I recently "left" a bible study group. It wasn't the right fit. That was my best, politically correct explanation, I gave to the group. I want to talk about this though, because it's been heavy on my heart. My first encounter with God was completely life-changing. Since December 2014, I have devoured books on Christianity, on the tough-to-believe things that are in the Bible, on the power of God working through people all around the world, and a deep study of the New Testament in the Bible. I have 3 books written about the Dead Sea Scrolls written for 3 different purposes, a book of Flavius Josephus "The Antiquities of the Jews" translated by William Whiston, A.M. wherein book 18 is written about an interval of 32 years that acknowledges the different Jewish sects. On page 576:
Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works- a teacher of such men receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross (A.D. 33, April 3), those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him are not extinct at this day.
He also mentions John the Baptist, Herod, Pilate and many other people in the Bible. For what it is worth, it should be known that Josephus eventually betrayed his fellow Jews. It is fascinating to read all of these different pieces of the Biblical and historical records of 2000 years ago, at the same time. My heart is full for our God. My faith flows deeply through my life, anchoring me to a sense of peace that I find difficult to describe. I've encountered God a second, a third, and a fourth time. It is love. I embrace this love in a very intentional, thoughtful, and prayerful way. It is the most important thing about who I am.
Back to dropping out of Bible Study. We decided to "study" John Bevere's book- Killing Kryptonite. There were videos to watch each week that accompanied the readings we were to do. My first impression of this man was from the words he wrote, actually convicting me of my own practiced sin and what changes I would need to make to stop living in sin. The first impression, gut instinct, of his video teaching, left me unsettled. Something wasn't right. Each week, the more of the book and the videos we were getting through, the more I felt like his understanding and teaching of scripture were very decidedly one sided, and I finally decided to google him
https://churchwatchcentral.com/2017/10/02/killing-kryptonite-the-bait-of-john-bevere/
In essence, he is not the kind of person I want to be learning any biblical principals from. I felt he was taking the scriptures that supported his claims, while not, also discussing, the scriptures that complete the essence of the teaching in the bible. The group had a Facebook page, and I wrote this similar description and my thoughts about why this guy was unsettling to me. I was told we would talk about it at group. We were only a week away from being done with it. My post was taken down from the group leader in less than 10 minutes. Now throughout this study 4 other members spoke up saying similar things about his teaching. So on the last night of the study, it wrapped up and no one had much to offer up about it. Now, my thought was that the two women who were leading this study were going to bring up the difficulties that I, and others, had. I am vocal, indeed. I am not one to be confused by something and sit quietly about it. If it doesn't make sense I ask. This is my salvation and I am intentional with everything that I read- we are warned that there will be many false teachers to lead people astray. We are taught to verify the validity of a writing about scripture by comparing it to ....SCRIPTURE. We are to ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand. Because the ladies who said we would talk about it didn't bring it up, and I was trying to be polite and wait until I was called on but no. I made a snarky comment about everyone knowing I didn't like the guy and that I had a problem with some of the things he said and the way he interpreted scripture. Still not willing to discuss it. One later said it was because I was argumentative. I was holding back tears at the complete disregard for my thoughts and floored that when I asked them how the discerned scripture, meaning interpreted scripture from Christian authors - they said by the Holy Spirit and elders, apparently they didn't understand the question I was asking. I was heartbroken. I was angry that those who shared similar thoughts, didn't speak up. I was lost in the disregard for truth seeking.
I drove home and after careful thought and prayer, I private messaged 3 women in the group, the 2 who lead the bible study and the woman who invited me into the group. "I want to thank you for allowing me into your bible study. Thank You ... for opening your home. I respectfully will not be in attendance any further. I am not sure why I was censored on the page, not wanting to 'confuse' anyone being more important than having real discussion to work through this book's work....
I was told my discussion on the group page was actually in argument to why the study was not in alignment with the Word and why I didn't like the author (Yes because they were counter to the overall gospel). It's ok to discuss, but in your zeal to point out what was wrong you missed the point of the discussion...I have times when I share struggles. I also know that others have. We bring each other to accountability (I guess they didn't see that was what I was doing; trying to hold the author accountable to the gospel). Usually when the zeal of Christ runs someone wrong, that my friend is because the spirit in them feels uneasy. And that spirit isn't of God. (Yes, she told me in no uncertain terms that it was ungodly, the way I was thinking- I basically ran through the reasons that thinking critically of writings on the bible is what we are told to do, so that we are not deceived. I also said- that she wasn't going to speak over my life like that). She continued further about how discussing was ok, but being divisive wasn't. (Wasn't Jesus and his apostles a bit divisive? How does one not be divisive when what that person is saying is not in agreement with what is being discussed?) She then rounded out her thoughts on the matter that people shouldn't be talking about the bible study outside of the group, because it would just cause confusion. And she didn't want some of the less spiritually mature members to become confused.
There was no studying of the Bible to confront the author's teaching, in the bible study group, and I'm not sure if I am totally misunderstanding what Bible Study groups are supposed to do, since this was my first real one. The legalistic notion of telling others when they are not living according to the Word was a big part of the book. The irony was, that I was doing what the book was saying to do, to love your fellow Christian and make it a point to care about their salvation, and to let them know if they (we) were being misguided.
I have since sought Spiritual Direction from one of the Sisters where I work. She told me about a Friar that lived in Southeastern Indiana. He had a near death experience that took him all the way to the seat of judgment. He later told people that he was asked one question there. "How do you love?"
We are told that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, our mind, our spirit, and our strength, and that the second greatest commandment is like it- to love our neighbors as ourselves. Loving God, for me, looks like obedience to His Word, spending time between the pages of the most important and influential book ever written, and seeking meaning through the lens of the life of Jesus Christ. What good is gaining the whole world, if you do not have love? I did not choose love the night of my last bible study. I chose God.
Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works- a teacher of such men receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross (A.D. 33, April 3), those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him are not extinct at this day.
He also mentions John the Baptist, Herod, Pilate and many other people in the Bible. For what it is worth, it should be known that Josephus eventually betrayed his fellow Jews. It is fascinating to read all of these different pieces of the Biblical and historical records of 2000 years ago, at the same time. My heart is full for our God. My faith flows deeply through my life, anchoring me to a sense of peace that I find difficult to describe. I've encountered God a second, a third, and a fourth time. It is love. I embrace this love in a very intentional, thoughtful, and prayerful way. It is the most important thing about who I am.
Back to dropping out of Bible Study. We decided to "study" John Bevere's book- Killing Kryptonite. There were videos to watch each week that accompanied the readings we were to do. My first impression of this man was from the words he wrote, actually convicting me of my own practiced sin and what changes I would need to make to stop living in sin. The first impression, gut instinct, of his video teaching, left me unsettled. Something wasn't right. Each week, the more of the book and the videos we were getting through, the more I felt like his understanding and teaching of scripture were very decidedly one sided, and I finally decided to google him
https://churchwatchcentral.com/2017/10/02/killing-kryptonite-the-bait-of-john-bevere/
In essence, he is not the kind of person I want to be learning any biblical principals from. I felt he was taking the scriptures that supported his claims, while not, also discussing, the scriptures that complete the essence of the teaching in the bible. The group had a Facebook page, and I wrote this similar description and my thoughts about why this guy was unsettling to me. I was told we would talk about it at group. We were only a week away from being done with it. My post was taken down from the group leader in less than 10 minutes. Now throughout this study 4 other members spoke up saying similar things about his teaching. So on the last night of the study, it wrapped up and no one had much to offer up about it. Now, my thought was that the two women who were leading this study were going to bring up the difficulties that I, and others, had. I am vocal, indeed. I am not one to be confused by something and sit quietly about it. If it doesn't make sense I ask. This is my salvation and I am intentional with everything that I read- we are warned that there will be many false teachers to lead people astray. We are taught to verify the validity of a writing about scripture by comparing it to ....SCRIPTURE. We are to ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand. Because the ladies who said we would talk about it didn't bring it up, and I was trying to be polite and wait until I was called on but no. I made a snarky comment about everyone knowing I didn't like the guy and that I had a problem with some of the things he said and the way he interpreted scripture. Still not willing to discuss it. One later said it was because I was argumentative. I was holding back tears at the complete disregard for my thoughts and floored that when I asked them how the discerned scripture, meaning interpreted scripture from Christian authors - they said by the Holy Spirit and elders, apparently they didn't understand the question I was asking. I was heartbroken. I was angry that those who shared similar thoughts, didn't speak up. I was lost in the disregard for truth seeking.
I drove home and after careful thought and prayer, I private messaged 3 women in the group, the 2 who lead the bible study and the woman who invited me into the group. "I want to thank you for allowing me into your bible study. Thank You ... for opening your home. I respectfully will not be in attendance any further. I am not sure why I was censored on the page, not wanting to 'confuse' anyone being more important than having real discussion to work through this book's work....
I was told my discussion on the group page was actually in argument to why the study was not in alignment with the Word and why I didn't like the author (Yes because they were counter to the overall gospel). It's ok to discuss, but in your zeal to point out what was wrong you missed the point of the discussion...I have times when I share struggles. I also know that others have. We bring each other to accountability (I guess they didn't see that was what I was doing; trying to hold the author accountable to the gospel). Usually when the zeal of Christ runs someone wrong, that my friend is because the spirit in them feels uneasy. And that spirit isn't of God. (Yes, she told me in no uncertain terms that it was ungodly, the way I was thinking- I basically ran through the reasons that thinking critically of writings on the bible is what we are told to do, so that we are not deceived. I also said- that she wasn't going to speak over my life like that). She continued further about how discussing was ok, but being divisive wasn't. (Wasn't Jesus and his apostles a bit divisive? How does one not be divisive when what that person is saying is not in agreement with what is being discussed?) She then rounded out her thoughts on the matter that people shouldn't be talking about the bible study outside of the group, because it would just cause confusion. And she didn't want some of the less spiritually mature members to become confused.
There was no studying of the Bible to confront the author's teaching, in the bible study group, and I'm not sure if I am totally misunderstanding what Bible Study groups are supposed to do, since this was my first real one. The legalistic notion of telling others when they are not living according to the Word was a big part of the book. The irony was, that I was doing what the book was saying to do, to love your fellow Christian and make it a point to care about their salvation, and to let them know if they (we) were being misguided.
I have since sought Spiritual Direction from one of the Sisters where I work. She told me about a Friar that lived in Southeastern Indiana. He had a near death experience that took him all the way to the seat of judgment. He later told people that he was asked one question there. "How do you love?"
We are told that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, our mind, our spirit, and our strength, and that the second greatest commandment is like it- to love our neighbors as ourselves. Loving God, for me, looks like obedience to His Word, spending time between the pages of the most important and influential book ever written, and seeking meaning through the lens of the life of Jesus Christ. What good is gaining the whole world, if you do not have love? I did not choose love the night of my last bible study. I chose God.
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