GwendolinWinburn692

From time to time we hear the comment that guided bible studies in Christian small groups are shallow. I have often found that whenever people speak of deep teaching they usually mean mystical, speculative, or heady kind of teaching such as eschatology (end times teaching) or speculative typology or debating heavy theological issues, all of which tend to expand the mind but not enlarge the heart.

The thought behind this challenging statement is that, somehow, bible studies that are taught lecture-style are more spiritual than guided bible studies which are opened up for discussion and where everyone gets a chance to share.

Whilst it is true that gifted teachers have been placed in the church this does not negate the fact that God has given to every believer a measure of His grace and an experience of the truth which is at work in their daily lives. Guided bible studies facilitate experiencing Christ together. Shared understanding brings greater comprehension of truth, whereas lone rangers tend to end up in error.

Look carefully at what Paul prayed for the Ephesians:

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:17-19 NKJV).

Experiencing God's love and truth demands an environment where it can be understood and experienced collectively.

One of the ways this works through guided bible studies is in the monitoring of bible truth application (see Lk.6:46; Jas.1:22; Matt.7:24-27). Here's the crunch! Teaching, no matter how rich bible reading plan or deep, is without value unless it is applied to our lives. THE WORD MUST CHANGE US.