What I Am Learning

Since 1973 I have been involved at some level in Bible Study.  For the most part leading them as well as equipping others to study the Bible on their own.  From 1978 through 1987 I was on the staff of a Christian organization so it was part of my job description.  1987 through 1991 was seminary followed by a year and a half working with the Fuller Institute.  1992 – 2007 I found myself employed in architectural, engineering, and construction firms, one of which I co-founded.  During that time we still led small groups and Bible studies.  Since 2007 I have been focused on training men to study the Bible.  The approaches have been tried at various levels in 6 countries other than the USA, in a few weeks we will engage with a seventh.

If my math is right, that is 41 years.  In the midst of all the different ways I have attempted to equip people to study, I am learning some things.  This will not be an exhaustive list:

• It is not important what I know about the Bible.  What is important is whether I can equip others to be able to find out what I have found, on their own.  Many Bible teachers are known for lectures and, or books.  Lectures and books are helpful, but in reality in Hebrews 5:11 – 14 vernacular, lectures and books are milk, pre-digested protein.  The one who benefits the most from the lecture and the book is the one who does the work to create them.  No one who listens or reads will garner the same benefit.  What we have to do as leaders is train people to do that kind of work in the Word of God themselves.
• Not many people in the Body are willing to pay the price to dig deeply into the Word for themselves.  For the most part, many are content to feed off of the scraps from the tables of those who have prepared the lectures or written the books.  The Church, at some level, has helped create this reality in that there is little emphasis on the need for believers to really dig into the Word for themselves.  Further there is little instruction on how to dig in if one were so inclined.  Sure, there are books on how to do so, I wrote one.  But, in my experience how to books are not helpful apart from someone helping the one trying to learn.

There is a lot more but this is getting long.  This is not intended to be negative, it is simply observations.  A friend recently told me that my engineering background, my process orientation, and my background in training conspire to cause me to see what is broken in an organization, and my passion is to fix it.  He may be right.

I may continue this, tomorrow.