POLL: LCMS Small Group Bible Studies
Being new to Lutheranism myself (or should I say I'm "rediscovering" it?), and of a Confessional stripe, I get that I may not understand "how things work" just yet at my local LCMS Church where I've been an active member for roughly two years now.
Even so, I'm curious to discover the flavor of what some other LCMS Churches are doing out there.
Specifically, does your church offer Small Group Bible Studies like mine does?
Personally, I think Small Group Bible Studies are a good thing...but only if there's a Pastor leading them or at least a part of them to help guide the rest of the group into truth.
Here's why. This is 'Exhibit A' when it comes to the caution: "Do Not Study The Bible This Way!"
Be honest, dear Christian.
Have the Small Group Bible studies you've been a part of ever gone like that? Sadly, I'm ashamed to admit that I've been guilty of that type of back-and-forth at times too. Lord, please forgive me...
Where I've been particularly guilty is when I've been in one-on-one situations with another fellow believer and we start talking about God's Word.
It's far too easy to want to put fellowship and friendship first (all in the name of "unity in love," of course) by simply letting the other person express his or her own subjective interpretation (fueled by their own feelings, of course) rather than both people working together to figure out what the Scriptures actually say to us.
Boy, Galatians 1:10 amongst many other verses come to mind here. The question is not, "What do I BELIEVE/FEEL like this says to ME?" The question is, "What did the original Author/author INTEND for it to say?" and "What does the Biblical text ACTUALLY say IN CONTEXT?" too.
That leads me to a final question I have for you.
This one's a little more close to home for me these days.
As you can guess, I'm not particularly crazy about Chan's CRAZY LOVE at all.
God willing, perhaps I'll publish my reasons why in the near future. For now, I'm trying to navigate the pros and the cons with James 3:1 at the forefront of my mind, especially since there's a major push within my church to begin a Small Group Bible Study series on it in the next few weeks.
Come to think of it, I suppose a better question to ask should've been: "Should we do Small Group Bible Studies focused on a 'Christian' Best-Seller or the Holy Bible?"
Like I said, I'm just trying to put my Confessional finger on the LCMS pulse that's out there in response to this subject.
In Lutheran Layman's terms, do you think Small Group Bible Studies are "good" or "bad" generally speaking? Why?
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Even so, I'm curious to discover the flavor of what some other LCMS Churches are doing out there.
Specifically, does your church offer Small Group Bible Studies like mine does?
Personally, I think Small Group Bible Studies are a good thing...but only if there's a Pastor leading them or at least a part of them to help guide the rest of the group into truth.
Here's why. This is 'Exhibit A' when it comes to the caution: "Do Not Study The Bible This Way!"
An All Too Typical Small Group Bible Study
Be honest, dear Christian.
Have the Small Group Bible studies you've been a part of ever gone like that? Sadly, I'm ashamed to admit that I've been guilty of that type of back-and-forth at times too. Lord, please forgive me...
Where I've been particularly guilty is when I've been in one-on-one situations with another fellow believer and we start talking about God's Word.
It's far too easy to want to put fellowship and friendship first (all in the name of "unity in love," of course) by simply letting the other person express his or her own subjective interpretation (fueled by their own feelings, of course) rather than both people working together to figure out what the Scriptures actually say to us.
Boy, Galatians 1:10 amongst many other verses come to mind here. The question is not, "What do I BELIEVE/FEEL like this says to ME?" The question is, "What did the original Author/author INTEND for it to say?" and "What does the Biblical text ACTUALLY say IN CONTEXT?" too.
That leads me to a final question I have for you.
This one's a little more close to home for me these days.
As you can guess, I'm not particularly crazy about Chan's CRAZY LOVE at all.
God willing, perhaps I'll publish my reasons why in the near future. For now, I'm trying to navigate the pros and the cons with James 3:1 at the forefront of my mind, especially since there's a major push within my church to begin a Small Group Bible Study series on it in the next few weeks.
Come to think of it, I suppose a better question to ask should've been: "Should we do Small Group Bible Studies focused on a 'Christian' Best-Seller or the Holy Bible?"
Like I said, I'm just trying to put my Confessional finger on the LCMS pulse that's out there in response to this subject.
In Lutheran Layman's terms, do you think Small Group Bible Studies are "good" or "bad" generally speaking? Why?
Share|
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