Paul, today's question comes from a woman whose small groups at church have only ever been mixed,

men and women. She asks, should men and women have separate or gender-specific Bible studies or meeting times?

So could you answer this question, but then also help us understand and apply Hebrews 10, 24 to 25,

to our modern church setting,

which says, let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

not neglecting to meet together, as is a habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawn near.

So do you think every church should have small groups and should every Christian be in a small group of some sort?

The purpose of the church is threefold.

It is, God has ordained the church to meet my needs of ongoing instruction.

I need the confrontation and the comfort of God's word again and again and again.

And I'll never outgrow that need.

So we gather for instruction.

The second purpose of the church is for gathered worship,

that together we sing the gospel not only in worship of the Lord, but we sing it into one another's ears.

When you're in corporate worship, you may not know it, but you're actually ministering to the person next to you as they hear you singing the truths of the gospel.

It's a beautiful thing.

But there's a third function of the church,

and it is the fellowship of the body of Christ.

That's the...

How do I say this?

It's the mutual ministry aspect of the body of Christ, that we have a ministry

to one another. In fact, Ephesians 4 says that God gives gifts to church, to church. He sets up

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