to bounce you back onto the right road.
Why every believer needs someone who asks the hard questions
This is why Scripture tells us, “You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God,” (Hebrews 3.13 NLT).
Without someone asking you the hard questions, it’s easy to deceive others and even ourselves into thinking we are fine spiritually when we are not. Without someone asking you the hard questions, you can slowly develop a hard heart that no longer pursues a deeper walk with Jesus. Without someone asking you the hard questions, you may let sin take root in the dark places of your life and grow. Without someone asking you the hard questions, you may fall into discouragement and isolation, feeling that no one understands or cares for you.
No one is exempt from these problems and temptations – not even you! This is why you need accountability. You need a place to be encouraged to do the right things and be the person God wants you to be (Hebrews 10.24-25 ESV). You need a place to confess your sin and pray for others (James 5.16 ESV). You need a safe place to admit your struggles and find other people bearing your burdens alongside you, without condemnation or shame (Galatians 6.12 ESV).
King Solomon, the wisest man to live wrote, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend,” (Proverbs 27.17 NLT). So who is sharpening you? Who is standing between you and the cliff keeping you on the road? Who is asking you the hard questions? Who is that person you can call in the middle of the night if you are in trouble? Who is helping you keep your commitments to God, to yourself and your family? If your answer is no one, then it’s time to do something about that.
Make accountability a normal part of your Grow Group
As you gather in your “Grow Groups”, this is a good place to develop personal accountability. Certainly, there will be accountability wrapped around your daily readings, journaling and Scripture memory. That time is right at the top of your group time under the heading, “Looking Back”.
This would also be a good time to stop and ask the hard questions. You may want to use the questions in this chapter or others that you agree to ask each other as a group. However you structure it, building into the group a time of personal accountability is essential if you want to see optimal spiritual growth and godly character.
Who knows how God will transform your group when they get serious about their walk with God? Those young college students in Oxford left the “Holy Club”, and went on to change the world.
John Wesley was one of those young men, and he began a disciple-making movement that swept across Europe. His brother, Charles, wrote hymns that are still sung in churches today. George Whitefield was there, and he went on to preach the Gospel so powerfully that it fueled the “Great Awakening” in America and England.
Many others became pastors and leaders; godly men who served the Lord faithfully in their time. just think what God could do through your group if you passionately pursue Him!
This blog features an excerpt from one of our books, Invest In A Few.
