Twenty-three
The Bible Study
“You take the Bible way too literally for me. I am
shopping around and I know Miller Avenue isn’t my
kind of church. I am not interested in what happened
to a bunch of Jews a long time ago.”
Absolutely correct, Miller Avenue would not work
for this person. Should I change to accommodate him?
Should I suddenly become “liberal” so that I might
get this person into a pew?
The early Christians were devoted to the “apostles’
teaching”. (See Acts 2:42) At that point in the
history of the Church it would have meant a devotion
to the words and deeds of Jesus as well as to the entire
Hebrew Scripture, the Old Testament. In our time we
look to our Bible, the Old and New testaments, for the
apostles’ teaching.
What an incredible document the Bible is, a neverending
supply of wisdom and grace. The Bible is God’s
very word that the Holy Spirit helps us to understand.
The Bible is a book about Jesus, His past, His present,
and His future. However, it is “spiritually hidden” from
the unconverted and often mysterious to the converted
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The Bible Study
so the ministry of exposing the Bible is indeed a critical
one.
Since 1968 I have had the blessed privilege of
teaching a Tuesday night Bible study. The name of
my little television program is “The Bible Study”. In
both cases I teach verse by verse, starting from where
I left off and ending wherever we happen to be when
time runs out.
Preparation for the Bible study is nearly as
extensive as for the sermon. The actual Bible study
lasts for one and a half hours while the television
program is only one half hour. My study for the
television program is simply a perusal of the material
from the Bible study, and that is usually not much more
than a few notes in the margins of my study Bible.
Most often the Bible study takes place in my living
room. At times it has been conducted in the church
building. It is informal and as relaxed as I can make it.
Sometimes I have hot water ready for coffee, tea, or
otherwise, with some cookies or fruit. Not many come,
five to eight people is typical. The material is fairly
involved in that I do not gear it for beginners, but I
will answer any and all questions. I use no aids or other
books though I am not against this and have done so at
various times. The Bible study guides, however, seem
to get in the way and are usually superficial. People
end up studying the guides and/or outlines rather than
the Bible itself.
My job is to expose the Scripture. Sometimes I
don’t understand some passage myself; I am often
baffled. I will ask tough questions, even play the role
of “devil’s advocate” to help people focus on the text
and context. As best I can I will avoid interpreting the
Scripture to meet the confines of some theological
model. The Scripture must say what it says and not
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For Pastors
what I want it to say. There is no effort on my part to
entertain, excite, or inspire; this must come naturally,
or supernaturally, from the Word of God itself. As we
hear Jesus speaking to us from His Word, we are
changed. Hearing Philpott helps no one.
It is my general practice to begin on time, often
without an opening prayer, and close with a prayer.
Starting from the opening verse I will proceed until
someone asks a question or makes a comment. It is
not intended to be a lecture and if need be I will ask
questions myself to provoke discussion. There is no
offering, no personal ministry such as praying for people
for healing, and so on. Bible study is just that; Bible
studies have been known to “deteriorate” into
preaching meetings or discussion groups.
Let me suggest several forms the Bible study might
take. One, much as I have described above, my own
method. Two, various people are assigned passages that
they are then to expose with a leader keeping things
on track. Three, the study of major themes of a biblical
book rather than a verse by verse approach. Four,
personal profiles of major biblical characters are
presented. Five, people are invited to present their
favorite biblical passages with discussion of the same
conducted by the leader. There are, of course, many
other Bible study methods. I do not want to make it
seem that I am against the very fine Bible study
outlines and guides current today. These can be used
to great advantage.
The history of the world for a thousand years before
the Reformation has been called the “Dark Ages.” The
availability of the Scripture to the common person
brought light into the darkness. The Bible is not to be
worshipped or used as a weapon, yet the Bible is a great
treasure to be studied diligently and loved greatly.
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The Bible Study
If you could keep it secret, would you describe you
real attitude toward the Bible?
How do you feel about it? Do you feel confident as
a teacher of the Bible?
What problems do you have with the Bible?