Billy's Blog
October 26, 2016, 3:45 PM

More Than Bible Study

I lead a small group that meets in our home every other week. I started it with the idea that I could help a group of people become closer to God and know their Bible better. These are two great things. These are good goals. But when you put a group of people together you never know what will happen. If people are anything they are unpredictable. Just like ole Forrest said they are like a box of never know what you're gonna get. 

At times I've found myself a bit frustrated about our group. I really wanted to teach them some really important things. We start at 7...well, that's the goal. By the time everyone rolls in we usually start 15-20 minutes late. We eat and talk. People bring their kids so they feed their kids, then sit down to eat, and by the time we get done eating and talking and get down to some actual Bible study. I look at the clock and it's after 8 pm. I want to get done by 8:30 so people can get their kids to bed. Ugh. Then I began to think about this. Maybe this group is much more than a Bible study. 

I watch people interact and share their lives. Moms sharing with moms, dads with dads. I listen to people laugh and carry on and hold each others' babies. We show each other dumb YouTube videos and share funny stories. I'm beginning to see that this group is way more than a Bible study. In some ways it's a support group. It's not for anything specific like drugs or alcohol or divorce, but it's just a support group for life. We do some Bible study, but recently I've just been encouraging them to share what's on their mind...Bible questions, life questions, whatever. That's been really good. 

Do they need to understand the Bible better? Absolutely. But maybe we are doing more Bible study than I give us credit for. We may not be always reading the Bible verse by verse but by the fellowship, the breaking of bread, the prayer and the sharing we are living out the Bible. What I see happening is a lot like what I see the early church doing in Acts chapter two. I see unity, I see fellowship, I see support, I see outreach, I see's good stuff. 

What I had in mind hasn't really happened, but what has happened is so much better. What we intend to happen doesn't always happen...sometimes God does something way better. So if things aren't going quite as planned take a step back and try to see where God is working. 
