Why Life Group?? Part 2 - Teaching

Last time, we looked at Acts 2:42-47, and discovered four of the key characteristics of a Christian community - of which we want our Life Groups to be prime examples. Those characteristics were teaching, fellowship, worship and prayer. Of these, we looked at the last three, but didn't go into the teaching side of things. Well, the time has now come for us to do so!

One of the key characteristics of a healthy church is that it is a learning church. The same is true of a Life Group. History has shown that unless we are growing in our faith, we are shrinking in it - there is no such thing as holding steady. If we are not allowing God's Word to shape our lives we will inevitably drift out of shape.

In this study, we are going to look at some of the ways in which we learn about God, ourselves, our faith and our world, and how they may specifically be applied in Life Groups.

Scripture
The primary witness that we have to God is the Bible. It is God's Word, revealed to us, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man (or woman!) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17).

As we saw last time, the early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching (Acts 2:42), most of which is now recorded in what we call the New Testament. Similarly, the church at Berea were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures, what we would call the Old Testament, every day to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11).

Clearly, then, Scripture is a very important part of our growth as Christians, and should be a part of our meetings together (including Life Groups!) But what is the best way of doing this?

Reading: The most obvious way of including Scripture is to read it! This doesn't have to be out loud, although I sometimes find that we remember more of what we hear (or hear and read) than of what we just read.

• How do you absorb Scripture best? By hearing it? Reading it? Both? Try and agree as a group what the best way for your group is. This doesn't mean you have to do that every time, but it is good to understand what the group's preferences are.
  
• Are you comfortable reading aloud? If not, that's OK! One of the great things about being in a Life Group is that everyone can use their strengths to assist others, and can in turn be assisted. Share your preference with the group and allow them to bless you!

Preaching: Whilst generally (in my experience) the least effective in a Life Group context, preaching can often provide great insight into particular Scriptures, or can draw together multiple Scriptures to give you an overall picture on a given topic. In essence, the preacher does much of the hard work to understand the Scriptures and their background in their context, and then to provide a bridge between you and them. A good preacher will leave you with both an insight into what the inspired author meant to convey to his immediate audience, as well as some ideas about what God intends you to learn from it today.

• What do you think about including sermons (written, audio or video) as a regular (or irregular!) part of your Life Group?
  
• Are there any particular messages that you have seen/heard/read that you would like to share with the group?

Bible Study: Bible Study is the most common way in which Scripture is included in a small group like a Life Group, and yet can be one of the most difficult to do consistently well. A large part of this is that Bible studies come in many shapes and sizes. Much like sermons, some focus on one particular scripture, others focus on a particular topic and survey multiple scriptures and how they apply to the topic (much like this study!). In general, though, a Bible study should encourage you to examine the Scriptures to see what is true, as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11). In my opinion, the best studies (again, like sermons) are those that a) allow for good discussion and b) challenge you to apply Scripture directly into your own life.

• What do you expect from a good Bible Study?
  
• Are there particular areas of Scripture that you would like to study?

One of the big advantages of a Life Group Bible Study over a sermon is the opportunity for interaction. If you don't understand something, say so! Someone else in the group may be having the same difficulty, or alternately might have a great insight to share, a blessing which you might miss out on if you don't say anything. Again, your group is there to support you, and you to support them. Together we can learn heaps more than we can alone.

This leads into another area in which Scripture can be included in Life Groups.

Experience: Whilst Scripture must be the primary witness and authority for a Christian, sometimes it is helpful to share from our own experiences of how Scriptures have been, or could have been, applied in our own experience. This can help other people understand the scripture, be convinced of its relevance, or be encouraged to apply it in their own lives.

Other sources of teaching
Clearly the Bible is our most important source of teaching/learning. Sometimes, however, it is useful to turn to other sources for inspiration and instruction. A couple of possible options:

• Books: Books can be a great way to explore a particular topic. Usually this works best if everyone has access to a copy of the book, and can read in between meetings, although it is sometimes possible for the leader to read and summarise as necessary.
  
• Music: Like the Psalms, some music (or at least some lyrics) can be a fun and challenging way to explore life issues. e.g. a careful study of some of U2's lyrics can offer a great launching pad for discussion.
  
• Movies/TV: Similarly some movies can stimulate thought. e.g. I know of a church that did a series of studies based on the titles of James Bond movies.
  
• Courses: Throughout the course of the year there will be opportunities for training in various areas provided by the church. You may also be aware of other courses that your group could use/be involved in. Examples might include the Alpha course, various evangelism courses etc.

These are a few ideas that I have used, seen used or heard about being used, but I'm sure you can think of some of your own.

• Can you think of any other sources of teaching?
  
• Are there any of the above sources that you would like to explore? Do you have any specific books, music, movies etc. that you would like to study?
  
• Are there any courses that you are aware of that you would like to be involved in as a part of your Life Group?

Let me just say again that Scripture is our primary influence, and our sole authority, so even if you do decide to use one (or some) of the things above, you should make sure that you are referring back to the Bible.

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I hope that, from this, you see that there are many ways in which we can learn about God, ourselves, our faith and our world - there is no excuse for being bored!

Some prayer suggestions

• Pray for your group, that the Holy Spirit will give you the wisdom to understand and apply God's Word.
  
• Pray for your leader(s) that they can be teachers who are faithful to God's calling.
  
• Pray for me as I work with your leader(s) in preparing/locating the right teaching resources.