Being a slightly older Christian believer, I am always thrilled when I see our youth and young adults respond to God's call. Especially when that call is to the pastorate. Over the past 31 years Dory and I have been blessed to see a number of young adults called to be pastors and pastors' wives from our church families.
In the early 1990s, at the Fil-Am Church of Irvine, California (FACI), we saw four young adults answer that call: Charles, Fernando, Freddy, and Mark. And we saw May, Bernadette, Corine, and Audrey of our Fil-Am churches become their wives.
At the Church of Hope (COH) in Laguna Woods, California, we saw Ryan graduate from Biola Talbot Seminary and become a Navy/Marine chaplain.
And at Resolve Bible Church (RBC) in Norco, California, we have watched as John Nash Quintans, with the support of his wife, Rachel Marie, become an Associate Pastor while attendingThe Master's Seminary in Santa Clarita, California.
Dory and I came to the International Bible Baptist Church of Riverside, California, (IBBC-Riverside) over two years ago. And we were immediately blessed to see the quality of youth and young adults, male and female, in this fellowship, their involvement in the workings of the fellowship, and their desire to grow in God's Word. Personally I have never seen a church fellowship with so much youth and young adult talent - musically and in sharing the Gospel.
When we first came to IBBC-Riverside, our pastor was on an extended missions trip to the Far East. And to our surprise, we saw our young adults - Mark, Jahren, AJ, Philip, Paolo, Jonathan, Joezer, etc., - along with church elders Danny, Henry, Ben - and our young pastor-in-training, Paul - all taking turns leading the worship services, Sunday Schools, and Devotional/Prayer Meetings. We were surprised, amazed, and blessed by the quality of church leadership which carried on at IBBC-Riverside when the pastor was away.
But, back to my reason for writing this blog. Last night, once again, Dory, Lana, and I were blessed by the Bible study led by the young Associate Pastor, John Nash Quintans - a young man we have seen grow from being a youth in our church fellowship, into being a young man whose heart is so full of the love of God and God's Word, that he has to share it.
This morning I shared with Dory how, last night as we studied Psalm 119:41-48 - I was so impressed with John Nash's study leadership abilities. I have long felt and shared my convictions that a Bible study should not have a "teacher" - but instead should have a "leader."
"Bill, what is the difference?" Glad you asked.
Let me give you examples. About 15 years ago Dory was on a business trip and I decided to attend a Bible study at the home of Friends. They attend another church, but that should not hinder us from occasionally joining them for a study. This night they were discussing the book of Revelation, with one man "teaching." Several times I attempted to ask questions or make comments - and with his look, he made it very apparent that he was going to do all the talking - and he did not appreciate me commenting. So, I shut up and never attended one of their studies again.
In another Bible study years earlier, our "teacher" was knowledgeable, but would not leave room for discussion. It seemed that he had studied and had a script for each verse - and any comments or questions would make him lose his train of thought. So, Bill Gray, sit down and shut up - was the feeling I got. He was and is a Friend and Christian brother whom I dearly love. But he was a "teacher" and not a "leader."
"Okay, Bill, so what is a 'study leader'?" Great question.
As we read through the chosen Scripture passage verse by verse, or in short passages - a Bible study leader will encourage the person reading each verse, or short passage, to give us his or her thoughts on it, what did God mean by that writing, how should we interpret it? And the leader will allow others to comment on that verse or passage. In other words, we "discuss" the passage for that evening, verse by verse. That is how we all learn and grow more mature in our knowledge of His Word.
So what is the good leader doing during the study? First, he has good insight into the Scripture passage we are studying and using that knowledge he will get our study and group discussion started. But, only God is 100% right. The rest of us, even the leader, may be a wee bit off in our interpretation. That is the benefit of having a Scripture discussion - to think about, discuss, chew on new ideas - and discard those which prove to not be aligned with Scripture. Will we always agree with one another? No. There will be times when we will have to agree to disagree. Yet we must always remain brothers and sisters in Christ and move on in Christian love and friendship.
Keep in mind that when we have 5, 10, 15 people, or more, who are not afraid to share, comment, and ask questions - the discussions can be very fruitful. But the discussions can also wander off onto unrelated tangents. Oftentimes one or two of those tangents may actually offer new insight into the verses being studied. That is part of the job of the "Bible study leader" - to recognize when new thought is fruitful, and when it is unrelated.
The good leader will allow folks to discuss, comment, and offer their thoughts - even wandering off the path occasionally. But he has to know when to bring us back on track and keep the Bible study moving forward.
As I shared with Dory this morning, last night John Nash did an excellent job of allowing discussions to be explored - and at the right time, bringing us back on track with the study. For that, I give him a really big "ATTA BOY!"
And, today, just by coincidence a hometown Friend and wife of a high school classmate, Bonnie, shared a graphic on Facebook which read:
And I responded to her:
My Friends, I pray that all of you are involved in a corporate Family Bible Study in your local church fellowship. In doing that, we all learn from one another and that helps each of us grow toward more maturity in God's Word. For, as we learned in our Bible study last night - to be an effective witness for Him, we must continue to study His Word and be prepared for the time when a Friend says to you, "Can I ask you a question about. . . . ?"
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
In the early 1990s, at the Fil-Am Church of Irvine, California (FACI), we saw four young adults answer that call: Charles, Fernando, Freddy, and Mark. And we saw May, Bernadette, Corine, and Audrey of our Fil-Am churches become their wives.
At the Church of Hope (COH) in Laguna Woods, California, we saw Ryan graduate from Biola Talbot Seminary and become a Navy/Marine chaplain.
And at Resolve Bible Church (RBC) in Norco, California, we have watched as John Nash Quintans, with the support of his wife, Rachel Marie, become an Associate Pastor while attendingThe Master's Seminary in Santa Clarita, California.
Dory and I came to the International Bible Baptist Church of Riverside, California, (IBBC-Riverside) over two years ago. And we were immediately blessed to see the quality of youth and young adults, male and female, in this fellowship, their involvement in the workings of the fellowship, and their desire to grow in God's Word. Personally I have never seen a church fellowship with so much youth and young adult talent - musically and in sharing the Gospel.
When we first came to IBBC-Riverside, our pastor was on an extended missions trip to the Far East. And to our surprise, we saw our young adults - Mark, Jahren, AJ, Philip, Paolo, Jonathan, Joezer, etc., - along with church elders Danny, Henry, Ben - and our young pastor-in-training, Paul - all taking turns leading the worship services, Sunday Schools, and Devotional/Prayer Meetings. We were surprised, amazed, and blessed by the quality of church leadership which carried on at IBBC-Riverside when the pastor was away.
But, back to my reason for writing this blog. Last night, once again, Dory, Lana, and I were blessed by the Bible study led by the young Associate Pastor, John Nash Quintans - a young man we have seen grow from being a youth in our church fellowship, into being a young man whose heart is so full of the love of God and God's Word, that he has to share it.
This morning I shared with Dory how, last night as we studied Psalm 119:41-48 - I was so impressed with John Nash's study leadership abilities. I have long felt and shared my convictions that a Bible study should not have a "teacher" - but instead should have a "leader."
"Bill, what is the difference?" Glad you asked.
Let me give you examples. About 15 years ago Dory was on a business trip and I decided to attend a Bible study at the home of Friends. They attend another church, but that should not hinder us from occasionally joining them for a study. This night they were discussing the book of Revelation, with one man "teaching." Several times I attempted to ask questions or make comments - and with his look, he made it very apparent that he was going to do all the talking - and he did not appreciate me commenting. So, I shut up and never attended one of their studies again.
In another Bible study years earlier, our "teacher" was knowledgeable, but would not leave room for discussion. It seemed that he had studied and had a script for each verse - and any comments or questions would make him lose his train of thought. So, Bill Gray, sit down and shut up - was the feeling I got. He was and is a Friend and Christian brother whom I dearly love. But he was a "teacher" and not a "leader."
"Okay, Bill, so what is a 'study leader'?" Great question.
As we read through the chosen Scripture passage verse by verse, or in short passages - a Bible study leader will encourage the person reading each verse, or short passage, to give us his or her thoughts on it, what did God mean by that writing, how should we interpret it? And the leader will allow others to comment on that verse or passage. In other words, we "discuss" the passage for that evening, verse by verse. That is how we all learn and grow more mature in our knowledge of His Word.
So what is the good leader doing during the study? First, he has good insight into the Scripture passage we are studying and using that knowledge he will get our study and group discussion started. But, only God is 100% right. The rest of us, even the leader, may be a wee bit off in our interpretation. That is the benefit of having a Scripture discussion - to think about, discuss, chew on new ideas - and discard those which prove to not be aligned with Scripture. Will we always agree with one another? No. There will be times when we will have to agree to disagree. Yet we must always remain brothers and sisters in Christ and move on in Christian love and friendship.
Keep in mind that when we have 5, 10, 15 people, or more, who are not afraid to share, comment, and ask questions - the discussions can be very fruitful. But the discussions can also wander off onto unrelated tangents. Oftentimes one or two of those tangents may actually offer new insight into the verses being studied. That is part of the job of the "Bible study leader" - to recognize when new thought is fruitful, and when it is unrelated.
The good leader will allow folks to discuss, comment, and offer their thoughts - even wandering off the path occasionally. But he has to know when to bring us back on track and keep the Bible study moving forward.
As I shared with Dory this morning, last night John Nash did an excellent job of allowing discussions to be explored - and at the right time, bringing us back on track with the study. For that, I give him a really big "ATTA BOY!"
And, today, just by coincidence a hometown Friend and wife of a high school classmate, Bonnie, shared a graphic on Facebook which read:
I think we forget that when Jesus said, "Love your neighbor" ~
He meant your: Democrat - Republican - Gay - Black - Muslim - Asian - The person you're mad at - Your waitress/waiter, The homeless, Your ex, Atheists, Addicts, Immigrant neighbors, etc.
God loves everyone, not just those who you get along with.
And I responded to her:
Wow, Bonnie! We are in sync! We talked about that very subject in our Tuesday Night Bible Study last night - using Psalm 119:41-48. In our study I suggested that the "Greatest Forgiver" in history is Jesus Christ - who died to offer us reconciliation with the Father. So can we do less for folks with whom we disagree, or who have hurt or harmed us?
We may not agree with their thoughts or lifestyle, but we do not have the right to NOT share the Gospel of forgiveness and salvation with them. For Christ shared it with us when we were lost in sin. Thanks for the reminder.
My Friends, I pray that all of you are involved in a corporate Family Bible Study in your local church fellowship. In doing that, we all learn from one another and that helps each of us grow toward more maturity in God's Word. For, as we learned in our Bible study last night - to be an effective witness for Him, we must continue to study His Word and be prepared for the time when a Friend says to you, "Can I ask you a question about. . . . ?"
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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