David Whiting Live

"Banning Bible Studies" @ Northridge Church

OK - that title is a bit sensational, but it the title of a blog post by one of our volunteer heroes @ Northridge, Brad Files. We have a particular purpose for our small groups and it isn't to have a Bible study. Bible studies are great and small group Bible studies are wonderful, but that isn't the purpose of our small group ministry.

What follows is Brad's post on the topic. You can see the original HERE. (And I'm hoping this pressures Brad back into blogging regularly again...)

Banning Bible Studies

I remember that “Aha” moment clearly. Small Groups are not Bible Studies!

If you’re old, like me, you remember how Christians used to get together – we organized Bible Studies. Many today, especially the older saints, assume Small Groups is just the newer name for Bible studies. My friends, Christian and Shelley, were the first to sit me down and talk this through. “Brad, I really love your teaching. It’s great. But … it’s not really what being a Small Group is about. Small Groups are about people’s lives changing, mostly just from being in the group. As they hang out, interact, discuss, react to and apply the Bible, their lives just change.”

Early on in my Small Group experience we recruited hosts, a worship leader, and a teacher. Of course the great teachers in those House Fellowship Groups were mostly seminary students and many of them are leading churches today. So where do we look when we don’t have a seminary close by or a good supply of Bible teachers? More importantly, is that who we should be looking for? We had a hard time early on recruiting Small Group leaders (SGLs) because they all assumed they had to be good teachers. The irony is that some of our best teachers don’t really make very good SGLs. Why is that?

The ratio of good Bible teachers to the general population in a church is at least 100:1; awesome teachers, probably 1000:1. Yet we find the ratio of great SGLs to the general population is closer to 10:1. So what’s the difference?

        Content

• Bible teachers study and prepare new content to share.

• SGLs use content created by others (like the previous Sunday’s sermon along with a published set of questions) or published curriculum (e.g. listening to a teacher on DVD) and coordinate the reaction to and application of that content.

        Flow

• Bible teachers operate in broadcast mode, beacons of nifty insights, sharing new content which all groups members receive. (One to many.) Often no response from the group is necessary other than the occasionally whispered, “Dude, they should make a video of you!”
• SGLs prompt and cultivate the sharing of current life concerns with an eye towards how the sermon, teaching, etc. might speak to it. Everyone in the group is heard and anyone in the group may be offering insights, encouragements, challenges in response. (Many to many.)
  

        Role

• Bible teachers have a unique role (gifted unlocker of Biblical mysteries) that always keeps them separate from the group. Sometimes the group may have a continuing identity but treat Bible teaching as a necessary service to secure. “Who are we going to get to teach us this quarter?” Teachers may come and go but the group remains.
• SGLs have a more humble, peer approach to the group. They share their role, encouraging others to contribute in every meeting and even getting others to lead the group from week to week. They are more like gardeners, preparing a healthy environment for growth, pulling weeds, and getting out of the way of good things happening.
  

        Gifts

• Bible teachers have a clear gift of teaching. Given the ratios I mentioned above, groups who seek teachers to lead their groups will just be frustrated by third string talent. Groups lucky enough to snag a good teacher will be stuck with him. He won’t be able to share his gift and he will not be easily replaced. This is all besides the point that groups are not best used for teaching, they are best used for growing. The inevitable flow of sharing from the teacher to the student is not easily reversed.
• SGLs use gifts of exhortation, mercy, administration and helps to great advantage. They are truly pastors, shepherds who care for their groups. Groups are the place where we drop our defenses and do open heart surgery on each other, sometimes without anesthetic. Gifts like mercy and helps encourage that.

Until your church embraces this paradigm shift, your groups will struggle, probably without knowing why.

Brad is one of our small group coaches. He helps small group leaders lead better. I constantly count on his input and feedback. Thanks, Brad for your leadership!

Bible Reading Goals for 2012

I love fresh starts, and a new year is the ultimate fresh start!

I plan to read through the Bible in 2012 using a plan that I've used many times. You can download a PDF of the plan HERE. The plan is pretty simple. Every day of the week, you read two chapters from the OT. Every weekday you also read one chapter from the poetry books and one from the New Testament. So it is four chapters a day Monday through Friday. And two chapters on Saturday and Sunday.

With less than fifteen minutes a day, you can read through the entire Bible!

I also love the website YouVersion. On the website, there are a very large number of Bible reading plans. If you don't have a plan or goal for your Bible reading this year, check out these options.

What is your plan for Bible reading this year?

Advent Readings

Don't forget our Advent Conspiracy! The first application of our Advent Conspiracy is to use resources to help you focus on Christ this Christmas.

Many Advent resources began this past Sunday. Others begin December 1st. Choose one and go for it! Even if you are starting late (if you have a resource that began Sunday) - don't quit!

If you don't yet have a resource, there are plenty of free ones online. YouVersion is a free Bible app for your smartphone, and there is a great website (all for free). You can download the smartphone app HERE (click on mobile to pick your smartphone) and you can see the website HERE.

Here are some options for Advent Reading plans (all from YouVersion.com).

1. Countdown to Christmas 29 days
   A fun Advent activity calendar to teach your whole family the significance of Christmas
2. Christmas Begins with Christ 28 days
   Devotional focusing on the joy, peace, and hope surrounding Jesus’ birth
3. Rediscovering the Christmas Season 25 days
   Scriptures and reflections that will help you center each day on Christ
4. Carols: A Christmas Devotional 25 days
   Devotional revealing the biblical roots of classical Christmas songs
5. The Christmas Story 5 days
   Biblical prophetic context and historical Gospel accounts of the Savior’s birth

Of course, YouVersion.com and the Bible App now have many other Reading Plans—more than 200, in fact, including many in different languages.

 

What an amazing, free resource!

 

The Bible - In My Language

I read some shocking statistics today from the book "Truth That Sticks" by Avery Willis a& Mark Snowden:

• There are 6900 languages in the world.
• Only 451 of them have a complete Bible.
• Only 1185 have an adequate New Testament
• 2252 have no translation AT ALL of ANY part of the Bible, Old or New.
• Do you know that I have over 35 ENGLISH Bibles in my office today? That doesn't include my Greek and Hebrew texts.

I am SO thankful for my Bible(s)! I LOVE my Bible(s)!

Biblical Influence... How to Do It

All of us have opportunities every day to influence others. Spouses, children, parents, co-workers, neighbors, friends, etc...  Every day we engage in conversations and those conversations are opportunities to influence others biblically.

For example, most every day we interact with someone (usually more than one) who is complaining, or is struggling with an important decision, or having a hard time in a relationship.  With each of these conversations, our interaction with them will do one of the following:

• We will influence them positively
• We will have no influence on them - and not change their thinking or living
• We will have a negative influence on them and encourage them in their current thinking/behavior

God calls us to a high standard in our interactions with people. We need to learn to listen to people and help them apply God's Truth to their life to help them live rightly - for their benefit and for God's glory.

For example - a small group member complains about their spouse.  You have three options for a response:

• You can complain along with them: "I can't believe he/she did that!" "That's not right!" "How terrible!" "Well, you won't believe what MY husband/wife did last night!" In doing so, you are making the situation worse - not better. You aren't helping them at all. You are allowing them to continue without hope or a solution, and encouraging them in their solution-less complaints.
• You could also just listen, sympathize, and offer to pray for them, but - for the most part - they go away unchanged, unchallenged, and the situation is no better then when before they spoke to you (and may be worse because you gave them no answers or hope). There is no mention of God or biblical truth or right and wrong. This is the most common action by most Christians, I've discovered.
• You could also learn to listen carefully and learn to ask questions to help someone apply the Bible to life. You need to learn where things are in the Bible so that you can point them in the right direction. In that specific situation, you need to learn to ask questions like:
  
  • "How did YOU respond?" "Was that the best way to respond?"
  • "What do you think you need to do to please God when your spouse acts like that?"
  • "How can I specifically pray for you?"
  • "What if you tried this...?" (offering a biblical response to suffering)
  • "Have you thought that maybe...?" (helping them change their perspective)

I'm convinced most all of us face this type of conversation every day, and we WANT to influence others biblically, we just aren't in the habit, or we don't feel knowledgeable enough to know how to influence biblically in those situations.

I have a deep longing to equip you to think biblically so that you can be a positive influence on others. I know that many of you are saying, "I could never do that. I'm a new believer."  Or "I don't know the Bible well enough." Or "I would have no idea what to say." Or "I am not a quick thinker." Or "I hate confrontation." I encourage you to remember that God is way bigger than you are and can use anyone that is willing to be used by Him to influence people for His glory. Please consider being willing to be stretched in order to be used by Him!

That is why we are having a meeting about BEING A BIBLICAL INFLUENCER this Sunday at 10:00 AM in 417/419.  I hope you can make it.  It will be an opportunity for me to talk about how I want to help equip as many of our church body as possible in learning to help others.

SMALL GROUP LEADERS, parents, siblings, ministry leaders, friends... this is all about helping Christians learn to influence others in biblical ways so that God is glorified and the person is helped.

I hope to see you there!

Reading Through Ephesians

I recently began a six-month series on the book of Ephesians. I gave three challenges at the conclusion of the first sermon (you can hear that sermon HERE). The three challenges were:

• Bring your Bible every week (don't just use one of our chair Bibles)
• Read the book once a week (one chapter per day) - if you don't have another daily Bible-reading plan
• Be in a small group that is doing sermon discussion

If people take these challenges they will be reading through the book at least two dozens times, hearing a sermon on it every week, and discussing the implications of the book with a group of friends every week! They will be VERY familiar with this book by the time the six months are over. 

I decided that I want to HELP those who are reading through the book weekly. So - if you are taking the EPHESIANS challenge (to read through the book weekly) - I'd like to send you a weekly email. It will be a simple assignment that you will do WHILE you read to help you understand the book better.

So if you are going to try to read it weekly, let me know. Starting Sunday you will receive a weekly email from me giving you a weekly assignment (that will help you comprehend what you are reading). Let me know by replying to this email, leaving a comment on the blog, or sending me a direct email.

Digger Deeper Series - I Need Recommendations

When it comes to my preaching schedule, about half of my preaching is through a book of the Bible, and the other half is topical.  Last year (2009), I spent most of the year preaching through the Divided Kingdom.  Since February, I've been teaching topics.  This fall, I will go back to preaching through a book of the Bible, but I can't decide which one. I've been reading and asking God, but nothing is jumping out to me.

So - do you have a recommendation?  I've narrowed it down a bit... here is where I'm at:

• I want to do a New Testament book (since I did the Divided Kingdom for our last book study)
• I want it to be an epistle not narrative (so I don't want to do a Gospel or Acts - since the last book study was narrative)
• I want to preach a book I haven't preached at Northridge (the three epistles I've preached through here are James, 2 Corinthians, and Colossians)
• I want to do a shorter book (I like to do longer books when I have up to a year to prep for them). So this takes out Romans, 1 Corinthians, Hebrews and Revelation. I have Romans as my next BIG book to preach (I hope).  Maybe 2011...
• I want to do a book that will take approximately four to six months to work through (this probably removes the shortest books - Philemon, 2 John, 3 John and Jude)

So - I think I'm down to the following options:

• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• 1 John

Typically, here is how I decide which book to preach (probably in this order of impact):

• It needs to be a book that I'm passionate about... one that I'm really enjoying and find myself thinking about and referring to it often
• It needs to be a book that I believe our church body needs (we need ALL of God's word, but sometimes a book fits a particular time for a particular purpose)
• It needs to be a book that the once I decide on it - God's peace confirms the choice as I begin to prepare (usually two months before the first sermon)

So - do you have suggestions?  Comment on the blog, or if you want, just reply... the response does come to me.

EQUIP Room Numbers for Sunday

Here are the EQUIP room numbers for Sunday:

• Starting Point (all ages) - Room 402
• 20s - Our Walk with God - Room 105
• 20s & 30s - What Every Christian Should Know - Youth Ministries Building (Carriage House)
• 30s & 40s - Walk Thru the Old Testament - Room 107
• 40s & 50s - Changing Hearts, Changing Lives - Room 417 
• 50s & 60s - James: A Study of His Book - Room 206
• 60s+ - Various Teachers and Topics - Room 419
• Teens - Room 110

I look forward to seeing you.  Classes are at 10:00 AM.

First Service - 8:30 AM

EQUIP Classes - 10:00 AM

Second Service - 11:00 AM

You WON'T want to be late to the service!!  You want to be there at the starting moment!  PLAN AHEAD! Park far!! Sit close!!

The "Gladiator" or "Rambo" Chapters of the OT - You Gotta' Read 'Em

Tomorrow's sermon involves two of my favorite OT chapters.  I would LOVE to see these two chapters made into a movie!! (Read them and see if you agree.)

So - if you have time before tonight, read 2 Kings 9-10.  You won't be disappointed.  I can't wait to talk about these chapters tomorrow.  Take a look.

I Was Wrong (about What My Wife Would Think)...

Sunday I mentioned that 2 Kings 2:23-24 would bother my wife.  For a reminder, here is the story...

(23) From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!"  (24) He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

In church, I mentioned that I LOVE this story, but my wife would be bothered by it.  Well, she informed me I was off base.  Her basic reasoning was that nothing annoys her more than disrespectful and disobedient children.  So it didn't phase her one bit... Wow, that is pretty big pet peeve if bears mauling 42 kids doesn't bother her.  Maybe my wife isn't as merciful as I thought!  I know this... I don't want to be disrespectful to her - she might want to have me mauled by wild animals!!!