Over the many decades that I have enjoyed my love affair with the Bible, I
have had the marvelous benefit of many great teachers. I've also had the
incredible experience of fellowshipping in one of the most famous churches
emphasizing expositional teaching from the Word of God.
But I also would like to let you in on a precious secret.
Unquestionably, the greatest personal growth I've ever witnessed occurs in the
home Bible study. From those early years on Harbor Island Road in Newport
Beach, to those precious times on Mountain Home Road in Silicon Valley, the
fellowship of those intimate home groups, where people can interact, ask
questions, and hold one another accountable, was the place of growth for all of
us - teacher and student.
This was, of course, the way it all started. A group of but a dozen -
fishermen and others - along a seaside in Galilee. Even later as Paul
traveled and planted, it was the intimacy of home fellowships that provided the
earliest forums for the Gospel. The declarations in the synagogues and on
Mars Hill were but an initiation. Their resulting questions were responded
to in small groups in homes and on hillsides.
Groups meeting in houses were the original recipients of the Gospel.
1 Even the famed giving of the Spirit at Pentecost was in a
house.2 Clearly, the early Christians met in
homes. (Check out Acts 2:46; 5:42; 8:3; 9:11; 12:12; 16:40; 18:7; 20:20;
21:8; Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; 1 Tim 5:13-14; and Phile 1:2).
3
(When you visit the remains of Peter's home in Capernaum, you can trace the
gradual additions in its transitions from a modest home to a larger meeting
place. There now exists a modern structure suspended over the original
ruins so as to not disturb the archaeological site.)
As I travel, both in the United States and especially abroad, I sense that
the emergence of home fellowship groups is, again, one of the most exciting -
and spiritually productive - phenomena on the planet Earth.
Controversial
And these groups take many forms and styles. Some are healthy, intimate
fellowships to be encouraged. Some are sponsored and supervised by a local
church. (I use the term here in the vernacular sense: actually, the
"churches" are meeting in the homes! An elder once reported to his pastor,
"They are chewing gum in the sanctuary!" The pastor corrected him, "No,
the sanctuaries are chewing gum!")
In other cases, the gatherings are a response to a lack of teaching, or other
opportunities to participate. They can be a symptom of a shortfall in
opportunities of various kinds. In many cases they are, tragically, a form
of rebellion or rejection of traditional styles of "church."
Cozy
There are, obviously, many that find the excitement of a "Mega-Church"
environment irresistible. The quality of the music and other accoutrements
can be very uplifting, and the exposure to a nationally recognized leadership
can be truly inspiring.
There are others, however, who find the mere size of such an organization
intimidating and seek a more personal opportunity to participate and grow
in. Many of the larger organizations also foster and nurture small groups
(often called "cells") during the week to respond to just such needs.
Some pastors tend to discourage the formation of home study groups for a
variety of reasons, some valid and some questionable. But like it or not,
it is unquestionably the tide of the times. It was the principal
phenomenon of the 1st century and it appears to be one in the 21st century as
well!
Contrast of Resources
Of course, the early church was constrained geographically by the limitations
of foot travel, and also by the lack of printed materials. We generally fail to
fully appreciate the role Gutenberg's movable type played in printing technology
and its role in relieving the darkness of the medieval period!
Today I travel with more volumes in my laptop than populate many seminary
libraries - and they are in a machine-readable form that I can search in
seconds. (In fact, I carry eight different Bibles, as well as Hebrew and
Greek concordances, several dictionaries, and commentaries in my Pocket PC,
which is both a phone and a link to the Internet!)
With the Internet, one can find out practically anything about anything, if
they know how. The resources now available are truly astonishing, and are
improving daily.
One of the many implications of our current environment - in contrast to that
of the past - is that technology has favored the decentralization of information
and resources, and that has remarkably improved the opportunities for "equipping
the saints!"
But that still leaves the discoveries, the personal development, and the
accountability to face-to-face interactions in small groups, whatever the labels
or contexts.
A Challenge
If you are not presently in a small, weekly, Bible study group, I strongly
encourage you to find one and give it a try. You may be in for a truly
life-changing surprise. There are probably many different styles within
your current orbit and one of them is likely to "fit."
(Some are geographically within your neighborhood. Some may be groups
of your professional peers. "Different strokes for different folks.")
If you can't find one, start one! It's easier - and more rewarding -
than you can imagine. And we are here to help you.
One way is to simply pick out a video (or DVD) and invite a few friends and
neighbors to come over for some refreshments and discussion. Play it and
solicit reactions. More often than not, it will begin a series.
Or pick out a manageable series to explore and discuss together: Prophecy 101
is a four-part series that could lend itself to such an initial group. Or
even Learn the Bible in 24 Hours for a more ambitious series of
gatherings. (You can easily arrange to play a CD-ROM on a video
monitor.) An hour of presentation will easily be followed by some
discussion.
Or simply take a book of the Bible and explore it together, a chapter a week,
and see what happens! God always rewards the diligent.
Pray about it. But pray carefully: it is likely to be more life
changing than you can possibly imagine.
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