Karen knocked on the classroom door as I finished my weekly women’s Bible study.
She told me she belonged to a liberal Christian church in town that didn't stress Bible teaching. She explained: "My doctor recently detected a melanoma on my back. I promised God I’d go to a Bible study if He’d let me live, and He answered my prayer. So here I am.”
Over the next few months, I had the pleasure of praying with Karen to receive Christ and introducing her to the basics of Christianity.
She still felt loyal to her liberal church, but she was growing in Christ through our study of God's Word.
I didn't feel God wanted me to question her church. Instead, I concentrated on the Bible.
I wanted her to know and rely on God’s Word so she could evaluate her church for herself (2 Timothy 2:15).
Sometimes I’ve tried to micromanage people’s spiritual lives, but that's not healthy.
There are times to speak up, and there are times to let God's Word and Spirit speak.
Karen was learning to find answers in God's Word, and that's the best thing we can teach young Christians.
It's the only way they will gain discernment so they can avoid bad doctrine, liberal churches, and false teachings (1 John 4:1).
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Note: The church Karen attended was not a cult. It was simply a church that had lost its focus. We should teach new Christians the truths of the gospel, but we must also teach them to correctly handle God's Word so they can find answers for themselves (2 Timothy 2:15). We want them to be able to judge false teachings and make biblical decisions on their own. See Are You a Bottle-fed Christian?
For a short Bible study on this devotion, Check out Bite Size Bible Study.
Gail,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this post very much, especially today. My husband and I lead a small group for couples. There is one couple who is fairly new to our group. We have recently learned that the husband has been doing some research and is slowly becoming involved with a non-Christian organization. As leaders, my husband and I will continue, as we always have, to only concentrate on the Bible. Like you said, no matter how tempted we are to chime in on people's spiritual views, it is up to each person to consider everything carefully. God willing this gentleman will take account of the differences between the true word of God and what he is learning in this other faith. Thanks again for this post & many blessings!
What a relevant situation, Diana. I'm sure that as you teach the Bible, you will have opportunity to address specific things that refute this non-Christian organization. And I hope you don't think I mean that we can't ever address things openly...we can. But I think it's particularly important that new Christians learn to seek truth in the Bible, not simply from Bible teachers.
DeleteThanks for your comment.
HI Gail! How wonderful that this woman had you at such a tender point in her life. I think it is a struggle to know just how far to talk, wanting to invite, not wanting to 'turn them off.' Sounds like you did just the right thing.
ReplyDeleteYou are blessed!
Peace in Christ,
Ceil
I agree with your post. We need to help others see the Bible and the importance of God's word in our lives. We can't make decisions for them and we don't want them saying, "Gail says... or Carol says..." We can pray for them to be led by the Holy Spirit, and the best thing we can do, in addition, would be to help them learn how to study God's word.
ReplyDeleteWow. I love your approach that you taught her how to study herself instead of telling her what to believe. That's a skill that she can carry with her for life.
ReplyDeleteI love this, after much denominational confusion I was experiencing as a new Christian, I decided to immerse myself in the Word for a while and my walk has become clearer through the Holy Spirit, I love being inspired by God filled people but nothing comes close to being taught by the Holy Spirit <3 This post was confirmation for me, thank you.
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